The times., 1898-04-15
GEN. LEES TESTIMONY.
II Conyfcts Spain of Treachery and
Murder.

Murder.
The most important statement in the re-
port of the condition of affairs in Cuba
from the Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations which was made public yester-
day is that made by Gen. Lee who de-
scribes many of his experiences upon the
island with rare force. His treatment of
the destruction of the Maine is especially
striking.
Il am informed on very good author
ity." he says. that they have placed
within the last month two rows of tor
pedoes just at the mouth of the harbor
MORO Castle, and the switchboard is in
a room in Morro.
Il have seen a letter and probably you
gentlemen have also seen it. 1t is pub
lished in one of the New York papers by
a person named Laine from General Wey-
Ter to Santos Guzman, citizen of Ha-
vana, very ultra Spaniard, in which
General Weyler says that he went on
with the placing of the mines in the har-
Dor, which Martin Campos, his predeces-
sor should have done
Gen. Lee says that shortly after the eX-
plosion under the Maine, which he says
was accomplished by officers in charge
of the mines in the harbor, he met
en-. Blarco and that he was cry
ing. He seemed to be beside himself.
Gen. Lee says that every attempt to buy
the insurgents, or otherwise 10 placate
their leaders, has failed. They fight in
the woods like Indians, and are usually
successful in their engagements. He says
further:
81 saw a copy of telegram from Ad
miral Manterola in Havana to the Span
ish commission as he put it, in London,
stating: Hurry up electrical cables.
Whether that referred to wire for sub
marine mines or torpedoes L do not
know
Asked regarding the feeling among the
soldiery of Spain about the Maine explo
sion, he stated that there was great re-
joicing among the officers. Every re-
port L got he adds, said they Were
drinking champagne, quite a thing to
do, in honor of the event, and in differ
ent parts of the city they were making
merry. / attributed it to the fact that
what they called an enemy's battleship
had been blown up, and 1t was much in
their favor" There was no doubt in his
mind that the explosion was from the
outside. He got it from divers that it
was and he was sure of it. The Mantle
rola dispatch was sent a short time before
the Maine was blown up. THAT tele-
gram is in my testimony before the
board Gen. Lee said significantly. L
think it is right to say that that testi-
mony about the admiral telegraphing TO
London and this dispatch l have just
given out here from Weyier to Santos
GuZman were not sent to Congress and
were not published because [ sent a tele-
gram requesting the State Department
| not to do it, as | was afraid the Spanish
papers there would republish it, and they
would probably kill the man who gave
| it to me-"
Gen. Lee denied that the electric lights
! went out when the Maine was blown up.
! Il have made inquiries, he says and
| have found that no lights went out. The
! person who has charge of the electric
| lights in Havana told me So
Havana's population, he said, is about
| 250, 900. of equal parts of Cubans and
! Spaniards. The Spanish proportion now
| is particularly hostile to this country.
| The Cubans are all for free Cuba. He
! confirmed the stories of terrible suffering
and death among the reconcentrados.
They have nothing to eat save what
they get from charity" he added signifi-
cantly. The Spaniards have nothing 10
! give" The cessation of hostilities
| amounts practically to nothing, he stated.
Gen. Lee said the $4,000 appropriated
by the United States was used TO feed
native and naturalized American citizens.
Blanco had done very little in the way of
relief.
Gen. Lee said that in his Judgment
there was not the. slightest possibility of
! Spain conquering the insurgents and re-
| storing peace on the island in any way.
Senator Foraker submitted a letter
! written by Gen. Lee to the State Depart
ment The following letter TO Judge Day,
dated December 13 1897, shows that the
President and the State Department had
accurate information at that time. and
that in the face of it they continued To
labor for autonomy, which Gen. Lee
repudiated
"Sir: 1 have the honor to make the fol-
lowing report: First, in my opinion
there is no possibility of Spain terminal
ing the war here by arms.
Second. or by autonomy-real or pre-
tended.
Third or by purchasing the insur-
gent leaders as recently attempted.
Fourth or as far as | can see. in any
other way.
Fifth. The contest for and against au.
tonomy is most unequal, for there are five
or six of the head officers at the palace
and twenty or thirty other persons here
in the city who it is said, desire to hole
the offices to be created under autonomiC
forms; at least such is my information
| Against it, first, are the insurgents, with
or without arms. and the Cuban non-com
batants; second, the great mass Of
the Spaniards bearing or non-bear
ing arms, the latter desiring
if there must be a change. annexation Il
the United States Indeed, there is the
greatest apathy concerning autonomy il
any form. No one asks what it will be
or when. or how it will come. L do no
see how it could be even put into opera
ton by force. because long as the in
surgents decline to accept it, so long tn,
Spanish authorities say, the war mus
continue.
Il am compelled to say. therefore, tina
in my opinion autonomy does not now
il ii ever did, exist a factor in the so
luton of the Cuban problem. / an
obliged to say, too, that in spite o
published manifestos, the government o
this island has not been able to reliev
from starvation the Cuban population
| driven from their homes by the Weyle
edict and no longer attempts to do So"
In reply to a question by Senator Dan
iel If there were any demonstrations o
il-will towards him. when ne left. Gen
Lee said:
'When we were coming out on tn
steamer Saturday evening there wa
some hallooing catcalling and whist
ling and some Spanish expressions
| mean towards. running away, and s
on. ! think that was confined to tn
lower order of men. however"
The rainy season, Gen. Lee said begin
about the middle of June, when tn
Spaniards do not conduct any operations
An American army of occupation, Ger
10