The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-06-22
THE FINANCES OF CUBA.
senator o. III. Plat Finds the Task
of Investigation Hard.

finances OF CUBA Senator o. h P-att,
Chairman of the Committee on Relations
with Cuba. said last night:
Il have been in consultation with the
War Department with view TO obtaining
at the earliest possible moment a detail ed
statement Of receipts and expenditures in
the island of Cuba, from its occupation to
April 30. 1900; such detailed statement be-
ing necessary to any thorough and inteIli-
sent investigation. as required by the Sen
ate resolution directing the same.
The War Department. in connection
with the Treasury and Postoflee Depart
ments. is busily engaged in preparing such
statement IL Involves. OF course. a CON-
plete audit of all accounts for the island OF
Cuba, and new classification OF the same.
| The amount Of labor entailed on the War
Department by the call Of the committee
Tor such audited accounts can scarcely be
appreciated by those not familiar with tie
subject
Every effort is being made by the War
Department to furnish the Information re-
CURED within the shortest possible line.
A thorough investigation OF all the ex-
pendituTes in Cuba Is now being made IN
der the direction OF General Wood and a
corps OF expert accountants employed ty
and the results communicated 10 the Var
Department. and by IL to the committee
1t IS evident that until this is done tie
WORK of investigating by witnesses cannot
be begun"
The task which the committee is re-
quired t. perform is a hard and perpIex-
ing enc. a fact which is fully and keenly
realized by Chairman Plat and other Sena-
tors. who have bestowed much though.
Upon Inland have been trying to find out
where they had better begin. At its first
meeting. several weeks ago. the commit
Tee decided TO call en- the heads OF the
respective executive departments which
have had anything TO do with the admin
is;retion Of Cuban affairs-especiaily with
the receipts and disbursements Of Cuban
revenue5-for such reports. correspondence
ana other documentary information as was
necdful TO lay a foundation rGr an InteIli-
gent and thorough investigation.
Members of the committee quickly re-
allied that until placed in possession Of
such information il would be idle for them
TO attempt TO proceed with their task.
They would be cropping IL the dark. with
out 2 ciew 70 guide them and wasting .n5ir
energies ard time in running down rImo-s
and eXpiar-ng sensations which migh: be
found tSseI5ss at last What hey Chiefly
desired TO find out as necessary preliui-
nary 10 further enquiries was how much
brG-ches Of the Cuban service. for what
PURPOSES expended and 10 whom paid
Such a starting point was absolutely
necessary; whether all the expenditures
were necessary; whether the expenditures
he'd been eNtravag2Dt. as compared with the
value OF the materials furnished the serv-
ices rendered or the results obtained.
whether there had been wanton waste. or
peculation. or plain stealing. either on q
large or small scale, these were matters
that could be determined only by future
enquiries and sworn testimony.
For example the committee could not
decide whether the compensation OF $500 a
month 10 John Doe or OF 500 10 Rlchl 70
Roe was absUTfiy beyond the value OF his
services until Il was first known thlt ae
rece'sed such rate OF compensation and
what were the nature and value C.. said
services. Neither could the committee de-
eide whether an expenditure OF 5000 or
$4,000. or any other sum. on q plant for
The manufacture OF an alleged disinfectaut
was eXtravagGnt until 10 had Sscertaiued
whether such a sum had been expended
and what benefit had been derived from it.
These examples are referred 20 because
they are typical Of the many reports IN
circulation in Cuba as well as in Wash
ington the truth or falsity Of which car
be determined only by searching enquiry
based on ascertained facts. which rlust be
q matter OF oshrial record either il Cuba
or Washington. OF both.
The committee therefore seems 70
have been fully justified in first trying to
obtain those preliminary facts il Washing
ton. where all Of them ought to be matters
Of official record. II is known. moreover
that many Of these facts are OF record IN
the War Department. and ali OF them
would have been 50 IL the intent Of Con-
the President as expressed in his first or
der. in respect 10 the auditing OF the ac-
counts OF receiDtS and Disbursements OF
Cuban revenues. had been executed. It is
thought TO be exceedingly unfortunate that
that was not dOEe. II il had been the al
legged abuses and irregularities could not
have continued TO exist for any great
length OF time before they would have
been discovered and corrected. the country
would have been spared the Cuban scan
dels, and the Senate Committee would not
have been required TO perform a difficult
and disagreeabel duty in the heat OF mid
summer and of a Presidential campaign.
Whoever suggested Or devised tie
scheme or system of official accountable
y for receipts and disbursements OF Gu
Ian revenues which has been IL operation
for nearly eighteen months is chiefly re-
sponsible for the Cuban scandals That
is a plain statement OF fact which will
bear frequent REPETITION. however disa-
Greeablc II. may be
When the Secretary Of War sent 20 the
Senate on February Il last q partial reply
to the Senate resolution OF January II
calling for an uemized statement of re-
ceipts and disbursements. including sais-
ries and incidental expenses. he In
formed that body that the Military Gov
ernor had been directed to prepare TIE
detailed statement required, and as soon
IS received Il would be transmitted TO the
Senate. On May Is a supplementary re-
port was sent to the Senate, but il did
not give the details required. 1t is Tn
derstopd, however. that copies OF some
Of the salary lists have since been re-
ceived.
1t is not very easy to see why the
War Department has not before this fur
nisEed Chairman Plat and his committee
with some part of the Information called
for more than fortnight ago. The Sec
reta"v of War called on the Military Gov
ernO- Of Cuba for it more than five
months ago. and some Of IL was furnished
to the War Department many weeks ago
II the committee is to wait until all the
accounts of receipts and expenditures
down to the end OF April shall have been
audited. settled and reported TO Wash
ington before beginning to take testimo-
ny, the delay will be a long one The
accounts cover a period of sixteen months.
and some of them are believed to be in
so incomplete and imperfect a state that
II will take many months to put them ia
a presentable shape
DROWNING OF AN AERoNAUT.