The herald., 1898-05-21
GENERAL LEES BOOK
A COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE
CUBAN QUESTION
CAUSES FOR INTERVENTION
The Book Will Be Published at q Price
and in Such Way as to Give It the
Widest Possible Usefulness

The fact that General Fitzhugh Lee has
written book is Of peculiar interest and
importance. 1t will be welcomed not more
by friends and admirers of our late consul
general in Cuba-and there is no living
American who, at the moment, has more
Of them-than by those who. unaffected by
the wave of intense patriotism now sweep
ing over the country are anxious to know
the exact and abstract truth as to the
events that have generated the present tre-
mendous crisis.
General Lee knows and General Lee is
trusted Throughout It all he has been the
central figure in the midst Of the situation.
and his is the only personality that has
been entirely and all the time satisfying
to the American view. A book from him at
this time comes with force much the
same as that which surrounded and i'm
pelled the success of General Grants
Memoirs. General Lees book, moreover,
has this obvious advantage. in that 1t
comes when there is not only demand
for 1t, but an absolute need.
Probably no crisis in the worlds history
was ever so ably or so fairly described
as has been the Cuban question. Such ia
cilities for the transmission Of intelligence
never before were at the hand Of the corre-
spondent. Nevertheless, the story has not
been half told, and Of what has been told
half Is not remembered, nor is It even
available, except in a fragmentary and
colorless form.
The people want to know. They want
to know end their children will want to
Judge. The knowledge will be accepted
with faith from General Lee. He ought to
devote himself to this work with pur-
pose az high as that which has animated
him In responding to the call from the
president A peoples cali for the truth Is
even more sacred, II possible. than . ma
tons call for support.
To celebrate his release from diplomatic
restraint with the announcement of his
purpose to complete the splendid work he
did in his consular reports by giving to the
public all the other significant matter
within his knowledge and experience In
Cuba IL an act quite in keeping with the
popular estimate of General Lee. The act
is quick. timely. strong and effective.
Few men realize how close they stand
to history, and the realization seldom
comes until it is too late. History is not
written today In the letter presses Of gov-
ernment offices 80 much nor so well as IN
the printing presses Of the people. It Is
the details Of personal experience. the in
and significant incidents that
would never fnd their way into an official
report. that tho people want. Especially
do they want and need this material to un-
derstand fully the Cuban question, the
American relation to it, and the justifica-
tion Of that relation. That General Lee
is going to give this material when 1t is
needed most, is a matter for congratula-
ton. The even more stirring times Of the
future, which may be in store for General
Lee, thus will not be permitted to obliter-
ate from his mind any of the freshness and
accuracy Of the impression which his re.
markable experiences in Cuba have devel.
oped. His book ought to be a pulsating
living record Of the volcanic events that
have disturbed the equilibrium of the
world. He will never know the story quite
so well as he knows 1t today. He may un.
derstand 1t better later on, but what the
people want is the plain story, with an op-
portunity Of Interpreting 1t for themselves
Now Is the time for that story. It is un-
| derstood the matter is already in great
part in hand from manuscripts and mem
oranda written by General Lee during hi:
three years service as consul general.
The people want to have every bit Of In
| formation that General Lee has about thu
Maine. They want to learn the exact con
ditions In Havana before and after the de
struction Of the Maine. They want to know
about filibustering, about Weyler's abuse
and Blancos failures, the awful suffering,
of tho non-combatants, the reason VIII,
Cuba should be free and thousand othe
things that he knows, and can now tell II
q complete and lasting way.
It is understood from General Lee tina
his book will be published at price and II
such way as to give 1t the widest possibl,
usefulness. Advance orders are to be takel
for 1t during the preparation Of the book
but after its publication, which Is near q
hand, 1t will be sold only by subscription.
Advance orders may be sent to The Her
aid, and they will be filled as soon as is
sued. See advertisement in today's issue