The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-04-15

60 Erye a. to his reasons for saying
that o6e insurgents would pay no at
GGnfton to the armistice. General Lee
sd. Because every attempt so Tar
% make terms or to make peace or to
buy the Insurgents or their leaders mas
net with signal failure. and whatever
NAY be aid about General Gomez, he
=. In my humble opinion. fighting that
WDr IN the only way IL can be done
scattering his troops out-because TO
coocentrate would be to starve, having
~ commissary and having no way TO
ret supplies
sssuppos Havana was blockaded."
said Senator Mills. so that no provi-
njona could 90 in, would the people
there have any way to get any?
sNone whatever" responded General
Lee. The town would surrender in a
short while"
f., senator Frye asked various questions
In regard to the physical condition OF
the Spanish soldiers and h methods OF
providing for them. to which Generai
Lee replied that the condition OF the
Spanish soldiers Is very bad. Tney are
badly clothed N very badly FED, not
well Organized. not drilled
Senator Frye-What, in your Judg-
ment, II the possibility OF Spain con-
Quering the insurgents and restoring
peace to the island?
Consul General Lee-I do not think
there Is the Sill ntc poSSto'h's
doing IL at all in any way
In esponse to an inquiry from Sena-
tor Lodge for his opinion of the insur-
rent government General Lee said; i
have never thought that the insurgents
had anything except the skeleton OF a
0overnment-a movable capital. l
asked them one day why they did not
have some permanent capital and L
n they gave me a very good reason.
They said 1t would require a large force
to protect IL and defend it, and they
could not afford to mass up their men
there: that the capital and the govern
ment officers had to move where they
could be the safest" General Lee said
he did not know of any of the officials
connected with their civil government.
He said hat an American army OF &C.
cupation could go into the island safe
ly now. The climate nor anything else
need not prevent them from entering
Cuba. General Lee said that when he
left Havan the Spanish troops had
not been paid for about nine months,
nor the Spanish officers for about four
months.
Captain Sigsbee was examined on the
31st of March. He repeated his opinion
hat the Maine was destroyed by n
mine. either temporary or permanent.
He thought IL had been a very large
mine. but in his opinion IL was larger
than could be planted near the vessel
~ I'll liz t1,,Rt eh,ea 49,
under supervision.
He thought IL men. having mutual
confidence and preserving secrecy could
have planted IL. and that IL could have
been done while the ordinary discipline
and w~atchfulness was observed on the
ship. A ship moored at the harbor
would swing around to a given point
where a mine might be located. N
when IL had reached that point the
mine would be exploded. He thought
II could have been planted from a scow
between decks.
In reply to a question as to what ex-
animation the Spanish boards made Of
the accident. Captain Sigsbee said they
had not done anything for a week; had
not been dow at all. Our people
laughed at them. They did very little
work on the wreck; IL was absurd as
compared with our work.
Asked why he had advised that no
war vessels be sent TO Havsna after
the explosion, Captain Sigsbee replied:
Up to that time l had strongly rec
commended that the Indiana be sem
there just to show them that the Main,
was not the only vessel in the navy
nor the most powerful. After that tim,
! had no more confidence i'm the peopl,
there. Treachery had been shown me
and there was no special care for us;
they had not attempted to protect us
as W. did the Vizcaya in New York