The age-herald., 1899-01-03
CONTINUANCE OF
 CUBANS IN ARMS
Most PuzzIing Question of IS-
 land Administration.
NEGOTIATIONS FOR PAYMENT
Are to Be Conducted From Washington in Order to Relieve Gen. Brooke of the Dificulty-Troops Will
 Not Disband.

Havana January 2.-The continuance of the Cubans in arms is the most puzsling l question connected with the administra- 1 tion of the island. The negotiations for the payment of the soldiers are to be con- ducted from Washington, so as to relieve Major General Brooke of this difficulty For the present the Cuban commanders are holding their men closely together and un- der discipline.
 General Davis, military governor of the department of Pinar del Rio, has gone into the matter fully with General Marco Men ocal and other Cuban commanders. They say that they expect the United States to pay them and that they will not disband until they get an answer. The majority of military observers here seem to think that probably the easiest way out Is to make the payment taking a mortgage on the revenues of Cuba in the form of bonds. There are probably 35o00 men able to work, but now sponging on the country. If paid off on condition that their arms were surrendered they would have no excuse for not working. The United States mili- tary authorities do not look with favor upon the notion of forcible disarmament
 General Brooke received today the fol- lowing dispatch from General Simon Sny- der, military governor of the department of Santa Clara:
 Certain Cuban forces in the district of Casida, the port of Trinidad, have surren- dered their arms"
 There are twelve vessels in Havana har- bor today unloading, and the customs en- tries for the first day figure out about ba This is at the rate of $13 900 a year. the best Spanish record having been s90OO,OOO. Today's receipts are presumably heavier than they will be later.
 Major Kennan, of General Brooke's staff, while in the department of agriculture to- day, saw forty clerks doing nothing and told thirty-eight of them to go home until there was something for them to do. Gen. eral Bfooke and General Ludlow wish to use ailjthe available clerks in all the de- partments, but it will be difficult to distin- guish between the real workers and those who are on the payrolls by favor.
 A general house cleaning in all the public buildings is an immediate necessity.
 MaJor-General Ludlow spent eight hours In the saddle today inspecting his depart ment. He found Morro and Cabanas ten- antless except for a few caretakers Sen tries will be detailed there daily and both the fortresses will be thoroughly cleaned ana otherwise repaired, special attention pelng paid to the plumbing. On the Glacis between the two are encamped three bat teries of the second heavy artillery.
 One hundred and eight men of Battery B are encamped on the plaza fronting the palace and around the statue of Ferdinand VIII. They will act as palace guards. re- Hevfng the Tenth infantrymen, who are at Camp Quemados today resting
 Out of 5000 men, only thirty left yester- days parade The Third Nebraska regi- ment marched to camp today.
 Lieutenant-Colonel Louis M. Maus. chief surgeon, says that less than l per cent. of the Seventh army corps is on the sick list. and there is not single case of yellow fever. He thinks 1t would be unwise to send freshly recruited regulars here In the spring. It would be better to leave the volunteers. who will have learned how to take care of themselves. Lieutenant-Colo- nel Maus will equip a general hospital in the city for Americans only, so that they may have the best care
 Judge Advocate Dudley has taken the the courts are in recess.
 General Brooke has appointed Brgadier- General Ernest inspector-general of the dis trict of Cuba.
 The cabinet of secretaries in the autono- mist government rendered it's resignation on December 5.