Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-11

| says: Property holders. without distinc-
| ton or nationality, and with few excep-
lions. strongly desire annexation. having
little hope of a stable government under
either of the contending forces. and they
view with regret the indifference, nay re-
| rugnance. of the American people to such
union. and still hope that a combination
OF circumstances will yet bring it about:
but such move would not be popular
| with the masses"
Referring to the primary election held on
the previous Sunday to elect officers to hold
an election Oh the 9th of the same month,
Mr.. Hyatt says that no one seemed to know
anything about 1t until 1t was over, and the
autonomists won the election. "A member
of that party" he says, told me that they
met quietly and did their voting. There is
no evidence that the people in general in
tend to take any part in the coming cleo
tion. Circulars are now out urging the peo-
pie to turn out and sustain the government.
to the end that peace and prosperity may
speedily come"
Mr.. Hyatt also states in this communica-
ton that soma of the sugar estates are now
making sugar on a small scale, but that
there was no ground for faith in their abil-
ity to go ahead.
Mr.. Hyatt makes reference to the mill
tary operations in eastern Cuba in many
places, but does not attempt to go into
these In detail. In one portion of his cor
respondeDce he refers to the effort Of a Mr..
RSney, an American sugar planter near
Manzanil1o. to prepare for cane grinding
during the coming season. "a few nights
since he says, 1.-The insurgents fired seven
cannon shots among his buildings, one ball
passing through the roof of his house.
Americans were hopeful that they would be
allowed to make their crop, but the action
of the insurgents toward Mr.. Rigney gives
the problem a doubtful aspect. 1t may have
been personal matter against Mr.. Rig
ney."
SnEua Ia Grande.
John F. iowa, vice consul at Sagua la
Grande, under date of November IL, 1S9;
gives his view of the autonomists' policy
promised by Spain. He takes strong
grounds against it, saying that an autono-
mist party in that district could not exist.
After giving some of his reasons, he says:
Taking all these facts into consdera-
ton. it is hard to see in what way Spain
is going to establish this new system. 1t
will always be without stable foundation,
without basis and maintained by a very
time the concentrates (majority innocent
persons). who had no more aspirations
than to till their little farms. continue per-
ishing. 1t is impossible to describe the ex-
tent and intensity of such tremendous SUI
fering, of such iniquitous, unjust and sin
full inquisitiCn. to annihilatc thousands of
women and children. If this Goddess COM
binaticn could be accurately represented,
it would seem an exaggeration, induced by
stirred fellow feeling, with sensibility of
heart; moving among the unceasing crowd
of famished beggars one can scarcely do
more than commiserate the undeserved
misfOTtunes. No history in the world,
ancient or modern, saw an instance of this
friShtful, dreadful suffering. Perhaps civili-
cation has not seen its like. In conclusion,
beg to state, in my humble judgment,
the efforts toward the enforcement of the
reform of autonomy will prove altogether
futile