Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-09
A CUBAN COMMITTEE HERE
Wants Order Postponing Debt Settlements
Modified.
Acting Secretary MeiklejOhn Asked
for Conference-Change
That Are Desired.

ACHING Secretary Meiklejohn of the War
Department received a letter today from
the Cuban committee who arrived in Wash
lngtOn last night to try to secure q mOdi-
fication of the order respecting the settle
ment of debts in Cuba, asking for the ap-
FOintment of q time when he can receive
them and hear their statement of the case.
The Secretary has not yet replied to the
letter, but he VIII undoubtedly grant the
committee a hearing. BY executive order,
upon the recommendation of Gen. Brooke
the time for the settlement of all debts con-
tracted prior to the 31st of last December
was extended for two years, in order to
give the debtors time to recover from the eff
iects of the war and to enable them to save
their property. The matter was under con-
sideratiOn for some time before the order
was issued and is now regarded by the de-
Partment as finally settled and not likely
10 be reOpened. The Secretary of War left
the matter at the discretion of Gen Brooke
and approved the order before it was pro-
mulS.aLed.
The members of the committee are Fidol
u. IIerra, Ignacia Remrez, Pedro Galbis
and Emilio del JunCo. They claim to rep
resent not the creditor class alone but the
general business interests of The island in
cludlhS responsible debtors as we'll as cred
ltorS- IheIr claim is that a result of
the order extending the period for the paw
ment of debts all the business and progress
of the island Is interfered with and that
Cuba will be ruined If DrODer modi6ca tions
are not made.
The chairman of the committee said today
In eXpla nation of their mission that the eff
iecL OF the order was to destroy all secur-
ity ana blight the business of the island
II related. he said, back to debts contract
ed as long ago as four years and annulled
attachments that had already been levied
under legal judgments of the courts BY
the edict of Gen. Weyler the sale of prom
"a a q y nod
postponed but the attachments had been
allowed to stand and the attached property
remaining meanwhile in the hands of a sort
of receiver, who maintained as far as pos
slDle, the productiveneSs Of the property
properly distributing the income derived
from it.
BY this method the interests of both par
ties, he said, We're preserved and the Sc
curfty of the debts remained good The par
ties holding the attachments in many cases
advanced more money to keep the property
IN repair anG in a productive state. They
had supposed that when the United States
took up the matter the department would
simply still further extend the deferment
of final settlement and would maintain the
security Of the creditors; therefore they had
made no move to protect their interests and
had not been consulted.
Instead of this. however, he said, the or
der OF the department annuls all attach
ments and completely destroys all the Sc
Curity the creditors had, involving not only
the money originally loaned, but that subse-
quently advanced TO maintain the property
in the hands of the receivers. The result
he said, was injurious alike to creditors and
honest debtors, injuring the business of the
whole island, while but a few debtors-not
more than a dozen, perhaps-were re-
sponsible for it.
He said that the committee wanted to
get a modification of the order so as to pre-
serve the integrity of the attachments that
had already been levied and to maintain
the security while extending the time for
payment of the debts. Otherwise, he said,
new judgments would have to be secured
through the courts after the expiration of
the time of extension, and the property
might be so deteriOrated as to be of little
value, the land being but a small part of
the security. which rested most upon build
ings and machinery and equipment, which
the dishonest debtor might dispose OF mean
while.