The times., 1899-06-04
GENERAL WOODS REPORT.
Improved Conditions in the santiar,
Province.

Province.
The following report from General Wood
concerning his inspection of Santiago
province was made public yesterday:
Il have just returned from long trip
through the interior and along the north
coast of this province. This, with the pre-
eeding trip, completed about ten days ago.
has included every town of Importance in
the province, as well as most of the email
er islands, The people are all at work
peaceful and contented, and as far as one
can see, fairly happy. During both trips
was not approached by beggar nor did
nave single personal application for
assistance. Many of the municipalities are
unable to meet current expenses, out the
people as body are improving in general
condition.
Il visited Santa Lucia near Sama and
the estates of the Boston Fruit Company
near Banes. Everything at these places
was quiet and there was no brigandage
there. The reports which had alarmed
them were, as far as | could learn, circu-
lated by an old scoundrel friar. He has
spent his time apparently in circulating
reports of brigandage, and actually incit-
ing some ignorant men 10 committing
some lawless acts in order to give color
TO his reports, and following up this work
with kilograms to Havana, requesting that
he be authorized TO pursue the bandits and
incidentally be given a command and big
pay / took him off quietly and told him
that my orders TO my officers and the
guardia rural were TO give all men of his
description a short shrift if they were
caught engaged in any work of this sort;
that he was marked individual was
closely watched and would be summarily
dealt with. Most of these reports thai
have reached you have been got up in
this way and they mean nothing. Now
and then there is a case of stealing or rob-
berry, just as there is in all our Western
States, but nothing more.
The whole problem today in Cuba is
work. Put the idle people who are now
reading the incendiary press to work, rele-
gate TO back seat the politicians whose
present Importance rests solely on the at
tentions they are receiving from our peo-
pie, and they will not have followers
enough left to give them the slightest i'm
portance or weight in the community. Ag-
itators have tried to stir up the people of
this province, but they cannot do it, simply
because We have given the people some
thing to do and put them in a condition
so good that they will not leave Ii for a
lawless life, unless absolutely forced to.
ances today in Cuba do not represent
per cent of the population.
Il was ordered last winter by General
Chafee, in the name of the Commanding
General, to take summary measures against
the press In case they used disrespectful
language about the American Administra-
ton. | have not had occasion to take any
action, but yesterday called them togeth-
er and warned them against putting any
L.. IL
spectfully the American Administration.
| do not personally believe that any notice
should be taken of them, unless their ar
ticles are actually incendiary, as paying
any attention to them simply exaggerates
their Importance in the eyes of their own
people. There are no Cuban troops in erms
In this province-absolutely not a man
and yet we have here more than two-fifths
OF the entire Cuban army and most of its
desperate officers. II is impossible for
them to take their men from their fields
and homes In short, the whole question
is a question OF labor, not of politics, and
the factions warning in the press would be
Immediately without support could their
idle followers become engaged in any kind
of work. ] believe there is money enough
with the revenues to accomplish this end
not TO the detriment of our administration,
but to its everlasting benefit.
Il have just received telegram from
you tonight about the trophy guns for the
Army and Navy. We have already sent, the
ordnance officers inform me, over 100 guns
to the States. Practically all the guns OF
this type have gone. There are few here
which the Navy wants, which we will have
to dismount from the batteries of Socapa
and MORO. They are at present mounted
in battery there There are few old
bronze engines here and you will probably
remember that ! asked you to permit me
to leave three or four OF them here for the
city for their parks. believe this would
be only fair to them. and would p ease the
people extremely. You see the shipp ng of
these guns will tahe every gun of histori
cal interest out of Santiago province, and
the people are extremely anxious to get n
few of them as souvenirs.
You authorized me to do this when you
were here, and unless hear from you TO
the contrary l will save few for the city
1t will take some time to get out the SOU
venr guns for the Navy, as they are in a
very difficult position to move"