The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-20
Business
Better,
SAYS GEN. LAYTON.
Our Government Accepted
With Confidence.

New York, Oct. 19-Brig. Gen. Law
ton of the military department of East
ern Cuba arrived in this city today ac-
eompanied by his aides. The general,
who has leave of absence for 60 days
on account of i'll health, looked fairly
well and said that the voyage had done
him a great deal of good. He will go to
New Haven this evening and will start
for Washington tomorrow. He will
make an extensive report of the condi-
ton Of affairs in the department OF
which he had charge while in Cuba.
Speaking of the condition of affairs in
Santiago and other portions of eastern
Cuba, Gen. Lawton said:
The general situation is good and
Gen. Wood who is now in charge is
rushing the sundry work to compile
ton as fast as possible. The people
down there claim that in the history of
Santiago the city was never so clean
as it is at the present time. Business is
reVtying, also the confidence among
business men is almost completely re :
stored. Capitalists are now investing
money.
The people have accepted the United
States government with the utmost
confidence.
When asked as to the feeling in gem
.eral about annexation, the general
looked quizzically at his questioner and
said he was not prepared to talk about
that matter just now.
Continuing, however, the general
said: The great trouble is that the Gu
bans have an army. However, the great
majority of the Cuban troops are anx-
ious to dtsband. 1t was fortunate in
having portions of the Cuban army
under me and was on intimate terms
with Gen. Calixto Garcia, This friend
ship brought about very much better
state of feeling between the American
troops and those in Garcia's command
than had existed before. No serious
breach of the peace and no robberies
have been reported as having occurred
in eastern Cuba. Many of the Cuban
soldiers are gradually leaving the army
and returning to civil occupation.
Among those who accompanied the
general was Capt. Raymond Mendoza,
a Cuban, who was a volunteer aide on
Lawton's staff and accompanied the
general to different parts of Cuba.
Capt. Mendoza said that the feeling
among Cuban troops is to accept
the United States government.
THE Cubans," said he. are in fa-
vor of paying the Cuban soldiers, the
0nlieu states TO advance the money
for, the payment of which to be guar
anteed by the Cuban government. The
idea is to give the men several months
back pay, so as to furnish them with
funds to start in business"
When asked as to the feeling about
annexation, Capt. Mendoza said: THE
sentiment in favor of annexation, to
my mind, is stronger in other parts of
the island than in Santiago"
One of the passengers on the Mich
igan was L. A. Faner of Philadelphia,
who visited Cuba in the interest of
American capitalists While in Ha-
vana, said he, 4 found it was unsafe
to go around unarmed."
Mr.. Faner said several merchants
We're making arrangements for a dell
egation from the different cities and
towns in eastern Cuba to go to WASH
iigton to present petition favoring
the appointment of General Lawton to
the command OF eastern Cuba. There
We're 1870 passengers on board the trans
port, among whom We're several dis
charged soldiers. There We're also sick
men aboard, all but two of whom We're
able to go to their homes.
The body of Charles A. Wikoff of the
22d infantry, who was.,killed during
the first day of the attack on Santiago,
was aboard the transport. as was also
that of Capt. A. NJ Wetherell of Conn
pany A. 9Th cavalry. who was killed
in the charge on San Juan hill.