The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-04-15

! United States.''
: Senator Mills-"Can they get no subsis-
! tence from the island?"
!. Consul General Lee-"Nothing more
! than from this floor Gndicating). The
, way the insurgents do is this: They have
? little patches OF sweet potatoes-every-
thing grows there very abundanly in a
short time-and Irish potatoes and fruits.
They drive their pigs and cattle into the
valleys and to the hillsides. and they use
these and scatter out The insurgents
plant crops in many parts of the island
Speaking about an arrnistice, they have
not been interfered with much since Gen
eral Blanco came there. With the excep-
ton Of the campaign of General Pando
in the eastern part of the island. there
have been very few military operations
1naugurated by the Spanish. So it has
been practically a sort of truce for some
time TO the insurgents because they did
not want to fight and because il was
against orders TO fight
BLOCKADING HAVANA
Suppose Havana was blockeded?" said
Senaor Mills, $50 that no provisions could
do in would the people there have any
way to get any?"
None whatever" responded General
Lee. ''The town would surrender in a
short while"
General Lee said that all but about
100000 Spaniards, of the population of Gu
ba, which is about 100000 were Cubans.
General Lee said that he had expended
| all but about 5000 Of the 100000 appro-
priated for the relief of the American cit
liens in Cuba
Senator Morgan asked if it was matter
of actual necessity to feed them. to which
General Lee replied:
They are practically in the condition
of all the other inhabitants of the is
! land. They mad very little to work at
| There were not many sugar plantations
| in operation, nor tobacco plantations,
and they were suffering like everybody
else"
Senator Cullom asked if the Spanish
army got any of the supplies sent by the
United States
''No sir said General Lee. Coca
sionally they might have got a little here
and there"
Senator Frye asked various questions in
regard TO the physical condition of the
Spanish soldiers and the method of pro-
vidng for them, to which General Lee re-
piled that the condition of the Spanish
soldiers is very bad. They are badly
clothed and very badly fed, not well or
ganized, nor we'll drilled.
WHY, MISS BARTON?
Senator Frye-"If Spain has really ap-
proprated 900 for the sustenance of |
the reconcentrados, as it is stated, do /
you believe that that will be given to those |
people and that their own soldiers will |
be left to starve?"
Consul General Lee.-"Oh, no.
Senator Foraker-''What will become |
of it?''
Consul General Lee-"They will divide |
it up here and there-a piece taken off /
here and piece taken off there. I do not |
believe they have appropriated anything
of the kind
General Lee said that there were Amer
lean citizens left on the island, for whom
there was no provision since he had left.
He thought there would have to be ac-
tive steps for their relief as they are
suffering and starving. He said he
thought Miss Clara Barton would have
remained to take charge of the distrbu-
tion of supplies, but very much to my
surprise she turned around and came out
the same day we did, bringing every Red
Cross
Senator Frye-"What, in your judg-
ment is the possibility of Spain conquer
ing the insurgents and restoring peace on
the island?"
LEE AND CLEVELAND.
Consul General Lee-"I do not think
there is the slightest possibility of their
doing it a all in any way. The same con-
dftion of things existed when Mr.. Ceve-
land asked me to go down there in June
a year ago. 1 told him there was no
chance. in my opinion, of the Spaniards
ever suppressing that instruction, nor
was there any chance of the Instruction
lists expelliRg the Spanish soldiers from
the island"
A SKELETON GOVERNMENT.
In response to an inquiry from Senator
Lodge for his opinion of the insurgent
government, General Lee said:
II have never thought that the insur-
gents had anything except the skeleton
form Of a governmental movable capital
I asked them one day why they did not
have a permanent capital. and I think
they gave a very good reason They said
it would require a large force to defend it
and protect II and they could not afford
to mass their men there: that the capital
and the government offices had to move {
where they could be the safest
General Lee said that ne did not know
Of any of the officials connected with /
heir civil government. The armed force
would number probably $1,000 or 5000.
The number has been UP probably as nigh
IS 5000 or $1,000 men. well armed. The !
ammunition varies. The Spanish force {
was probably 5000 or 5000 S
OCCUPATION NOT PERTLOUS.
General Lee said that an American army
# occupation could 90 into the island :
with safety now. The climate nor any
hings else need not prevent them enter
ng Cuba. {
General Lee said that when ne left Ha- {
rama the Spanish troops had not been J
,aid for about nine months, nor the Span Z
sh officers for about four months. 7
Senator Daniel asked: "Do You think :
General Blanco was lacking in courtesy r
o you on leaving the island?" r
General Lei went with the British q
,onsul general and saw Dr. Congos;o. the
secretary 10 the general. I told Or. Con-
,osto that I had received instructions . .
cave the island and go 20 the United 2
ssates, and Icalled 10 pay my final 'e- ?
poets and would Ike 10 see General 2
5lanco. He asked ne TO sill down and
aid he would 30 and let him know. He 3
vent of and STAYED about fifteen minutes