Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-20

IN HAVANA
Over the Actions Of Secetary
of War Alger
GIVING UP OF THE ARMS
OF the Cuban Troops is Attended with
a Conflict of Authority--Gen.
Gomez IS Sullen.

f1dNdld, Mdv lS.-I1d dlld 10 ia q lSA
merit again over the idea hat the WASH
ington administration has determined to
take the arms of the Cuban troops II
to retain them in military possession.
This view of the latest news from WASH
ington has been telegraphed to the vari-
Gus cities. Governor General Brooke is
thus far ave through the press
kilograms Of any dissatisfaction on the
part of Genera Alger. secretary of war,
with his (Brooke's) plan to have the arms
deposited in care of the mayors of NUM-
cipaiities. nor has he received any inkling
of the secretary's purpose to lay the mat
ter before President Mckinley. Conse-
%quently, unless instructions to the con-
trary are received from the Washington
administration the governor generals
orders respecting the distribution of the
So. O0O. 900 as modified will be issued to-
morrow. The secretary of wal has been
informed as to the substance of this or
der in the usual course of business.
Havana's midday newspapers publish
the Washington news, some of them
commenting editorially upon it. AS the
point about where the arms are to be kept
appears to be thought of vital import
ance in Washington the conviction an
nounced there that the mayors can not
be trusted with them is a cause of fresh
discomfort. just at the momen when the
various complications appeared to be un-
raveled. The mayors are the appointees
Of the governor general and when the
military assembly dissolved they We're
made it's representatives to receive the
arms. Article four of the agreement be-
tween General Gomez and Robert P.
Porter, President McKinley's special rep
resentative. runs as follows: The
Cubans shall surrender their arms to the
Cuban assembly or its representatives"
| General Gomez, who at the time of COM
ing to the agreement with Mr.. Porter,
had not quarreled with the assembly, in
sisted upon this point. Since the quarrel
he has again raised the point repeatedly.
saying also that Mr.. Porter brought full
written authority from President Mckin-
ley and in the presidents name agreed
hat the arms SHOULD go into the custody
OF the assembly or it's representatives.
At Monday nights meeting of the So
ciety of veterans of independence or
ganized by former mi of the as
sembly. the speakers dilated upon ar
ticle four, asserting that the presidents
plenipotentiary had agreed to deposit
the arms with the representatives 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 a conflict
here. He is more distinguished in the
United States as a business man thar
as a politician and his relations with
certain syndicates are we'll known. H
opposes everything hat Cuba wants and
favors everything that would cause feel
ing and provoke excitement. His atti-
tude prompts the question what does he
want? Does he desire a wal here similar
to that in the Philippines? We are forced
to believe that he only approves what is
unsatisfactory to Cuba"
ubans Of prominence object to talk
Ing for publication on the subject, but
wherever they w 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 sep
arate Cuba from the United States. The
manifesto of General Gomez issued las,
evening is unsatisfactory to the military
administration because it's author failed
to disband the army. He had been asked
to include a paragraph 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 reflect upon the matter. His
attitude at headquarters yesterday was
quite different from his previous bear
ing and it soon became obvious hat he
wished to discontinue giving any advice,
even on the subject of the payment of the
troops.