Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-10-31
ALL WANT OFFICES.
Cubans Develop Remarkable
Office Grabbing tendencies.
Gen. Wood, at ManzaniI|o. Constantly
lmportuned by Faction Leaders.
Each Party Thinks that He Is Entitled
to All the Offices.

Manzanillo, Oct. 3O.-The visit Of Gen.
Leonard Wood, Governor of the mill
tary department of Santiago, has been
instrumental in bringing all the ele-
ments among the Cubans to the front.
No fewer than 1000 insurgents of whom
500 are officers, want Office and their
clamor almost amounts to demand.
There are two leading factions, one
headed by Gen. Jesus Rabi and the
other by Gen. Rios. At present most
of the offices are held by representa-
tives of the Rabi faction, including the
mayoralty and the custom house in
spectorships.
Gen. Wood, in order to pacify the
Rios faction, has given them six posi-
lions on the rural police force and
turned to one of their people the light
house at Cape Cruz, together with
several other minor appointments. but
neither party is satisfied, each thinking
that it ought to have all the offices.
Gen. Rios does not dare express his
opinion publicly of Gen. Rabi, but he
feels that this is his district, as he has
had the nominal charge of it for three
years, and that it ought to belong to
him SO far as appointments of Cubans
to office are concerned, and all the
more because he represents Gen. Calix-
to Garcia.
The majority of the insurgents here
have no money and go about from
hand to mouth and wondering what
will next happen.
Armed men are not allowed rations.
AS the Cubans will not disband and
will not work. nothing remains for
them but to strut about the city with
machetes and revolvers. Some of them
are nearly naked; others appear in
long-legged, patent leather boots with
silver spurs. carrying superbly wrought
Toledo machetes. A few immaculate
white suits and panama hats. These
are for the most part Of the New York
contingent, each man now a veritable
bombastes furioso.
Except when he in on board the gun
boat Hist, Gen. Wood is besieged by
these seekers of Office. Among the in
terviews he has had. was one with Gen.
Rios, who wanted the mayor of Mama.
Milo, one of Rabis faction, dismissed
and his own man appointed to the
place. Gen. Wood asked on what
grounds the dismissal could be sustain
ed. He said:
rs not the mayor a competent Off
GER? Has he not an excellent repu-
tation? Did he not serve bravely and
effectively throughout the entire war?
ITO all of this Gen. Rios replied in
the affirmative, but he insisted that his
own nominee was entitled to the posi-
ton because he was a Rios man. The
interest of the city and the locality
were apparently minor considerations
in the mind of the Cuban commander
But this appears to be the case every
where among the Cuban insurgents.
Gen. Wood and Col Petit regard the
outlook as rather discouraging. Still,
they hope that some means may be
found soon to break up the Cuban
army. The members of the rank and
file are anxious to go to work, but the
leaders refuse to allow them to do so
and the men DO not dare desert as they
would surely be shot if captured
Gen. Wood is hoping that the other
towns he will visit in his trip around
the province will not present the same
vexatious conditions as prevail here,
where the Cuban problem is presented
III very dlf1erent form, the most diff
ficult he has encountered.
1t was necessary to send detach-
ment of the 4th Immune Regiment I'M
der sergeant to the Rigney plantation
IN order to compel the armed Cubans
to allow men to work there. The UNI
dertaking proved successful however,
and 200 men are now regularly en-
ployed.
Lieut. Young has formally claimed,
on behalf of the United States navy,
the wrecks of the Spanish gunboats
that went ashore or were sunken by
the United States gunboats in the
engagement off Manzanillo,
July /.
After a final conference with Col.
Petit regarding the management of
the district, Gen. Wood left for Santi-
ago, at noon today, on board the Hist