The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-09
STATUS OF CUBAN GOVERNMENT
TESTIMONY GIVEN BEFORE THE
HOUSE COMMITTEE.
Cuban Bonds and Their Value
Possess Eastern End of Island
Capable of Self-Government.

Washington, April S.-The foreign af-
fairs committee of the house met at IL
o'clock this morning and continued the
| hearing of Mr.. Quesada, the represent
alive of the Cuban republic in this city.
President Palma of the Cuban junta
was also present. Mr.. Quesada con-
| tinued his statement as to the status
of the government of the republic.
! Some very interesting facts came out
before the foreign affairs committee of
| the house today. The deputy treasurer
of the Cuban republic appeared with
| his books. and they were inspected by
| the committee. He explained that of
the $10.000.00G bonds authorized, only
| 1922, coo had been actually disposed OF.
Some of these were in payment OF pro-
| visions sent to Cubans. For some or
the bonds par had been obtained. These
were taken by the friends of Cuba.
The lowest price at which any were
sold was % cents on the dollar. A
batch of 100000 was sold for $1,000 in a
pressing emergency. One million Of
the bonds. he said, were locked up in
the safe of Belmont & Co. of New York,
to he sold when the fixed PRICES cents
on the dollar-had been obtained.
Three millions of the remainder had
been signed, but were locked up in the
treasurer's vaults.
The deputy treasurer was asked IL he
knew the story of the publication of
the De LONE letter. and, without
names. he told the first authentic story
of how it was obtained. He explained
that it was distracted by clerk in
the postoffice in Havana. who was in
sympathy with the Cuban cause. and
sent back to New York. There its inn
portance was at once realized, and it
was given out for publication, the ac-
ton being justified because it showed
cOnclusively what the Cubans had al
ways contended, that Spain was dOu-
ble-dealing. Mr.. Quesada continued
his statement about the status of the
Cuban government He went extern
sively into the authority exercised by
the government over the eastern prov
inces. where, he said. all was compare
lively peaceful. Industry was going on.
war taxes were being collected. and all
the functions of government were being
discharged.
With regard to the capability of self
government of the Cubans. he said
that they were much higher class of
people than those who had successfully
revolted from Spanish domination in
South America.
The children of the better and more
wealthy classes had been educated in
the United States or abroad. They had
imbibed the spirit of government.
The lower classes were laboring people,
peacefully disposed. as evidenced by
the fact that they were regarded as
desirable workmen at Key West and
New York and wherever they had
gone.
He said the people of Cuba were all
most kindly disposed toward the
United States, looking upon this coun-
try as a big brother: but they wanted
independence, and thought their strug-
gle for freedom should be recognized.
They should be given a status among
the nations of the earth.
When the hearing concluded. M.
Newlands moved an adjournment until
Monday at II o'clock, which was car
ried.
The committee has no regular day
OF meeting now and is subject to the
call of the chairman. In order TO be
in a position to act, the friends of in
dependence and action took the pre-
caution of adiourning until Monday, so
that they could act on that day. if the
message was not to come i'll, and not
depend upon a call from the chairman.