The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-05-17
Brought to American Cheeks bv Ad-
ninistration There.
MANDATORY DUTY TO PERFORM
Every Dollar Of Cuban Revenue
Should Be Strictly Accounted For
aud Should Be Applied to the
People Of tho Isiand-EXtra
Allowance Made to Oh
ficers Condemned.

| the administration Oh allan III Oao ~
| agents of the United States occupied Tue
| attention of the Senate during the greater
| part of to-day's session.
Mr.. Bacon. Of Georgia, called up MS
| resolution directing the Committee on fe-
| Iations with Cuba to make an inVestisa-
| t,on Of the conduct of financial affairs OF
| the island, and addressed the Senate at
! length upon it. He maintained IL was eiie
| duty of Congress to make the lnVes'1sa
| ton called for by the resolution pecaose
| it was due the peopfe OF this country u
! know lust how affairs in the lslaha were
| being conducted; and since the disclosures
| of the past few days had been made Win
| respect to the Misrepresentation OF FUNDS IN
! the postal service, the obligation upon I
| Congress to make an Investigation was
| ioubly heavy.
He reviewed the situation as recenty
| presented in newspaper ana oiIlcla's
| ports from the island, ana urseu 'Liae '' !.-
! honor of the country depended upon us
| being able to clear away the fraud ana
| corruption which, it was charged, had
| been discovered.
| He maintained that the government OF
| the United States had no authority III
| Cuba and demanded to know now sooa
| II nroposed to redeem its pledge ana ieiEe
| the government of the island to It's lnndpi-
| tants. f
| 4 House bill repeating the provision OF
law allowing merchandise passing through
/ the United States, from any foreign couii-
| trv. to be transported free OF duty SO la
| as the Mexican free zone is cohce'ieo'
| was passed. u
| A resolution offered by Mr.. Lodge call
| ing upon the Secretary OF Tue iisas st,>.
| for ;nforna ton in regard to the influx OF
| Japanese laborers into the country. ana
| whether there has been any violation OF
| the contract labor law, was adopted.
| The Bacon resolution was then caued
| up.
| MANDATORY DUTY.
In speaking of the resolution, Mr..
! Bacon submitted the proposition tha'
| there could be no more mandatory duty
han rl,a that which rests upon the United
States: that every dollar collected IN
| cuba. should be applied to the people or
| C,ha The United States was a self
| constituted agent in Cuban affairs There
| were. he said. the still higher Obligations
| of national honor to investigate. fer-
haps at no time had any people con5u-
| tuted themselves the agent for trust
| snnl, as that we have imposed upon our
selves in Cuba In the degree OF honor
| with which this duty was performed
| would the country be adjuGged by the
| world?
II was. he said, q plain duty of Con-
gress to see to it that every dollar COL
lected in Cuba should be honestly hahu.sa ,,ts
| and rigidly accounted for; task 2'ln.
| cult, however, because Of the system OF
| absolutism in vogue in our adminlstra-
| ton in Cuba.
But he said, eve are not urged alone
| by the voice Of duty. The facts urge
| the investigation to Ibe made ihere
| has been in Cuba the most eXoroltahl
|
IF" he said, I'VE had before
us only the naked fact that the
receipts on the island during
single year were more than sl6,-
100000, and the expenditure more than
S1i,0ooO0O, we would be bound to inVesu-
| gate the subject to see that this vast
sum had been properly and prudently
! handled" /"
AT this point Mr.. Chandler, chairman
OF the Committee on Privileges ana
Elections, called up the resolution de-
claring that Mr.. Clark, of Montana, was
| not entitled to a seat in the Senate ana
asked that it be postponed until Saturday
| next AT / o'clock. in order that the COM
mittee may consider what action shall
| be taken.
The request was agreed to-
OFFICERS ALLOWANCES
MIR. Bacon discussed a pength the
allowances made to various officers In
Cuba by direction of the then Secretary
of War. General Alger. He inquired why
such allowances were not made TO Gen-
eral Wilson and General Lee. He read
the order OF General Aiger, making an
allowance of 5000 per year in ADDITION
to his salary. to General Brooke.
what is there" MIR. Bacon inquired,
sin the office of the Governor-Ce
of Cuba which requires him to exercise
functions of greater dignity than gen
eral commanding an army in the field;
to give him viceregal authority
Mr.. Bacon declared that one of the
prominent officials in Cuba had used the
/ Cuban funds with whca to purchase per-
/ sonal apparel, and that there were we'll
founded rumors that there mad been the
most extravagant expenditure OF Cuban
funds for fitting up luxurious quarters for
officers and furnishing these officers horses,
| carriages ard iiveried servants
| "Stili further said ne. within the past
week the fact has been disclosed-a fact
that brings the blush of shame to the cheek
of every American citizen-that trusted Off
cials in Cuba have misappropriated large
amounts belonging to the people OF Cuba.
/ Nobody knows low large these amounts
are. At first 1t was stated that they were
| $40 Geo: next it was said they would amount
TO s75ONo. and now it is intimated the
amounts may aggregate 100000. At first
one man only was involved in the diff
! cuIty Now there are many-So many
that it is tntimated it may amount to a
conspiracy"
THE EMBEzZLEIENT.
/ Mr.. Bacon taen referred directly to the
anesad embezzlement OF postal funds in
4 Cha and read thes order under which
l Major Rathbone was acting as director Of
thsS nnsts of Cuba. The power conferred
,,non f,ir, by that order was so great. said
air bacon, that 1t had resulted in dis
m graceful and mortlfylns condition OF at
M Interruptsng Mr.. Bacon. Mr. Hale. Of
4 araines asserted that the order creating