The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-20


volunteers: commercial treaties to be
concluded without Spanish inteTfer-
ence. a maximum sum of $1,000. 900 an
nually to be paid to Spain by Cuba, as
the latter's nominal suzerain. no in
surgents to be shot or imprisoned on
account of the existing insurrection.
ana no insurgents To be sent as prison.
ers out of Cuba for future political of-
lenses.
The advices received here are in sub
stance. that General Pando felt conf
dent of securing the conference. while
on the other hand Captain General
Blanco, Secretary General Congosto
and the Spanish staff officers Of high
rank and many radical members of the
autonomist government felt sure that
the proposition. being the hest ever Of
fered and assuring p-actical irdepend-
ence would be accepted, that the re-
bellion would be declared at an end
and that consequently all excuse for
the intervention by the United states
States would be ended.
Such views. however. were not held
when this dispatch was sent by those
best acquainted with General Gomez
and his chiefs. nor by the Spanish Gu
ban merchants, bankers, editors or
lawyers. nor the liberal class in Ha-
vana. 'he latter Were SUI. that moth
Ing but the proposition of Monte Cristo
tfor granting an indemnity to SPAN.
but absolute independence for Cupa)
would ever be considered by General
Gomez or any of his principal follow
ers. In support of the latter view. IT is
officially announced that after all the
Efforts near ManZanillo. only two pri-
Yates of Salvador Ruiz's band sur
rendered.
1t is known besides that General
Pando, in order to advance his plans
nr th.a L.
de Cuba. greatly weakened all the
tfochas, taking from them several thou
sand men and much artillery.
IL is regarded as certain in well-in-
formed circles here that Generals CO.
mez and Garcia, after refusing TO con-
fer with General Pando. will. IL they do
confer. after refusing the terms offered.
take sufficient cattle and provisions
from their comparatively well-stocked
plantations Immediately west and then
inaugurate raid upon the provinces of
Matanzas, Havana and probably Pinar
del Rio, appearing near here within Is
or 1S days, which Is considered possible
Letters received here from prominent
autonomists in the provinces of Santa
Clara and Puerto Principe have been
shown to this correspondent. The writ
ers are not favorable to the United
States; they sim cling To the theory
of autonomy and class as false the as
sertions that the Spanish soldiers are
unpaid. unfed and living in towns,
while their officers are conspiring
against the autonomist government and
refuse to take the field, either denying
the presence of the insurgents or saying
Let the troops who are i'm favor of au-
tonomy fight Its battles"
Other letters from the same source
insist that all the plans laid to secure
the surrender Of the insurgents have
been badly conceived and poorly execut-
ed. These letters add that only In iso-
lated instances hive any of the insur-
gents laid down their arms and the in
surgent leader, Masso. who surrender
ed. ii is still further asserted, was pre-
scribed by General Gomez and was liza
BILE to be tried by court martial while
of the 100 insurgents who surrendered
with him at Fomento. more than half
were back with the insurgents within a
fortnight
The general opinion seems to be that
the Pando conference will i'm any event
be the end Of autonomy and the most
sanguine assert that IL will make the
Intervention Of the United States i'm
perative. Those who have this view as
sert that the troops of the United
States will be necessary to prevent out
RACES which will disgrace civilization
and also to protect American citizens
In Cuba. Under the circumstances, news
from the scene of the conflict is await
ed here with the greatest anxiety.