The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-04-20
THE CONSULAR REPORTS.
Cuban Horrors as Described in Official
Documents.

Those persons who expect TO find in
the Consular reports submitted to Con-
gress by the President Monday de-
scriptions of conditions more horrible
than those heretofore pictured in the
newspapers will be disappointed. Near
~ every report has been edited, and the
excerpts sent to Congress show that the
editing was not done carefully If the in
tention was to support by this evidence
of United States representatives in Cuba
the picture Of the distress presented in
the Presidents message. The message
depicts with greater force than the re-
ports the distressing situation which
has prevailed in Cuba since Weyler's
order of concentration was issued.
The text Of few of the reports is given
and in some instances no two eonseeu-
tive paragraphs are permitted 10 APP
pear Nothing that would be likely to
incite special hostility against any con-
sui is contained in the communications
as laid before Congress. The edited re-
ports do not give such graphic de-
scriptions Of the suffering among the
reconcentrados as have been furnish
ed by the newspaper accounts publish
ed from time to time. From the ex-
tracts which Congress has been per-
mitted to see it appears Giat none of
The Consular officers went into de-
tailed narrative of what he was able to
see in his Consular district, Instances
of distress being substituted for a gen.
eral story, with sufficient details to
show how terrible the suffering has
heen. But, blue-peneiled, emasculated,
and apparently robbed of their most
significant descriptive passages as they
are, the reports nevertheless show
condition OF affairs horrible enough to
convince the greatest doubter that the
newspaper accounts have not been ex-
aggerated.
Much of the material submitted has
already been made known to the coun-
try. One of the Enclosures is letter
from Gen. Maxine Gomez addressed
TO President Mckinley, which has
been published in The Sun. 1t was
sent to the State Department by Gen.
Lee, who explained that it was deliver
ed by a messenger whom he did not
see.
Briefly summarized, the reports show
that of 400, 600 people affected by Wey-
ler's order OF concentration more than
half have died from actual starvation
or disease due to lack of food.
There are forty-nine separate reports
and 4 number of Enclosures. The COM
munieations cover a period from Nov.
II, 1897, to April l, 1895. With the
correspondence is a report from the
Secretary of State to the President, re-
ferring briefly to the fact that the an
swer to that part of the resolutions of
Congress making inquiry about reci-
proeity negotiations with the Cuban
Government will be found in sepa-
rate report prepared by John a Kas-
son, Special Reciprocity Commissioner.
The correspondence opens with Gen.
Lees letter inclosing copy of Gen.
BIaneo's decree to better the condition
of the reconeentrados. On Nov. %
Gen. Lee sent to the State Department
a statement of what appeared to be the
condition of affairs in the island at
that time. He says that the insur-
gents will not accept autonomy; that
a large majority of Spanish business
men and property holders prefer an
nexation to the United States to au-
tOnomy; that the Spanish authorities
are sincere in doing all in their power
to encourage sugar production; that
Blanco, Pando, and Secretary General
Congosto are conscientious in their de-
sire to relieve distress, but have not the
means to carry out their benevolent
purposes.
DYING BY SCORES IN HAvANA's
DIrCHES.
At the time Gen. Lee sent this letter
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