The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-04-12
OFFICIAL EVIDENCE
OF SPAIN'S INFAMY
Concluded from Page III

concluded from Page III
poses, selling for 90 cents apiece. II is
a fair inference to draw from existing
conditions that II is not possible for
the governor general to relieve the
present situation with the means at
his disposal.
AUTONOMY A FAILURE.
Dec. 13 came the following.
The contest for and against auton-
omy n most unequal. For, there
are i've or six of the head officers at
the patace, and twCnty or thirty other
persons here in the city. Against IT,
first, are the insurgents with or with
out arms, and the Cuban non-comblt-
ants. Second the great mass of the
Spaniards bearing or non-bearing
arms, the latter desiring If there must
be a change annexation to the United
States. Indeed there is the greatest
apathy concerning autonomy in any
form. | do not see how 1t could be
even put into operation by force, be-
cause as lorE as the insurgents oe-
cline to accept it so long, the Span
ish authorities say, the war must con-
tinue.
December l4th, General Lee sends
another communication saying that the
total number Of reconCentrados in Hab-
ana province will reach 100000 and that
the death rate from starvation alone
would be over 80 per cent. For the
relief of these people he says $12,5OO in
silver has been set aside, so that if
every dollar appropriated reaches them
the distribution will average about Il
cents TO a person.
MORE SPANISH PLOTS.
December Is, General Lee makes the
first communication about the new
scheme of autonomy. He says that he
has been informed that the authorities
are engaged in forming an autononis-
tic cabinet, arranging for the members
to take the required oath on January
l, and also for an election thirty days
thereafter. He ad Is.
My present information is that most
of the Spaniards will refrail from
voting and nearly all the CubanR.
The feeling in Havana and I hear
in other parts Of the island, IS strong
against it. the Cubans desiring an IN
dependent republic and the Spaniards
preferrinE annexation to the United
States rather than autonomy. on tho
night of oath inst. there seems 20 have
been a concerted plan O er the island
TO testify to the disapprobation of the
people to the proposed autonomistic
plan Of the Spanish government. He
goes on to describe how it eliminated
about o'clock on the morning Of the
25th when mob assembled ir the
principal square with cries of Death
to autonomy" and "Niva Weylcr."
He says the men in the mob had
stones IN their pockets and some OF
them were armed with weapons. "They
made demonstration, too, against the
office OF DjGriO de La Marina. a paper
published in this town favoring au.
tonomy; but were dispersed by the
military police and soldiers"
EE'S TERSE SUMMARY.
Jan. :, General Lee makes the follow
ing report:
| have the honor to state as mat
ter of public interest that the recon-
ccrtrado order of General Weyicr. eCr-
merly governor general of this island,
trar sformed about 400 900 self-support-
ing people principally women and chill
dren into a multitude to be sustained
by the contributions or die o. starva-
ton or of fevcrs resulting from low
physical condition and being massed
in large bodies without change of
clothing and without food. Their
homes were burned. their fields and
plant beds destroyed and their live
stock driven away or killed. | esti-
mate that 100000 of the rural popula-
tion in the provinces of Pinar del Rio
Havana, Matanzas and Santa Clara
nave died of starvation or from re-
sutant causes,and the deaths of whole
families almost simultaneously, or
within few days Of each other and of
mothers praying for their children TO
be relieved of their horrible sufferings
by death, are not the least of the
many pitiablc scenes which were ever
present In the provinces of Puerto
Principe and Santiago de Cuba, where
the reconcentrado order could not he
enforced, the great mass Of people are
self-sustaning.
daily average of ten cents worth
OF food to 100000 people would be an
expenditure of $4,000 per day and OF
course the most humane efforts upon
the part of our citizens cannot hope to
accomplish such a gigantic relief and
great portion of these people will
have to be abandoned to their fate
General Lee enclosed in this COM
munication an itorial from FL Diario
dc La Nrna hich vigorously de-
nounced sedit. - tumult of the day
before as 1ctory for Gomez and the
enemies of pain.
Jan. II, 1S, IA and l5, General Lee
sent brief cablegrams to the depart-
ment with regard to this rioting and
the demonstrations against autonomy
and Blanco and the newspaper offices.
Jan. II, he said some of the rioters
threatened to go to the United States
consulate. ships" he said, "are not
needed but may be later II Ameri
cans are in danger ships should move
promptly for Havana, Uncertainty
and excitement widespread"
The rioting ceased the next day and |
General Lee reported all quiet.
CONFIDENTIAL ADVICES.
On the 18th, General Lee sent a de- |
spatch marked confidential" regard |
ing the rioting. 1t follows:
The recent disorders in this citv
are TO be primarily attributed 10 a
group of Spanish officers who were
incensed at articles appearing in three
or the newspapers of Habana II RE-
concentrate, Discussion and Eel Diario
de La Marina. The first was very
pronounced against Weyler and his
methods; the next Discussion had
been suppressed by Weyler. but its
publication was permitted to he re-
sumed by BlancO and the last had
been an ultra-Spanish organ but had
been converted by the present autbori
ties 10 autonomy. 1t is probable that
Spanish officers were first provoked hv
the denunciation of Weyler I'm the
columns of one of these papers ana de-
termined to stop il and afterwards
being supported by the mob turned the
demonstration into an anti-autonomis-