Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-01-10
OPPOSE THE ORDER.
Plan to Send All Customs Receipts
to Havana Regarded Unjust.
BIG MASS MEETING IN SANTIAGO.
Gen. Wood Going to Washington to
Appeal to the President The
Policy Is Considered Absolutely
Necessary at Washington

Santiago de Cuba, Jan. Maj. Gen,
Leonard Wood, American military
commander here, has cabled for per-
mission to go to Washington for two
days and has been granted leave OF
absence. He left Santiago on board the
United States transport Mississippi
Tuesday night.
The reason of the generals departure
is unquestionably the order received
from Havana to transmit the entire
customs receipts each week to the city.
AS cabled Monday night, compliance
with these instructions would involve
the abandonment of many necessary
public Improvements, would throw
10000 Cubans out of employment, and
send them to the hills to become ban
dts, and would revive SPANS practice
of monetary Capitalization, which
caused most of her troubles in Cuba.
1t is believed Gen. Wood is DESTROYS Of
seeing the president on this subject.
There was a mass meeting Tuesday
of business men of all kinds to protest
against the order from Havana.
Great Crowd Attended.
The mass meeting was held in the
plaza and was attended by 5000 per-
sons. Energetic speeches were made
against the policy of centralizing
money at Havana. Most of the speak
ers declared that the principle which
1t was now proposed to put into effect
again had been fought against by them
for 80 years. All were exceedingly
eulogistic in their references to Gen.
Wood, imploring him to use his inhu-
ence with the Washington government
against revival of one of the worst
features of the Spanish regime.
The local papers again renew their as
sertions that if such an order is en-
forced, 1t will mean, if not civil war, at
least anarchy and riot in the province
of Santiago, calling for large force Of
United States troops.
The members of the San Carlos club
are in fever of excitement. They say,
as previously pointed out, that the
main cause for complaint against Span
ish rule was the continual demand for
money obtained from the different
provinces which, they claim, should re-
main in the provinces and be spent
there
Col. Valiente, the Cuban, who was APP
pointed chief of the gendarmerie, was
quite outspoken on the subject. he
said the Cubans had fought 80 years
against this policy, and they were
ready to fight 30 years more If neces.
sary.
Americans who are familiar with the
situation here agree in saying the
Cubans have good cause for complaint
in this instance
Think 1t Absolutely Necessary.
Washington, Jan. 4.-The objection
of the citizens of Santiago to the execu-
tion of the war departments pro-
gramme requiring the customs collec-
lions at the port and at all other Gu
ban ports to be sent to Havana has
brought the war department face to
face with another Of the many prob
lens connected with the administra-
ton of affairs in Cuba that REQUIRE
speedy settlement. The order is felt
to be absolutely necessary, the inter-
ests of good government requiring that
there should be but one responsible
head to the customs service in Cuba. It
was pointed out at the war department
that it Santiago, at one end of the
Island, and Havana, near the other,
were allowed to keep their customs re-
ceipts, such provinces as Porto Principe
and Pinar del Rio would be without
funds to make any public improve
ments The officials are disposed to
allow each of the military commanders
OF the seven departments into which
Cuba is now divided, to submit requisi-
lions based upon estimates of cost of
such public works as sanitation, har-
Dor improvements and road and bridge
as is deemed desirable to un-
dertake. The cabinet which Gen.
Brooke is about to call to mis- assistance
In the administration of the island
probably will examine into these neces-
sites and propose an allotment of the
total customs collected and internal
revenue taxation in proposition to the
needs of the communities and in ac-
cordance with principles of justice and
good government. In all likelihood
these allotments will require the APP
proVal OF the secretary of war.