The herald., 1898-05-12
GENERAL LEES BOOK
A COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE
CUBAN QUESTION
CAUSES FOR INTERVENTION
The Book Will Be Published at Price
and in Such Way as to Give It the
Widest Possible Usefulness

The fact that General Fitzhugh Lee has
written book is Of peculiar interest and
Importance. 1t will be welcomed not more
by friends and admirers of our late consul
general in Cuba-and there Is no living
American who, at the moment, has more
Of them-than by those who. unaffected by
the wave of intense patriotism now sweep
ing over the country are anxious to know
the exact and abstract truth as to the
events that have generated the present tre-
mendous crisis.
General Lee knows and General Lee Is
trusted. Throughout It all he has been the
central figure in the midst of the situation.
and his is the only personality that has
been entirely and all the time satisfying
to the American view. A book from him at
this time comes with a force much the
same as that which surrounded and i'm
PEELED the success of General Grant s
Memoirs. General Lees book, moreover.
has this obvious advantage, in that it
comes when there is not only demand
for it, but an absolute need.
Probably no crisis in the worlds history
was ever so ably or so fairly described
as has been the Cuban question. Such IA
ciities for the transmission of intelligence
never before were at the hand of the corre-
spondent. Nevertheless, the story has not
been half told, and Of what has been told,
half is not remembered, nor Is 1t even
available, except in O fragmentary and
colorless form.
The people want to know. They want
to know and their children will want to
Judge. The knowledge will be accepted
with faith from General Lee. He ought to
devote himself to this work with pur-
pose as high as that which has animated
him in responding to the call from the
president. A peoples call for the truth is
even more sacred. If possible. than a ma
tions call for support.
To celebrate his release from diplomatic
restraint with the announcement Of his
purpose to complete the splendid work he
did in his consular reports by giving to the
public all the other significant matter
within his knowledge and experience in
Cuba is an act quite in keeping with the
popular estimate of General Lee The act
is quick, timely, strong and effective.
Few men realize how close they stand
to history, and the realization seldom
comes until it is too late. History is not
written today in the letter presses Of gov-
ernment offices so much nor so well as in
the printing presses of the people. 1t is
the details Of personal experience, the in
teresting and significant incidents that
would never find their way into an official
report, that the people want. Especially
do they want and need this material to un-
derstand fully the Cuban question, the
American relation to 1t, and the justihca-
tion of that relation. That General Lee
is going to give this material when 1t ie
needed most, Is a matter for congratHla.
| ton. The even more stirring times of the
future, which may be In store for Genera
Lee, thus will not be permitted to obliter-
ate from his mind any of the freshness and
accuracy Of the impression which his re-
markable experiences in Cuba have devel.
oped. His book ought to be pulsating
living record of the volcanic events that
have disturbed the equilibrium Of the
world. He will never know the story quite
so we'll as he knows II today. He may un-
derstand 1t better later on, but what the
people want is the plain story, with an op-
portunity of interpreting 1t for themselves.
Now is the time for that story. 1t Is un-
derstood the matter Is already in great
part in hand from manuscripts and men,
oranda written by General Lee during his
three years service as consul general.
The people want to have every bit of in
formation that General Lee has about the
Maine. They want to learn the exact con-
ditions in Havana before and after the de-
struction OF the Maine. They want to know
about filibustering, about Weyler's abuses
and Blancos failures, the awful sufferings
of thu non-combatants, the reason why
Cuba should be free and thousand other
things that he knows, and can now tell In
complete and lasting way.
1t is understood from General Lee that
his book will be published at price and in
such way as to give 1t the widest possible
usefulness Advance orders are to be taken
for it during the preparation of the book,
but after it's publication, which is near at
hand it will be sold only by subscription.
Advance orders may be sent to The Her.
aid and they will be filled as soon as is
sued. See advertisement in todays issue.