The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-04-29
TWO PAPERS SUPPORT HIM
DEpLORABLE CONDITIONS IN
SANCTI SPIRITUS.
WORST MANAGED CITY IN THE WORLD
Brigands are Out on Another Raid in The Prov.
ince of Santiago. General SaIazar
Pursues and Has Hot Fight
With Them.

Havana, April 2S.-The attitude Of
General MaXimo Gomez toward the ''in-
tervening power as he calls the United
States, causes a lively controversy
among his friends La Discussion and
El Reconcentrado treat him as an ally
Of the United States and refer to HIN
as "a traitor to the cause of Cuban in
dependence" La Lucha and La Patria
view him as a consistent leader Of the
Cuban people.
\ member of his Household has given
the following explanation of the position
of Gomez:
"Of course General Gomez continues
to favor, as he always has favored.
ultimate independence; but he considers
a period of American control as IL logical
preparation for that independence.
Therefore, he wishes to cooperate with
the Americans without reservation in
dlsbanding the troops and in quietng
and reconStructing the country. He
cannot tell how long this period should
be, but he would probably have issued
statement, declaring his formal sup
port of the American provisional control.
If the recent severe attacks upon his
views had not been made"
General Gomez and the consulting
committee, or junta, of Cuban generals.
are pushing their inquiries in the work
of verifying the Cuban army rolls. and
it IS now believed that the final list
will not include more than $4,000 names.
The lists will probably be ready before
the arrival of Major Francis s. Dodge.
of the pay department. who will disburse
the $4,000
La Lucha publishes a telegram from
Sancti Spiritus describing the conditions
there as most deplorable The CORE
Spendent says the citizens can let neither
food nor work and that thousands are
applying daily for assistance to the
municipal authorities. la Lucha sug-
gests cleaning and paving the streets of
Sancti SpirituS as one way of providing
employment. La Lucha publishes n dis-
patch from Holguin, Province of Santia-
go, reporting that bandits yesterday at
tackled the villages of Saro, huiia.
Peregrinia, Canelon and Sama. all in the
northern part of the Province. AMI that
another party of fifteen attacked san
Andres, about % miles northwest of
Holguin. The outlaws robbed the
houses at each place, securing groceries
and clothing
The dispatch says that The Cuban gem
eral, Salazar with Z men pursued rae
bandits and overlook them in ,he Niialu
mountains, where hot fight enSucl
The robbers We're eventually driven from
behind the rocks and retreated, leaving
one dead. a negro, four horses anu so>-
eral bundles of plumber.
General Wood. military Governor of
Santiago Department wires the Cover
nor General that the planters in the
neighborhOod of Holguin hay.' been con-
niving ut the operations Of he bandits
in order that American troops night lie
stationed on the plantations. General
Wood says that the reports of outrage
are exaggerated.
Advices from Santa Clara show that
the province is far behind Santiago or
Puerto Principe in the matter of ad-
ministrative reforms. Every old Span
ish office is still in existence. The Gu
ban civil Governor, Jose Maria Gomez,
is seemingly allowed independent sway.
irrespective of the army. He wears Il
gorgeous uniform and spends his time
in showing it i'll public places. Gomez
has had. quarrels with the mayors of
several cities over the matter of appoint
ments to the rural and civil guards. the
mayors insisting that they should be
permitted to make appointments to the
civil guards. Sancti Spiritus is proba-
bly, the worst managed city of its size
in the world. With population of less
than 10000, six thousand of the inhabi-
tants are receiving government rations.