The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-04-11
They Are Submitted 10 Congress
by the President.
ABSTRACT OF THE LETTERS
Horrible state of Affairs ina Cuba De-
scraped-Oid Women and Children
Starved. While Young Girls FAN
Victims 10 a Fate Worse Thaa
DeatE-BIanco's Regime.


on the general subject make
bulky package containg for;y-nine sep
arate reports and a number OF Enclosures
The communications are all from the con
sulates at Havana, Matanzas, Santiago
and sagua de Grande, and cover a period
from November H. 1897 TO April l. 1895
with the correspondence is a leahet from
the Secretary Of State to the President re
ferring briefly to the fact that the answer
to that part Of the resolutions of Congress.
making inquiry about reciprocity negota.
tons with the Cuban government viii be
found in a separate report prepared by
John A. Kasson, special reciprocity com
missioner.
The correspondence opens with Gen.
Lees letter, lnclosing a copy Of Cen
Blanco's decree to better the condition
Of the reconcentrados. on November 3
Gen. Lee sent to the Sta.e Department
q statement ''of what appears to be
the evident condition Of affairs in this
island" He says that the insurgents
Will not accept autonomy; that a large
majority Of Spanish business men and
proper,y-holders prefer annexation to the
United States to autonomy; that the
Spanish authorities are sincere in doing
all in their power to encourage sugar
,,rl.E,,.+fo,,. 80 Cone p1,,-o D,.1, nj
Secretary General Congosto are consci-
entious in their desire 20 relieve distress.
but had not the means to carry out t!eir
benevolent purposes. At the time Gen
Lee sent this letter the suffering was less
ening in Havana, on account Of the work
Of charitable organizations. Gen. Lee
mentions report that Gen. Blanco
would give $4,000 Spanish money TO the
relief fund.
Under date Of March %, General Lee en-
closed a statement from two gentlemen
whom he knew as men Of veracity telling
OF the condition Of reconcentrados in the
bitches" on the outskirts Of Havana.
Among $50 wofnen and children whom
they found there, 30 or 50 were dying
daily, giving relatively. it is stated. ten
days of life for each person. The gen
tlemen who wrote the account. which is
replete with sickening incidents, saw a
number of people die. All the reconcen-
trados were horribly emaciated. In one
crowd" says the report, "a poor woman
was lying surrounded by her children.
who contemplated her in silence. without
a lament or shedding a tear, they, them
selves, being real specters of hunger,
emaciated in a horrible manner"
Again it is said; "If any young girl
came in, any way nice looking, she
was impolitely condemned TO the most
abominable of trafics. Between August
and November all but 3g7 of the leo peo-
pie who entered the bitches had died. ''
On December ], 1897, General Lee tele-
graphed the Department 10 teIs the con-
sui general at Matanzas of-,'an extern
sive and dangerous conspiracy there
under the ex-governor Of the province d.
rected against Americans.
"Action against them, says. Gen. Lee.
''to be contingent upon movement Of the
United States Government in favor Of in
dependence Of Cuba"
Two days later Gen. Lee sent a mailed
report says: Il still thing that two war
ships at least, should be at Key West.
prepared TO move here at short notice
and that more of them should be sent to
Dry Tortugas and a coal station establish
ed there"
A report of Gen. Lee Of December Z,
1897, was couched in language the State
Department has partly paraphrased. The
consul general. it is explained, says that
measures for the relief Of the reconcen-
trados are not sufficiently energetic to be
effective. At that time Gen. Lee had
seen no effects of the Governmental dis
tribution Of aid.
An interesting report comes from Gen
eral Lee under date of December 10 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 thirty other persons here in the city.
Indeed he adds, there is the greatest
apathy concerning autonomy in any
FORM Again in the report General Lee
says: Il am obliged to say, too, that the
government Of this island has not been
able to relieve from Starvation the Gu
ban population driven from their homes
by the weyler edict, and no longer at
tempts to do so.''
on December IA, General Lee reported
that in the province Of Havana 1900 re-
concentrates out of 1O1 600 had died This
did not include the city of Havana and
seven other towns where the death rate
was about the same. For relieving that
number of reconcentrados $1,000 in Span
ish silver was set aside out of 100000 APP
propriated.
In an extended report under date of
January S, 1897, General Lee says that
weyler's reconcentrado order made 400
600 self-supporting people, principally wo-
men and children. into a multitude to be
Sustained INV the confrihu+i,,, % o+Lors