Arizona republican., 1898-03-13
They will Have Something to
 Say About the War
AN EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATION
How They Have Been Directing
 Affairs at Havana
Efforts Just Now Being Exerted to Keep Down the SmoIdering Pa triotism of the VoluntesrS-Spa ish o atty Prevalent.

Washington, March 12.-The Star prints the following dispatch from it's correspondent in Cuba, MT. Charles M. Pepper: Once more the volunteers. They may have something to say whether there shall be war with the United States. If it comes they will be the most threatening force to the innocent people of Havana. The vol unteers are less menace to Capt. Blanco's authority than they were ten days ago. That is because Of what has happened during these ten days. While the Maine inquiry has been going on, and the American people have been waiting the official information that the ship was blown up, the volunteers have had an inquiry of their own un- der way. They are now holding meet ings and are discussing the findings It is satisfactory. The volunteers wanted to know how they stood with the government. In the wild reaching out by handful of autonomists to the insurgents the disarming of the vol unteers was among the concessions of fered. When Blanco came to power it was known that this was one of the measures in mind. The volunteers were made up of the unreasoning Spanish class, who thought autonomy was treason to Spanish sovereignty. They muttered, but so long as no cov- ert act was committed by B1anco they had not the chance to demand an ex- planaticn. Tn the January riots they joined the army officers in showing that autonomy was failure. Since then they have been quiet until Gi- berga and others of the so-ca1led rad ical autonomists formulated the pro gram which included the disarming of the volunteers. Then the members of the organization acted. Secret meet ings were held. These were followed by meeting of the officers, who car ried out the plan that the rank and file had agreed upon. Captain General Blanco was formally asked by letter
 
 to disavow the reports which were current that the government was in sympathy with the scheme to disarm the volunteers.
 A reply came within twenty-four hours. It was from Gen. Pavyado, chief of the military staff and to the captain general in command, speak ing by authority of Gen. Blanco. He told the colonels of the volunteers that the government had no such pur- pose. The incident is, therefore, closed. The volunteers kept their arms. These arms are not stored in the armory, where they might be se- creted by the authorities. Each mem Der of the organization has his own equipment. He pays for it and keeps it with him. There are between eigh- teen thousand and twenty thousand of the volunteers in Havana The pos session of munitions of war by so many individuals who are not part of the regular army might cause disquiet to the government. However, as stated, the volunteers are less a men, ace to Blanco than before the dis claimer disarming them was made.
 THEIR FOREIGN FOE.
 They are less likely to be turned against the government because there is more probability that they will be arrayed against what they think is { foe from without This is the United States. Heretofore it has been the pol icy of those in authority to disregard this hostility, but now they no longel seek to do so. For three months
 have watched the change in publi mind in Havana. It has ebbed ant flowed. Sometimes passion has surget up, and then would come a period o calm. But at the bottom were alway the dregs of hatred that come from ig norance. Now it is possible to mari a distinct sign. The feeling is mount ing from the ignorant populace to
 class higher both in intelligence an, authority. Several times lately I hay had a glimpse of what is passing il the thoughts of Spain's representa- tives in Cuba. These include army of ficers of high rank. They appear t think that the time Is near when tn Sagasta ministry can submit to tn test of maintaining that the peopl of the Antilles are lost, but they ar to be lost through war with the Unit ed States, and not by selling the is land. We are so completely shut O from the knowledge of what goes O in the world outside that don't kno, how far this feeling finds utterance Spain. All we learn is that the bist