The times., 1899-04-03
GENERAL WASHINGTON
NEWS AND GOSSIP.

Coming Spring Elections. - The
spring elections which viii take place this
week will be important as showing the
drift OF the political tide. Mayors VIII be
chosen today in Cincinnati, Cleveian', and
| Toledo. and other cities of the Buckeye
State. The people OF Michigan wall 30
vote today for Justice of the Supreme
Court and two regents of their State Uni
yersity. Chicago will elect mayor tomor-
row, and State ticket is to be voted for
in Rhode Island on the same day. The
voting in Rhode Island and Michigan is
! likely to be the most significant to the po,-
Iticans. In the various municipal contests
party lines have been pretty well onliter-
ated; local issues as a rule predominant,
and the results will net necessarily fore
shadow anything rs to the probable cut
come of the Presidential battle OF 900.
However, Senator Mark a. Hanna Las
quite good deal at stake in the Cleveland
! mayoralty fight. His bitter personal ene-
| my, McKisson. is running on tHe RepuD-
! lican ticket. and his election will lot in
crease Senator Haunas prospects fer con-
| trolling the coming Repub itan State Col-
vention in Ohio. which will nominate a
candidate for Governor and other impor-
/ tant State officers. The Indications po mt
| to Mckisson's defeat. The Democrats afe
I cinnati and Toledo. In Chicago the bstting
/ seems to be in favor Of the present mayor.
| Carter FL. Harrison, but it Will prCblb-y
! depend largely on the size OF the vote
/ polled by former Gov. John Peter Alt
| geld. who is running as an independent
! candidate against Harrison.
The Republicans. of course. expect to
| carry Michigan and Rhode Island, but il
/ there should be a striking falling OFF in
! I,,- -,x1,, Iss =. 4 kasI
omen of probable Democratic victory in
| the Presidential battle next year.
Tint Deal With the Cuban cas-
sembly.-C. NJ. Coen. Of New York. who
has been in Cuba for several weeks repre-
senting an American syndicate that has
been endeayoring to negotiate a Cuban
loan of s12. .0o0. GOO and upward under GER
tain conditions through the Cuban AS
! sembly. is in Washington.
| The syndicate has been called the Han
! ma syndicate. 1t is known that the Ohio
Senator is interested in it. Gen. James
S. Clarkson. Col. W. W. Dudley. and l.. 7.
Michener. former Attorney General Of In
| diana. are also understood to be connected
| with the project.
The syndicate is prepared. Mr.. Coen
| states. to turn over the millions required
forthwith after the conditions are complied
| with The syndicate proposes. it Is said,
| to advance about SIG. 400. eco and take in
| return $50 000. 900 of Cuban bonds bearing
| per ceat interest and running for twenty
| years. the principal and interest TO be paid
out of the future revenues of Cuba.
''Of course we expect to make money out
of the transaction" said Mr.. Coen, but
the syndicate will be running some risk
The United States bonds sold at one time
during the Civil War as low as IS cents
on the dollar. We offer the Cubans 81
cents on the dollar for their bonds before
their Government has been actually estab-
| lished, which / think is very liberal.
Il was in Cuba long enough to size up
! the situation there very thoroughly. IL
seems TO be taken for granted in the
United States that the political situation
in Cuba can be settled by negotiations
through General Gomez. This, in my judg-
| ment. is erroneous.
Gomez was placed in his position by
the Cuban Assembly, body OF gen.
tlemen consisting OF planters, lawyers,
professional men, civilians, and few
army officers: these men, as body, are OF
superior intellect. well educated and a
great many of them are property holders.
1.-The Cuban Assembly came into exist
ence by the acts of Marti and his associ-
ates who inaugurated the revolution
against Spain four years ago; at that time
! it was seif-imposed and constituted body.
and as the numbers increased was merged
into a revolutionary government, with a
President and Cabinet and executive OIL
GERS. This Gevefnment has continued un-
Til the present time.
THE Assembly represents the army. 1t
don't claim 10 represent the people.
The members. desire now to carry out
some little affairs pertaining solely to the
army the main one of which is TO issue
$50, ,oG0 900 in, bonds to enable them to
give their men, whom they have induced to
take up arms against Spain, $500 or Si00
apiece so that they can return to their
homes, buy, a mule some working tools,
cooking utensils. and build their little
huts, and commence life anew; after this
is done they are willing to leave every
thing to the United States, also to have
vote of the entire people. They do not
feel like being put down like lot of
uneducated Indians, and not even per-
mitted to speak to or assist their fellow
men who fought against Spain. There is
little suffering in the Cuban army proper.
in fact there never was any to speak of in
the army; they were short of rations. it is
true. at times: were our boys in front
of Santiago.
Mr. Coen believes that a mistake was
made by Mir. Mckinley in attempting to
enter into negotiations with Gomez instead
OF the CUBAN Assembly. lie Sdll on tnls
point:
The President was misled He acted
on the best information he had at the
time. and is not to blame in the least. He
has unintentionally set up a dictatorship
The policy that General Brooke is prac-
ticing is to offer rewards in the way OF
salaries and positions TO certain parties OF
the Assembly with a hope of weakening
them. This is done in such way that il
is fully understood by them as n bribe tC
be disloyal to the trust their people have
imposed upon them.
MIR. Coen added in the most positive
terms that General Corners popularity il
} Cuba was due almost exclusively. in his
opinion. to the impression which was
abroad that he was backed by the United
States Government.
Undoubtedly" Mr. Coen added, "Cubi
United States, but | believe that it can bC
; brought about much more quickly and with
less friction if the Administration deal!
directly with the Cuban Assembly"
| Two Armies Contrasted.
ttfon the Chicago Post.)
The difference between the Spanish and th
; American methods Of conducting campaign mus
now be- apparent even to the most unubservant
1t would have taken Spain from two to four year
to reach the point where General Otis now ha
I his lines in the Philippines. Because OF thes