The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-20
HAVANA IS IN A FERMENT
Alger Is Supposed to Want War
With Cuba.
GOMEZ GETTING CRANKY
Declines to Advise the Disbandment OF
Cuban Troops-The Surrender OF
the Arms Causing Great
Discomfort.

Havana, May 19.-Havana is in 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 (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 secre-
tarys purpose to lay the matter before
President Mckinley. Consequently, un-
less instructions to the contrary are re-
ceived from the Washington admins
tration the generals orders respecting
the distribution of the $4,000, 900 as
modified will be issued tomorrow.
The secretary of war has been informed
as to the substance of this order in the
usual course of business
Havana's midday newspapers pub-
them commenting editorially upon it.
AS the point about where the arms arc
TO be kept appears to be thought of
vital Importance in Washington, the
conviction announced there that the
mayors cannot be trusted with them is
cause of fresh discomfort Just at the
present moment, when the various COM
plications appeared to be unraveed.
The mayors are the appointees of the
governor general, and when the mill
tary assembly dissolved they were
made its representatives to receive the
arms. Article four of the agreement
between General Gomez and Robert p.
Porter. President McKinleys special
representative, runs as follows
"The Cubans shall surrender their
arms to the Cuban assembly or it's rep
| resentatives."
General Gomez, who at the time of
coming to the agreement with Mr.. Por-
ter, had not quarreled with the assem-
bly,, 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 in the presi-
dents name agreed that the arms
should go into the custody Of the as
sembly. AT Mondays meeting of the
Society of the Veterans of Independ
ence, organized by former members of
the assembly, the speakers dilated upon
article four, asserting that the nresi
dents plenipotentiary having agreed to
deposit the arms with the representa-
tives of the assembly. while, through
the connivance of Gomez. they We're to
be surrendered to the American army.
La Discussion says:
"Secretary Alger appears to wish to
provoke conflict here. He is moro
distinguished in the United States az
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 war here SINH
lar to that in the Philippines? We are
forced to believe that he only approves
what is unsatisfa actory - 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
The manifesto 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 paragraph
directing the various commands to dis
solve and had said he was in doubt as
to whether he was authorized to dis
band the army, promising to reflect
upon the matter. His attitude at head
quarters yesterday was quite different
from his previous bearing and it soon
became obvious that he wished to dis
continue giving any advice, even on the
subject of the payment of the troops.