The Anaconda standard., 1899-03-14

der of Santiago. This is a liberal pro
vision, for it recognizes those who di,
| not take their chances with the insur
gents until the American fleet block
| AIDED Havana in April. Nevertheless
| it excludes several thousand camp fol
lowers who succeeded in getting them
selves enrolled after the protocol wa:
signed. All the insurgent general:
were disgusted with these camp fol
lowers. The assembly itself directed
that 1000 of them should be mustered
out. There is no evidence that this has
! been done.
1t is also an erroneous impression
| that the United States makes a gift OF
$3,000,000. The sum is gift simply ir
| the sense that it is advanced without q
| specific arrangement for its repayment
| being made. The United States con
| tents itself with the simple statement
| that the advance is to be repaid out
| of the future revenues of the island
| The statement from Havana that the
| assembly has not yet agreed to accept
| the SS0O0,000 shows the ludicrous mis-
| conception which the members have of
their own position. 1t does not rest
with them, but with the insurgent SOL
diers TO accept the bounty. The funds
have been shipped to General Brooke
to be paid out directly and not through
the agency of the assembly. He has
been arranging the details for paying
out the money with General Gomez
In the secret sessions of the assembly
the members of the commission which
came to Washington We're sharply criti-
clsed and defended themselves. While
hostility to Gomez has much to do with
the action of the assembly, it has also
been influenced by INSCRIPTIONS finan-
cial adventurers. These have presented
various schemes for creating a great
bonded indebtedness. The knowledge
that these schemes were being urged
caused General Brooke to make the
official declaration that the United
States would recognize no Indebtedness
created by the assembly. One of the
schemes was to make valid the s20,000,-
600 of paper money issued by the Span
lsh bank of Cuba in Weylers time and
use it for the payment Of the troops
This scrip has a speculative value of 5
or cents on the dollar.
While the immediate future is not
clear, the administration officials have
the utmost confidence that the policy
which has been adopted will work sue
CeSsfully. General Brooke will not be
hampered in his dealings with Gomez.
The reports from the army officers as
well as from the American civilian off
cials in Cuba have been all to the eff
feet that his leadership is recognized
ny an pNerN helllllnS majority or the
people. Some of the army officers who
in the beginning doubted We're con-
WINGED of his influence when they saw
the receptions given to him. 1t was
known from the beginning that Gomez
was not popular with the members of
the assembly. Many of them were his
personal enemies because of the disci-
plinc to which he had subjected them.
Conservative Cubans We're hopeful that
the assembly would restrain this per-
sonal hostility to Gomez and would
also act so as to find favor in the
United States. They have been dis
appointed and their influence will now
he directed to ignoring it's existence.
The reports received in Washington
have indicated the growing unpopular
ity of the assembly and the demand for
a popular representative body to take
its place.