Omaha daily bee., 1899-05-17
GOMEZ IS DlSCUSTED
Cuban Leader is Sick and Tired of the
Wrangltug of the Generals
WILL ISSUE MANIFESTO IN A FEW DAYS
Says that Three Million Dollars Has Only
Proven Curse to Him,
WISHES He HA0 NEVER SEEN THs MONEY
AgitatOrs Hold Meeting and Say Harsh
Things About Americans,
WISHES He HA0 NEVER SEEN The MONEY
ARMY URGED NOT TO SURRENDER ARMS
Feeling Among, the Cuban Soldiers
aud Their supporters is ugiy aud
There Appears to lie DAM
ger OF Trouble.

| ger OF Trouble.
! Copyright, 1899 by Press Publishing Cos
! HAVANA, May 16.--(New York World Ca
! blegram-Special Telegram For the first
! time since the trouble over the distribution
of the $S00O000 to the Cuban army or at
( least since the agitators have tried to down
! General Gomez, he has spoken for publica-
tion. This time it was through Miss Frances
| Drake, who called on him at the Quinta de
Los Molnos. Through his aide de-camp,
! Colonel Ccspedes, who acted as interpreter
! General Gomez said.
Il have decided to issue a manifesto to
! the people in three or four days. l have
| had several talks with General Brooke. !
mean right he means right. have a
! great many enemies, | know, but l will
stand for the right of my people.
| And now about that money lying in the
| harbor on the government boat Burnside,
! which is costing the United States much
money to hold here. To be frank, | will
| tell you what that 49, 900 600 has done. First
of all, it has been a curse to me. Three is
supposed to be lucky number because it
stands for the Trinity, Father, Son and
| Holy Ghost. To me 1t is like Il deathknell.
! 1t is like the three nails on the cross of our
| Savior. Every one Of those millions means
a nail for me. 1t is the three nails that
will cruelty me. l wish ! had never seen
or heard of the money. 1t is very bad"
| At Cerro meeting of the agitators was
! held to discuss kilograms and letters from
| friends in Santiago. These messages bade
all patriots" in Havana and the west end
of the island to stand fast and not surrender
their arms to the Americans General La
Cret presided at the meeting, and among
those in attendance were Sanguilly, Andradd
| Vidal and Juan Gomez.
| Gomez's Manifesto.
HAVANA, May 16.-The manifesto which
| General Maxine Gomez is preparing to issue
! will not only review his own position Ia
| the payment of the Cuban army, but proba-
bly, will direct the forces to disband. Fol-
lowing it's publication. Governor General
! Brooke will issue modified order el!mi-
| mating the necessity for the participation
OF any Cuban commissioner in the di9trhu-
tion of the SO, 900 600. The governor general
regards Gomez as having acted sincerely
throughout and believes that his withdrawal
from the question of distribution to an atti-
tude OF friendly inactivity has been
forced upon him by the desertion OF those
generals upon whom he had relied.
Members of the late Cuban military
sembly and other dscontented persons be-
longing TO the revolutionary club, styled
the Veterans association. met at Cerro last
night and INDUCED in prolonged debate on
| the question of the Cuban troops surrender
ing their arms. one group was in favor OF
entrusting the arms to the brigade chiefs of
! Cuban municipalities. Another group was
opposed altogether to surrendering the arms,
saying it might be necessary to use them
against American pretensions" The meet
ing vas presided over by General jose Lacret
and was attended by sangullly, Andrade,
! Vidal and Juan Gomez. kilograms from all
| the provinces were read opposing giving up
the arms. The so-called weakness of Gen
eral Maxine Gomez was contrasted with
Agunados patriotic courage" No decision
was reached. During the meeting Colonel
! Miyores proposed to send the following
| telegram to Santiago: General discomfort.
| We refuse to surrender arms. Opinion
/ unanimous"
Message is Modified.
! General Audrade declined to agree to the
! suggestion, saying it would not be advisable
| to make such a display of feeling. Instead
, of the dispatch proposed by Mlyores the fol-
lowing was sent: Reunited Decided to
agree to muster out on the basis Cf the de-
( cree Of former assembly. Announced that
| Brooke will modify his decree. Await to see
| If satisfactory. Concert with you in final
| proceedings"
The voting on this dispatch was 50 in
| favor against 90 opposed.
Such meetnEs the one just held at
| CerrO would be regarded in a less infam-
matory community ominous. and outside
observers might think Cuba is on the verge
of insurrection. Public feeling in Havana Ia
! certainly excited, but those whose judg-
ment is worth most consider the agitation to
be superficial and to consist merely Of
phrasings which will never lead to an overt
act
Governor General Brooke Will go ahead as
! inotfensvely as possible in the distribution
Of the S3,G0O,000 appropriated for the Cuban
! troops. This cannot begin, however, until
next week. If the Cubans Wish to surrender
their arms to the municipalities all will be
well, The American authorities will raise
| no objection.
| Americans residing in Havana, especially
| these who have been here since the begin
ming Of the military occupation, look upon
the present anti-Amercan outburst as
! similar to the Garcia funeral incident and
| the excitement which followed the PROPOSE
! tion Cf demonstrations on January /. 1t is
| really very simple matter Just now Gem
eral Brooke iS considering the publication
OF an order designed to check untruthful
| and violent criticism Cf the military govern
! ment Should the order be issued II would
merely call attention, by reproducing them,
/ to the existing libel laws under the Spanish
| code which provide abundant methods OF
! discouraglng immoderate utterances, The
propriety of censoring explosive newspapers,
! suppreosng meetings and forciby disarm-
/ ing the Cubans has been considered but
! such policy has been laid aside definitely as
! being unwise and impoltic. There is no
! presslt purpose to use any repressive meas
urCs Everybody will be allowed to express
! his feelings in writing and talking
Position of Cubnns.
! A former member OF the military assembly
said today; "The Cubans have no desire for
| anything but peaceful adjustment immc-