The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-05-20
WHAT DOES ALGER WANT?
Cubans Think He Is Looking For a
Fight.

Havana. May 20.-Havana is in
ferment again over the idea that the
Washington administration has de-
termined 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 telegraphed
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 mixing of the Secretary'S
purpose to lay the matter before PreSi-
instructions to the contrary are re-
ceived from the Washington admins
tration the governor generals orders
respecting the distribution of the
SO, 900 900 as modified, will be issued to-
morrow. The secretary of war has been
informed as to the substance of this or
der in the usual course of business.
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 convic-
ton announced there that the mayors
can not be trusted with them as
cause of fresh discomfort, just at the
moment when the various complica-
tions appeared to be unraveled. 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 Gen.
Gomez and Robert P. Porter, President
McKinley's special representative, runs
as follows:
The Cubans shall surrender their
arms to the Cuban assembly or to its
representatives.
Gen. Gomez, who at the time of COM
ing to the agreement with Mr.. Porter
had not quarreled with the assembly,
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 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 ar
ticle 4, asserting bad faith, the presi-
dents plenipotentiary having agreed to
deposit the arms with the representa-
tives of the assembly, while, through
the connivance of Gomez, they were to
be surrendered to the American army.
La Discussion says:
Secretary Alger appears to wish TO
provoke a conflict here. He is more
distinguished in the United States as q
business man than as a politician, and
his relations with certain syndicates
are well known He opposes everything
that Cuba wants and favors every
thing that would cause feeling and pro-
woke excitement. His attitude prompts
the question, what does he want? Does
he desire war here similar to that in
the Philippines? We are forced to be-
Iieve that he only approves what is I'M
satisfactory to Cuba
CubanS of prominence object to talk
ing for publication on the subject, but
where ever 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 fur
Their separate Cuba from the United
States.
The manifesto of Gen. Gomez issued
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 up
on the matter His attitude at head
quarters yesterday was quite different