The times., 1898-04-12

property would be protected Gen Lee
said that he had declined to make appii-
cation for the presence of one or more
warships in Havana harbor. and had ad-
yised Americans who had wives and
children not to send them away, at leas-
for the present. Il still think" continued
Gen. Lee. that two warshps. at least
should be a Key West, prepared to move
al snort notice. and that more of them
should be at Dry TOrtugas, and that q
c.,oinS station should be established
there Such proceedings would seem 20
be IN line with that prudence and fore
*iEht necessary TO afford safety to Amer
leans residing on the island and to their
properties. nder the same date Gen.
Les sends ana her communication. con-
tanning he staten snts Of Senior Canales as.
the editor OF the Madrid FL He-aldo who
E',d Just returned from Pinar del Rio
province. after the conflict between tho
Spanish forces under Gen. Nalasco and
the Cuban forces under Diaz. in which
'2Eale52s was quoted as SAYING that tn,
spanish forces had displayed their usual
Naior, but that the province was no
Iac!Eed; that cat cf 1,.0j3 Spanish troops
only between three and four thousand
were aGse 20 operate. the balance being
SICK HOSPITALS CT in garrisOns and
towns; that he believed autonomy prc1aa-
tUtc and was incliacd 60 the adoption
CT energetic military action for the pur-
pose cf Facifying the province: tha- the
truth should be known in Spain wiere
public opinion and the press had beer. de-
celFcd regarding Inc annihilatlon OF the
war and The so-cailed pacification of the
western provinces
The Relief Work
Under date of December : Gen. Lee
sent COMMUNICATION to the department
regarding the measures for the relief of
the reconcentrados. much of which is not
made public. In the portion given out
Gen. Lee says; Il see no effect of the
governmental distribution to the recon-
oentrados, ! am informed that only S12.-
5j1 in Spanish silver has been dedicated
to the Havana province out of the 10000
said 10 have been set aside for the pur-
pose of relieving them on the island, and
that reports from all parts of the prov
ince show that 80 per cent have aITcady
cied. ana that many Of those left will
die, and most Of these are women and
children am Informed an
order has been issued in some parts OF
the island suspendiRg the disposition to
reconcentrados The condition
of these people is simply terrible ! hear
OF much suffering in the Spanish hospit-
ais for want OF food | hear also
that the Spanish merchants in some
parts of the island are placing their es-
Establishments in the name of foreigners Ia
avoid having their provisions purchased
on credit by the military administration
In some parts of the island, / am told
there is scarcely any food for soldiers OF
citizens. and that even cats are used fol
food purposes. selling for 30 cents apiece
IT is a fair Inference TO draw from exist
ing conditions that il is not possible for
the present governor general to relieve
the present situation with the means AT
his disposal"
Feeling Against Autonomy.
December 13 came the following:
Sir: have the honor TO make the
following report: The contest for
and against autonomy is most unequal.
For it there are five or six of the head
officers at the palace and twenty or thir-
ty other persons here in the city .
Against it, first, are the insurgents. with
or without arms, and the Cuban non
combatants; second. the great mass of
the Spaniards, bearing or non-bearing
arms, the latter desiring, if there must
be a change, annexation to the United
States. Indeed, there is the greatest ap-
| athy concerning autonomy in any form.
No one asks what ii will be, or when, or
how it viii come.
4 do not see how it could even be put
| into operation by force, because as long
as the insurgents decline to accept it, so
/ long. the Spanish authorities say, the war
must continue"
| December Il Gen. Lee sends another
communication saying that the total num-
J Der Of reconcentradCs in Havana province
viii reach 10000, and that the death rate
/ from starvation alone would be over 50
! per cent. For the relief of these people
/ he says 81, $50 in silver has been set aside
so that if every dollar appropriated
reaches them the distribution will average
about II cents TO a person, which, of
! course, viii be rapidly exhausted. and
as I can hear of no further succor being
afforded, ii is easy to perceive what lit
! tie practical relief has taken place in the
| condition of these poor people.
New Scheme OF Autonomy
December 2S General Lee makes the first
communication about the new scheme of
autonomy. He says that he has been in
formed that the authorities are engaged in
forming an autonomistic cabinet arrang-
ing for the members to take the required
oath on January ! and also for an cleo
y
present information is that most of the
Spaniards will refrain from voting and
nearly all the Cubans. The feeling
in Havana. and / hear in other parts of
the island. is strong against it. the Cubans
desiring an independent republic and the
Spaniards preferring annexation to the
United States rather than autonomy. On
the night Of the 24th instant there seems
to have been a concerted plan over the
island TO testify the disapprobation of the
people to the proposed autonomistic plan
of the Spanish government" He goes on
to describe how it eliminated about 2
o'clock on the morning Of the 18th, when a
mob assembled in the principal square
with cries of death to autonomy and
viva Weyler" He says that the men In
the mob had stones in their pockets and
some of them were armed with weapons.
''They made a demonstration. too. against
the office of the Diario de la Marina, a pa
per published in this town favoring auton-
| omy. but We're dispersed by the military
police and soldiers"
The same day Gen. Lee acknowledges
the receipt of President McKinley's pro-
clamation calling upon the people of the
United States to make charitable contri-
buttons for the relief of the distress in
Cuba. Other kilograms follow during the
next lew ia = dS 10 tilG CLASS u COHiIlDu-
tions which would be most valuable in
relieving the suffering.
100000 StarVc.
January Gen. Lee makes the following
report:
Sir: ! have the honor TO state, as
matter Of public interest. that the recon-
centrado order of Gen. Weyler formerly
governor general Of this island, trans