The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-25
Police Force of Santiago Province to
Be ReOrEanixed, and an Effort Made
TO Put Idle Men at Work.
WADE'S ADVICE ACCEPTED
sPANIARDs GRANTED UNTIL JAN.
TO EVACUATE CUBA.
Recommendations of the Military
Commission Discussed by the Cab
met Yesterday and Approved.

SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Oct 24-General
Wood, military governor of the Department
OF Santiago, though satisfied with the work
,ings of the Cuban committee of fifty now
recommending appointments and offering
suggestions for his assistance in the work
OF civil administration, has decided to sim
plify this feature by appointing eight of the
most prominent members of the committee
as a permanent council to the governor.
This council will met General Wood thrice
q week to consult as to improvements in
the province, and one or more members may
go to different points to consider local APP
plications for office. The members of the
council will receive salaries though the
amount has not yet been decided upon.
Probably>the position will be more one of
honor than profit.
One of the first matters to be considered
by General Wood and the advisory council
will probably be the. reorganization of the
police force of the province, General Wood
intending to enlarge it. His idea is to make
the entire police force one semi-military or
ganization under command of an inspector
general. with the rank of colonel, having
headquarters at Santiago. There will be
four inspectors, with the rank of major,
with headquarters at Santiago, Guantan-
amo, Manzanilo and Holguin. and subin-
spectors, with the rank of captain, at inn
portant places. smaller places having lieu
tenants. The whole service will be thor
oughly drilled The mounted police will be
armed with carbines and revolvers. and the
foot constabulary with machetes and re-
volvers. General Wood believes that in less
than six months he will have a complete
and well-drilled body of men. There will
g a no Of af
Santiago, but General Wood contemplates
adding twelve American patronen for dis
tricts specially frequented by soldiers, team
sters and Americans generally. Apparently
no member of the present force dares to ar
rest an American, even when the police out
number the offenders seven to one
Several wealthy Cubans have offered Gen.
Wood a quantity of land to enable him to
carry out his plans of furnishing work for
any one who desires it, Any such applicant
will be given for one year the use of a
piece of land, with implements, seeds and
rations until his crops grow to enable him
to supply the Santiago market with vege-
tables, fruit, fowls or pork. General Wood
believes that no fewer than five hundred
men will accept this opportunity and he
Is confident that not only the men them
selves, but the city generally, will benefit
by the arrangement His proposal is very
gratifying to self-respectng Cubans. who
frankly say they are put to shame by the
sight of their people receiving free rations
all the time and making no effort to get
work. Lieutenant Rooney has gone with $50
pack mules to Bayamo. distributing ratiOnS
along the route He carried 2l,0O0 rations.
To-day two committees called upon Gen.
Wood. The first consisted of members of
the school board. with a request to have
the limits of their authority defined. Cen
Wood informed them that they were vr-
tually vested with full power, subject in all
matters to himself. but he assured them
that he would carry out all reasonable plans
proposed adding an expression of hope that
nothing would occur to shake the confidence
he now had in them
The other committee, composed of infiu-
entail Cubans, called to express thanks for
General Woods efforts on behalf of the
city. The spokesman of this committee as
sured him that the Cubans who now made
complaints were for the most part those liv-
ing in the United States with whom
throughout the entire war, the majority of
Ctubans in the island had little or no SYM
pathy.
Six. companies of Colonel Hoods Second
Immune Regiment have left for Giabara,
where they will stay until Nov. TO- the date
fixed upon for the evacuation of Holguin.
Rev. Mr.. Someillan, a minister of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, is about to
build church here and establish a school,
after which he will visit other Cuban cities
for a similar purpose. He is of Cuban birth,
but has been living in the United States
since he was boy and now returns after
an absence of thirty years.