The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-12
SUFFERING AT GUANTANAMO.
Sugar Planters Fear Cubans and vii
Not Resume Operations.

Sugar Planters Fear Cubans and Will
Not Resume Operations.
Correspondence of the Associated Press.
GUANTANAMO, Cuba, Sept. 4.-The
health of the troops since they arrived here
on Aug. 20 has not been exactly good, but
neither has 1t been as bad as that of United
States troops in some other places. The
conditions, locally, are now much i'm
proved. Only three deaths have taken place.
two from yellow fever and one from pneu-
monia. Major Norman. surgeon in charge,
says that. with more fresh meat and pota-
toes, the health Of the men will be as good
as could be reasonably expected in this
part of the world. Until day or so ago
they had had no beef at all, and Colonel
Ray took the first opportunity of buying
beeves, obtaining ten at SIS head. Though
naturally, as an officer, he is reticent re-
garding the actions of others, he complains
seriously of the mismanagement of the sub
sistence department which is to blame for
this lack of fresh provisions. An oven is
being built in the camp and in few days
the bread will be baked by soldier cooks.
At present the flour is turned over to a
bakery in Guantanamo. Colonel Ray does
not believe in the policy of sending volun-
teers to conquered country, for. in the
first place, the men enlisted to fight, and
now that the war is over, they wish to be
disbanded, and. in the second place, they
have no military future and are, therefore,
desirous to return to their accustomed oc-
cupations. Not day goes by without Col
Ray receiving numerous applications for
discharge.
The sufferings of the Cubans in and
around Guantanamo have been very great.
Over a thousand rations per day are issued
to them, but many who are in the direst
need are unable to come to the city to re-
ceive relief, owing to their being entirely
without clothing. A supply of the latter
was received short time since-an even
hundred pairs of drawers and two hundred
undershirts-but this scarcely filled the BILL
There is a remedy for this suffering, quite
apart from the charity of the United States
government, and that would be the resump-
ton of operations by the sugar planters.
They, however, will do nothing until a sta
BILE form of government is finally estab-
lished. Within a radius of twenty-five miles
there is invested some $115 100000 in sugar
estates. Some of these estates have ma
chinery worth over million dollars. Yet
nearly all are idle though it is time for
planting and going to work. The planters
say that if they had a guarantee even for
two years from the American government
of the noninterference of the Cubans they
would start up and put nearly twenty
thousand men to work. The trouble is that
many prominent Cubans have threatened
that the property will be confiscated on ac-
count of the sympathy shown by the pro-
prietors toward the Spanish government
and until American protection is guaran-
teed no more money will be spent. Business
here is in a state Of stagnation. People are
afraid that, in a spirit of reprisal, the Gu
ban officials will go in for wholesale confis-
cation and heavy fines. Until the question
has been definitely settled the industries of
this part of Cuba will remain at a stand
still