The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-31
RIVAL FACTIONS QUARRELING
EACH WANTS ALL FEDERAL
APPOINTMENTS.
Insurgents Refuse to Lay Down
Their Arms and Strut About the
Towns in Full War
paint.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

MANZANILLO, Oct. 30.-The visit of
General Leonard Wood, Governor of
the Military Department at Santiago,
has been instrumental in bringing all
the elements among the Cubans to the
front No fewer than 1000 insurgents
have come forward Of whom 500 are
officers who want offices, and their
clamors amount almost to a demand.
There are two leading factions, one
headed by General Jesus Rabi and the
other by General Rios. At present
most of the offices are held by repre-
sentatives of the Rabi faction, includ-
ing the mayoralty and the custom
house inspectorship.- General Wood, in
order to pacify the Rios faction, has
given them six positions on the rural
police force and turned over to one of
their people the lighthouse at Cape
Cruz. together with several other minor
appointments. But neither party is sat-
isfed, each thinking that 1t ought to
have all the offices. General Rios
does not dare express his opinion of
General Rabi publicly, but he feels that
this is his district, as he has had the
nominal charge of it for three years,
and that it ought to belong to him so
far as appointments of Cubans to office
are concerned and all the more so be-
cause he represents General Garcia.
The majority of the insurgents here
have no money and go about living
from hand to mouth and wondering
what will happen next. Armed men
are not allowed rations. AS the Cubans
will not disband and will not work,
nothing remains for them but to strut
about the city with macheteS and re-
volvers.
Some of them are nearly naked; 9TH
ers appear in long legged patent leather
boots with silver spurs, carrying SUI
perbly wrought Toledo machetes. few
wear immaculate white suits and PAN
anna hats. They are for the most part
the New York contingent.
Except when he is on board the gun
boat Hist, which brought him here,
General Wood is besieged by these
seekers of office. Among the interviews
he has had was one with General Rios,
who wanted the Mayor of Manzanillo,
one of Rabi's faction, dismissed and his
own man appointed to the mayoralty.
General Wood asked on Y1hat grounds
the dismissal could be sufEained. Said
he:
rs not the Mayor a competent Off
Ger? Has he not an excellent reputa-
ton? Did he not serve bravely and
effectively throughout the war;"
To all of this General Rios replied in
the affirmative. but he insisted that his
own nominee was entitled to the posi-
ton because he was Rios man. The
interests of the city, the locality, were
minor considerations in the
mind of the Cuban commander. But
this appears to be the case everywhere
among the Cuban insurgents.
General Wood and Colonel Petit re-
gard the outlook as rather discourage
ing Still they hope that some means
may soon be found to break UP the Gu
ban army The members of the rank
and file are anxious to go to work, but
the leaders refuse to allow them to do
so, and the men do not dare to do so,
as they would certainly be shot if cap
tured.
General Wood is hoping that the