Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-23
CUBAN ACITATOR At WORK
His Oorupting Influence Already Strongly
Felt in the Island.
INTEREST TO AGAIN CENTER ON CUBA
Lieutenant on General Woods stan
Writes 10 n Relative Mt MnryviiIc,
Mo-, Telling of Condi-
tions.

| MARYVILLE, Mo-, Nov. 22.-(Special y
o. C. Hanna. a Maryville travelling man, has
! received an interesting letter from his
brother, Matthew e. Hanna, first lieuten-
ant in the Second United States cavalry, who
Is now, and has been ever since the close OF
the Spanish American war, on the staff OF
General Leonard Wood at Santiago Mr..
Hanna does not take an altogether hopeful
view of the situation of affairs in Cuba. In
! the course of a description of a trip through
| the province OF Santiago. which he made re-
Gently In company with General Wood, Lieu
tenant Hanna says:
EARLY Monday morning we left for the
weSt and at o'clock p. m. were at Santa
Cruz del Sur the old capital of the Cuban re-
public There were no American troops
there, but the general stopped to see the
people and inquire into their condition. AS
we approached the little village we saw the
stars and stripes proudly waving and not a
Cuban flag in sight. This spoke volumes,
! for they could have flown a Cuban flag to
their hearts content. This was for some
time the meeting place Of the Cuban assem-
bly,, which pretended to direct the affairs of
the Cuban army during the war, and 1t wae
quite natural to suppose the hotbed of Cuban
sympathy. But 1t all seems to have been
forgotten and the American flag is to them
the emblem of protection aud of all that is
honest and just and free In government.
Corrupting influence of Agitators.
Don't understand me to be picturing Cuba
/ as already won for the Americans, for 1t is
ia" from that, for when you get to a place
like Santa Cruz del Sur where the corrupt
ing influence of the Cuban agitator has not
yet reached, you find the people comparing
the present peaceful times, devoted to the
cultivation and improvement Of their farms,
to the former times Of war when no man
was secure, or to the oden times of peace
when he was scarcely more secure, and Civ
ing the American protector all the credit
But soon the agitator will reach this little
out of the way place, poison will be injected
into the minds of this simple people ready to
believe anything, easily deceived; their con-
tentment will be turned into discontentment
just as 1t has already been in many another
place in Cuba.
You are probably paying more attention
to the events of the Philippines and the
Transvaal than to us poor ploddere in Cuba
The stirring martial times in those places
quite naturally call forth more interest than
the mere humdrum current OF events here,
but the American people should not forget
'haI lhere Is an important question TO be
settled in Cuba, aud it is no nearer perhaps
not so near. settlement as it was eight
months ago. A time is coming when interest
will again be fixed upon Cuba. 1t Is to the
Philippines that I would like to go because
there is fighting there, and, of course, that
is what has the greatest attraction for the
soldier. But the work here is very interest
ing and, in view of the situation, you can
never tell what NAV orcur
On account of Lieutenant Hanna's close
connection with General Wood the senti-
ments expressed in his letter are regarded
as rejecting in measure the feelings and
sentiments OF his chief.