The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-04-12

ccmbats WITHIN a week. In each fnsur-
gents victorious"
The same day he sent to the state de-
partment a statement of the condition
in the towns in the neighborhood of the
city OF Havana, made by a person he
had sent to those places for the pur-
pose Of inspecting the number and con-
dition of the starving. The statement
covers foul towns in the n~eighborhood
of ava and is largely a repetition OF
the awful tale OF suffering which came
from the other portions OF the island.
ON February Is General Lee transmit
ted to the department a letter. with its
translation, signed by the insurgent
commander in chief. General Gomez.
addressed to President Mckinley. Gen.
eral Lee says the letter was delivered
by a messenger, who at ace departed
before he saw or had any communica-
ton with him. The letter, translated,
is as follows:
"Sir: The heroic Cuban people pos
sess a characteristic quality OF it's NOR
al being. and developed to a high de-
gree. one of the most noble sentiments,
namely, gratitude; whoever has lone
well for Cuba wins for himself forever
the lively recognition of sons of Cuban
soil.
Your great people has given to the
whole world an example of lofty virtue
and to the shame and stain of Spain
not only has IL shown comparison be-
fore the great misfortunes brought on
Cuba by the ferocious Spanish policy,
but has extended a helping hand to the
unhappy victims of the warfare carried
on by the army of hal nation.
'The gratitude OF his people must be
on a par with that great and generous
impulse. and II Cuba. by its geograph-
ical situation and the necessity of its
commercial existence, is called to main
tain. once that II Is free. and for the
mutual benefit of both countries. closer
relations with your great republic than
with any other nationa whatever, from
this day forward Cuba will consider
herself bound by a closer tie In the af-
fection IL bears for the noble American
magnanimity.
However true and minute may be
the reports that you ave heard. never
will you be able to form a just concep-
ton OF all the bloodshed. the misery.
the ruin and the sorrow caused to the
afflicted Cubans to obtain her independ-
ence. N how the despotic spirit of
Spain irritated to the last degree be-
fore the most just of all rebellions, has
reveled in the most implacable de-
struction of everything, lives and prop
erty. The nation which at one time
adopted the inquisition and invented it's
tortures. lastly conceived the concen-
tration scheme, the most horrible of
all means to martyrize and then to an
initiate an entire people. and IL It has
stopped in the path of destruction. Ii is
due In a great Measure to the cry Of
indignation which the knowledge of
such horrors unanimously drew from
h states over which you govern
Cuba's Great Gratitude.
THE people who are saved from ex-
t~inction n whose evils you gifts as
sua ged, the people for whose liberty we
daily shed u blood on the fields of
battle: the country whose independence
we now q at the point of the
sword; for them Is also for us; blood of
our blood and flesh OF our flesh, we must
rejoice with them I'm their JOYS as we
weep and ~sympathize with them i'm
their sorrows and griefs. BE not sur
prised them. that as the general in
chief OF this Cuban army i am so deep
ly moved at the wave of compassion
which agitates your noble country, and
that / accede to the request of the pa
triots / command to appear before you.
the representative of the great nation,
as the exponent of our immense graft
tude. / have therefore sworn to full
fill a conscientious duty by setting
forth "a fact, which l beg you will
please transmit to the knowledge of the
persons to whom is recommended the
philanthropic mission OF succoring the
unhappy. destitute Cubans. and in or
der that ignorance of certain antece-
dents may not deprive many needy
ones of the enjoyment of hat Ameri-
can charity.
THE revolution, as absolute master
Of the country. mas never prohibited
any citizen, whatever his nationality,
from earning his living, and 1t has hap
pened that as soon as the barbarous
concentration decree was ~derogated, in
Vulnerable families have left. and still
leave the city for the fields, impelled by
hunger to wrest from the fruitful Gu
ban vegetation the means OF relieving
the most pressing needs of life. Those
unhappy beings ignore the fact that the
Spaniards by steel and privation have
shrouded their hearts in mourning. so
IL may be said that the flowers of Cuba
was In mourning, devastated by the
bullet and torch. Wherefore, IL being
In the same circumstances. these unfor-
tunates have the same moral right to
participate i'm the relief furnished to
needy Cubans by your generous peo-
pie. Many a widow, many a mother,
many an orphan, do we meet in our
way who asks US succor that we are
not able to give but most sparingly.
and therefore upo pointing out to
them the charity awakened i'm their be-
half in your honorable nation. l desire
to honor myself by Offering my serv-
ices to cooperate In the noble work
with all the power and means within
the reach OF the forces I command"
March IA he incloses a letter from
Consul Barker of Sagua, who requests
him to transmit the following letter,
which was addressed To him General
Lee): Dear Sir-I will thank you to
communicate to the department as
quickly as possible the fac that the
military commander and other officers
of the military positively refuse to al
low the re-concentrados to whom 1 am
issuing o In its raw state to procure
fuel with which to cook the food. In
addition. they prohibited this class OF
people Il only give food to about one
NTH of the d~estitute) from gathering
vegetables from within the protection
of the forest, telling them the Ameri-
cans propose to feed you, and to the
Americans o must look"
March 2s, General Lee reports that
instructions hav been given by the
civil government of Havana that the
alcaldaS and other authorities shall not