The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-07-23
ANGRY GARCIA.
His Complaints Against Our
Policy.

Santiago, July 22.-Gen. Garcia has
written the following letter to Gen.
| Shafter:
Major General W. r. Shafter, Com
mander-in-C of the Fifth Army
Corps of the United States Army:
"Sir-On May 10 the government of the
Republic of Cuba ordered me as COM
mander of the Cuban army in the east tc
cooperate with the American army, fol-
lowing the plans and obeying the orders
OF its commanders.
| 81 have done my best sir, to fulfil the
i, wishes of my government, and I have
| been, until now, ono of your most faith.
full subordinates, honoring myself in
carrying out your orders and instructions
as far as my powers have allowed me tc
do so. The city of Santiago finally sur
rendered to the American army and the
| news of that important victory was given
to me by persons entirely foreign to your
staff.
Il have not been honored, sir, with a
single word from yourself informing me
about the negotiations for peace or terms
of the capitulations by tho Spaniards.
The Important ceremonie S Of the sur.
render of the Spanish army and the pos
session of the city by yourself took place
later on, and only knew of both events
by the public reports. I was neither
honored, sir, with kind word from you,
inviting myself or any other officer of my
staff to represent the Cuban army on that
memorable occasion.
Finally I know that you have left in
power in Santiago the same Spanish
officers that for three years I have fought
as enemies of the independence of Cuba. /
beg to state that those authorities have
| never been elected at Santiago by the
residents of the CITY, but appointed by
royal decree of the Queen of Spain. 1
would agree, sir, that the army under
your command should have taken possess
sion of the city and of garrisoned forts. I
would have given my warm cooperation
to any measure you may have deemed best
under American military law to hold the
city for your army and preserve public
OIuVAs udtiA uAC OllllO JULIUS W luluI Uu6
solemn pledge of the people of the United
States to establish in Cuba a free and in
dependent government, but when the
question arrives of appointing authorities
in Santiago de Cuba. and under the
peculiar circumstances created by 80 years
|of struggle against the Spanish rule, 1
cannot see but with the deepest regret
that such authorities are not elected by
the Inhabitants of the city, but the same
ones selected by the Queen of Spain and
her ministers to defend, against the
Cubans, Jhe Spanish sovereignty.
IA rumor too absurd to be believed,
General, ascribes the reason for your
measure and the orders of forbidding my
army to enter Santiago, to fear of mas
sacres and avenges against the Spanish.
low me, sir, to protest against even the
shadow Of such an idea. We are not
savages, ignoring the rules Of civilized
warfare. We are poor, ragged army, as
ragged and poor as was the army OF your
forefathers in their noble war for inde-
pendence, but as the heroes of Saratoga
and Yorktown we respect too deeply our
cause to disgrace it with barbarism and
cowa rdice.
In view of these reasons, I sincerely
regret to be unable to fulfill longer the
orders of my government, and therefore
have rendered today to the commander
in-chief of the Cuban army, Maj. Gen.
Maxine Gomez, my resignation as COM
mander of this section Of our army.
Awaiting his return, withdraw my
forces to Jiguari.
Very respectfully yours,
"CALIXTA GARCIA "
The greater part of Garcia's army leaves
| here at daybreak tomorrow.
| Notwith landing Gen. Garcia's bitter
complaint that he had been ignored and
| that the restoration of the Spanish civil
authority in the city of Santiago was
| most offensive to him, and that in conse-
ouence of all this he had been forced to
tender his resignation as general in the
| Cuban army, the insurgent general is go.
ing on with his preparations for contes,
with the Spanish forces at Horguin and
| Manzanillo quite as though nothing had
happened. Tomorrow Gen. Garcia will
issue decree authorizing all the Cubans
who have been driven from their planta-
tions and country homes by the Spaniards
and who have taken refuge for safety il
| the cities and towns to return to the
| country and go to work upon their farms
and plantations assuring them of protec
tion by his forces. He has added like per-
mission to those in the ranks who were
recruited from the farm lands or who
were employed in the fields at the out
break of the war.
Altogether it must be confessed that
Gen. Garcia s attitude is inexplicable.
| His permission to the men in his ranks to