The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-18
wYEELER TALKS OF CUBANS.
,,xt,S FRICTION WITH NATIVES
WILL SOON PASS AWAY.

Doe.u.t Approve the Stories Per-
ming to Their Thievery in the
lie and Thinks If They Were
-. their starving Condition Ae-
tod Them to Deeds of DlshOn-
Confusion Caused by Their
once of the English Lam
~e-Gen. Wheeler in Confer
with the President-TO As
command at Camp WilSoff.
-,..-t.ngton. Aug 17.-Gen. Wheeler re-
orders to-day to assume command
Inn vilzoff until the arrival of Gen.
s5se,er. He was told by the Secretary OF
r. to purchase everything necessary for
49, o,vnfert of the men and to spare Moth
10 mat would alleviate the sick and
wounded,
can wheeler had a three-quarters of
t,,,r conference with the President to-
a. The President wanted to talk over
~. .orlitlons in Cuba with Gen. Wheeler,
nl This was the object of a telegraphlc
e.,-,1ons that brought the general here.
The President put numerous questions
10 the hero of the Santiago campaign and
received not only an accurate account Of
his general experience in that campaign,
hit also his views on various issues Incl
dent 10 the adjustment of affairs on the
stand one point that was uppermost was
tba possibility of a rupture with the Gu
han insurgents. Gen. Wheeler's state
ments were very reassuring.
.All the friction" he said, between the
Americans and Cubans will soon pass
away. and there will be harmony and the
best of feeling between them"
He said there was a class of men In
Cuba who had never been friendly to the
cubans. but on the contrary had been
favorable to Spain, who would like to
do all they could to keep up this misunder-
standing, though he did not apprehend any
dangerous results.
Gen. Wheeler suggested the charges
against the insurgents Of taking articles
In the field had extenuating circumstances,
especially in view of the starving condi-
ton OF many of them.
Gen Wheeler believed the Cubans On
time, when freed from oppression and
given a stable and humane government,
would become a Iaw-abiding and useful
people
The President is very solicitous about
the health of the Montauk Point camp,
and gave explicit instructions verbally to
Gen. Wheeler as to the conduct Of the
camp. He wanted everything possible and
reasonable done for the interests of the
men at the camp.
Just at the close of office hours In the
war department, Gen. Wheeler stopped to
sneak q n Of
was soon surrounded by a crowd of the
employees as well who listened to what he
had to say regarding his experience with
the Cubans.
1.-THE trouble" he said, Seemed to be
that they wanted to cooperate and not be
under orders from the American generals.
After thing was explained to them, how
ever they, for the most part got along
very weH.''
He said that they could not understand
our language, and often orders given to
them, when translated seemed no doubt
harsh and abrupt. This led to several mis-
understandings.
As 20 the Cubans refusing to work he
sad they did some work when they under
stood its Importance, but they were not
able to accomplish much owing to their
physical condition. They had been living
mostly on fruits and vegetables, and did
not possess the strength for the hardships
Wnich well-fed soldiers have to go through.
Gen, Wheeler also spoke of the reports
OF The pifering with which they are charg-
ed and said that about 20 600 people came
our OF Santiago without anything TO eat.
Inc soldiers, when they were pushing
anead IN an engagement, had to discard
tAeT rolls containing provisions Some of
them complained that their food had been
stolen But it might have been the desti-
tute people who came out of Santiago as
well as the Cuban soldiers.