The record-union., 1898-04-09
CUBAN GOVERNMENT.
Queseda's Statement to the House
Foreign Affairs Committee.

WASHINGTON, April S.-The For
eign Affairs Committee of the House
met at II o'clock this morning and
continued the hearing of Mr.. Queseda,
the representative of the Cuban Re
public in this city President Palma Of
the Cuban Junta was also present. Mr.
Queseda continued his statement as to
the status of the Government of the
Republic.
Some very interesting facts came out
before the Foreign Affairs Committee
of the House to-day. The Deputy
Treasurer of the Cuban Republic ap-
peared with his books, and they were
inspected by the committee. He ex-
planned that of the S10,O00,000 bonds
authorized. only $122,0G0 had been
actually disposed of. Some of these
were in payment for provisions sent to
Cuba For some of the bonds par had
been obtained These were taken main
ly by the friends of Cuba The lowest
price at which any were sold was 20
cents on the dollar. A batch of S20,-
coo was sold for 5000 in pressing
emergency. One million of the bonds,
he said. were locked up in the safe of
Belmont & Co. of New York, to be sold
when the fixed price, 40 cents on the
dollar, had been obtained. Three mill
ions of the remainder had been signed,
but were locked up in the Treasurers s
vaults
The Deputy Treasurer was asked if
he knew the story of the publication of
the De LONE letter, and without names
he told the first authentic story of how
it was obtained. He explained that it
was abstracted by a clerk in the Post
office in Havana, who was in sympathy
iwth the Cuban cause and sent back
to New York There it's Importance was
at once realized, and it was given out
for publication, the action being justi-
fed because it showed conclusively
what the Cubans had always contend.
ed, that Spain was guilty of double
dealing.
Mr.. Quesada continued his statement
abotu the status of the Cuban Govern
ment He went extensively into the
authority exercised by the Governmen5
over the eastern provinces, where he
said all was comparatively peaceful.
Industry was going on, war taxes were
being collected, and all the functions of
government were being discharged.
With regard to the capability of self
government of the Cubans, he said
that they were a much higher class of
people than those who had successful
ly revolted from Spanish domination in
South America. The children of the
better and more wealthy classes had
been educated in the United States or
abroad They had imbibed the spirit
of self government. The lower classes
were laboring people, peacefully dis
posed, as evidenced by the fact that
they We're regarded as desirable work
men at Key West and New York, and
wherever they had gone. He said the
people of Cuba were all most kindly
disposed toward the United States.
looking upon this country as a big
brother, but they wanted independence.
and thought their struggle for freedom
should be recognized. They should be
given a status among the nations of the
earth.
When the hearing concluded New
lands moved an adjournment until
Monday at II o'clock, which was car
ried.
The committee has no regular day of
meeting now, and is Usbject to the call
OF the Chairman. In order to be in
a position to act, the friends of indepen-
dence and action took the preeaution
OF adjourning until Monday, so that
they could act on that day, if the mes
sage was not to come in, and not to de-
pend upon a call from the Chairman.
This is regarded as extremely signif-
cant as showing the temper of the
committee against any further delay
| In the Peoples Palace in London there
/ is an Italian castle and battleship
: rvef1 from q hmm of cornpoor, rock