The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-20
HAVANA in A STATE
OF FERMENT AGAIN
Claims That Alger Wishes TO Stir
Up InsurrectiA
Are Willing to Turn Over Guns to
Mayors of Cities, But Will Not
Give Them to Americans, to Be
Retained By Thenl-Intimation
That This Country May Have An
other Philippine Affair On Its
Hands.

Havana, May 19.-Havana is in a fer
ment again over the idea that the
Washington administration has deter
mined to take the arms of the Cuban
troops and to retain them in military
possession. This view of the latest
news from Washington has been tele-
graphed to the various cities.
Governor General Brooke is thus far
unaware, save through the press tele-
grams, of any dissatisfaction on the
part of General Alger, secretary of war
with his General Brooke'S) plan to-
have the arms deposited in the care of
the mayors of the municipalities, nor
has he received any inkling of the Sec
retary'S purpose to lay the matter be-
fore President Mckinley. Consequently
unless instructions to the contrary are
received from the Washington admin
istratiOn, the governor generals orders
respecting the distribution of the So
100000 as modified will be issued tomor-
row. The secretary of war has been
informed as to the substance of this
order, in the usual course of business,
Mayors Can Be Trusted.
Havana's midday papers publish the
Washington news, some of them COM
menting editorially upon it. As the
point about where the arms are to be
kept appears to be thought of vital
Importance in Washington, the con-
viction announced there that the may
ors cannot be trusted with them is a
cause of fresh discomfort, just at the
moment when the various complicd-
tionS appeared to be unravelled. The
mayors are the appointees of the gov
ernor general and when the military
assembly dissolved they were made its
representatives to receive the arms.
Article of the agreement between
General Gomez and Robert p. Porter,
President McKinley's- special represen-
tative runs as follows:
THE Cubans shall surrender their
arms to the Cuban assembly or to its
representatives"
Porter Had Agreed.
General Gomez, who at the time of
coming to the agreement with Mr..
Porter, had not quarreled with the as
sembly, insisted upon this point. Since
the quarrel he has again raised the
point repeatedly, saying also that Mr..
Porter brought full written authority
from President Mckinley and ~ the
presidents name agreed that the arms
should go into the custody of the as
sembly or its representatives
At Monday nights meeting of the So
ciety of Veterans of Independence, or
ganized by former members of the as
sembly. the speakers dilated upon arti-
Gle asserting the presidents plenipo-
tentiary had agreed to deposit the arms
with the representatives of the as
sembly. while through the connivance
of Gomez they were to be surrendered
to the American army. La Discussion
says:
Alger Is Criticized.
Secretary Alger appears to wish to
provoke a conflict here. He is more
distinguished in the United States as
business man than as a politician and
his relations with certain syndicates
are well known. He opposes every
thing that Cuba wants and favors
everything that would cause feeling
and provoke excitement His attitude.
prompts the question: What does he
want? Does he desire a war here SINH
lar to that in the Philippines? We are
forced to believe that he only approves
what is unsatisfactory TO Cuba
Cubans of prominence object to talk
ing for publication on the subject, but
wherever they have been interviewed
they say without exception, that such
an order as is referred to in the press
dispatches from Washington would
cause much trouble, and would still
further separate Cuba from the United
States.
Manifesto of Gomez.
Thsmanifesto of General Gomez IS
sued last evening is unsatisfactory to
the military administration. because
its author failed to diSband the army
He had been asked TO include a para
graph directing the various commands
to dissolve, and had said he was in
doubt as TO whether he was authorized
TO disband the army, promising TO re-
fleet upon the matter. His attitude at
Headquarters yesterday was quite diff
ferent from his previous bearing, and
it soon became obvious that he wished
to discontinue giving any advice. even
on the subject of the payment TO the
troops.