The evening times., 1899-01-18
GENERAL WOOD TALKS
OF CUBAN PROBLEMS
SOME STRIKING UTTERANcEs
Fighting Bob Evans Remarks About
Spaniards md the
Maine.

New York, Jan. 1S.-Words of weight
regarding the future of Cuba the fitness
OF the Cubans for self government and
the duty of this country in the present
situation were spoken by Gen. Leonard
Wood, civil governor of Santiago at the
Union League Club last evening.
The occasion was a dinner given in
honor of Gen. Wood by Mr.. R. C. Smith.
Gen. Woods utterances were regarded as
all the more significant because he recent
iy conferred with President Mckinley.
Gen. Wood believes the Cubans should
be given a chance to show whether they
can govern themselves. Whatever has
been done in Cuba has been done not only
for the Cubans but for the Unitsd States,
he said. I'VE went to the island TO give
its people liberty and it is my experience
that they have demonstrated that they
are quite capable of appreciating what We
can do. and their response to such liberty
as has been presented to them has been
very quick.
We should remember that we are dc al
ing with a people who fer a good many
generations have had very little voice in
public affairs, and their whole disposition
has been perhaps reversed by system
which has compelled deceit, dishonesty
and subterfuge in every department OF
life.
There has been a good deal of feeling
between the Americans and Cutans, and
the problem when the old army withdrew
and the new one came in was difficult.
Il have tried TO draw the army out o;
the situation at the earliest poss bic day,
and tried to impresss the people that the
first thing they had to do was to learn to
govern themselves, and that the under.y-
ing principle OF sef-government was
thorough respect for civil law.
'All public places were filled by repre-
sentative Cubans. They have filled them
so satisfactorily that ! have not had oc-
casion TO remove single person.
There has been a good deal from our
standpoint which was not satisfactory, and
which. | think could be attributed 10 the
fact that these people have hardly got in
the way of trusting themselves, but the
perfectly open policy that We have pur-
sued has disaTmed them to a certain tx-
tent, and today, as far as ] know, the
respect for the American flag and the
American people and American good faith
is all right
The condition down in the eastern part
of the island at present from a financial
standpoint is fairly satisfactory. The
province has been entirely self-sustaining
since October l, and we have been able
to save $3.50, eco to do work this winter.
The people are cheerful and contented
Everything is as quiet as in a New Eng
land village
Capt. RObley ID. Evans had a little fun
at General Woods expense. He said in
part:
General Wood has told you that the
army went down there to free Cuba. We
of the navy didn't have our leg pulled in
any such fashion.
We went to war TO lick the Spaniards
because they sunk the Maine. We went,
first, of course because the President Or
dered us TO go. but the feeling deep down
at the bottom of our hearts was Il desire
10 lick those devils because of the Maine
When we got through we turned the
job over to General Wood. and We couldn't
have turned il over to better man