New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-05-20
A NEW RULE FOR CUBA.
CONGRESS MAY TAKE A HAND IN GOV
ERNING THE ISLAND.
POSTAL FRAUDS GIVE RISE TO DESIRE
FOR INFORMATION REGARDING THE
ISLANDS ADMINISTRATIONS.
[Bv TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.


some manner. Senator Bacon will probably be
| surprised at their Willingness to adopt his reso-
luton. broadened and made more specific in its
! terms A Republican leader in the Senate said
! this afternoon that with the Philippines placed
| under the government of the Taft Commission,
and with civil government provided for Porto
! Rico it will be difficult to continue the anom-
! alous status of Cuba purely under military
| power without supervision and without re-
straint. He thought the time had come for in
PRODUCING new element in the Cuban admin
| istration, and this should be the oversight OF
| Congress through its committees.
The idea is that while the Bacon resolution
| provides for an investigation by Congress. the
! committee shall also be medium or Keeping
| the Senate more in touch with Cuban affairs. 1t
| is not expected that those Senators who may be
designated will go to Havana in the dangerous
midsummer season They will hold their ses
! sions in Washington or elsewhere that may be
convenient and will send for persons and papers.
! However, less Importance is given to invest1ga-
ton into past affairs than TO future administra-
! ton.
| Members of the Senate committee who visited
| Cuba a few weeks ago had some inkling of the
| conflict of authority between Mr.. Rathbone and
| General Wood, though they had no suspicion OF
| anything wrong. They also got an mixing OF
| the absolute independence which everybody IN
| executive departments in Washington. If the
disclosure of the postoffice frauds had not come,
| possiblv they would have thought little of the
| matter; but now that the abuses have been lald
| bare there is a feeling that the administrator
in Cuba. whether civil or military, should not be
| left TO assume that there is no responsibility
| DESIRE FOR FULL INFORMATION.
| It is the belief in official circles that General
| Wood is correct in the private advices he mas
sent that the worst is known so far as the post
office frauds are concerned. and that there is no
| probability of corruption being disclosed In the
! other branches of the Government. though par
tisan zeal may exaggerate and insinuate. Inc
sentiment. however. among the Senators who
! are giving thought to the subject is that every
! phase of the American administration should
have the light turned on IL There have been
! charges and C csrlntercharges of favOritism and
| extravaganza in sanitation and in the pubic
! works Some of these charges undoubtedly
come from disappointed contractors but so
| much has been insinuated regarding extrava-
gance in the paving contracts that these will
probably be investigated.
| washington officials who have been in Ha-
vana and other towns say that much or the
alleged extravaganza due to the necessity
of the emergency measures for sanitation. and
since then the need of keeping the streets
clean by extraordinary measures Both the
Spaniards and the Cubans have testified TO the
efficiency of the sanitation. and the general YER
dict has been that II is the best feature or the
American control
ing Department viii be also changed. Nominal
". it is under the control of the GOvernor-Gen-
eraI. but actually it has been as independent
some of the bureaus in the War Department
at Washington of the Secretary or war.
| While the estimates made by the Engineering
| officers had 10 have the approval of the Gov
ernor-Ceneral. they were usually presented in
such form and with such urgency that it
almost impossible TO disallOw them or to revise
| them. Bureaucracy has been rampant in
! o-l,fv hNTn ar0FNv
cal and mental impossi bility for either General
Brooke or General Wood TO give persona! atten-
ton all the details of public works and OF the
acquisitions of the Engineering officers.
RESULTS OF INVESTIGATION.
There is no possibility. in the views of those
who know the situation, that investigation
| by Congress will disclose anything wrong in the
collection Of revenues. War Department off,
Gals point our th2t so long as Oolonel b!!SS 10
! in charge Of the customs revenues they Will De
! economically and honestly collected, but when
il comes to disbursements these are scattered
over a wide field and the responsibility IS OIL
vided, while the usual checks on leaks and eX-
traVaganCes are wanting. The Government rail-
way, over which a fuss has been made, is not
likely TO become an issue, but the Quartermas-
ter-GeneraPs Department has been anxious from
he beginning 10 be freed from the responsibility
for it The project was conceived by Colonel +.
| J. Hecker when he was in Cuba as the repre-
sentative of Secretary Alger. The Regular
Army officers and the members of the Evacua-
ton Commission were not strongly impressed
with its necessity, in spite of the yellow fever
infection. II was understood at the tlrne
that General humphrey demonstrated strenu-
Ously against the Government building the
| road. However, il did not cost anything like
$1,000 600, a alleged. The maximum Of $780,
600 as given by Colonel Hecker. exclusive Of
the right of way, is correct The route was
built under military power without first getting
the right OF way from the individual owners.
Afterward there a question of disputed
ownership and some doubt arose as TO who
were entitled TO compensation The last heard
of the matter il was in the hands of the lawyers.
but representatives of the railways owned by
private corporations were trying 10 acquire the
land. Their purpose was TO be in position TO
get this military road at a bargain when the
United States Government ceased 10 have need
been compensated for building the road out Of
the Insular Treasury, apparently it belongs
the future government OF Cuba The railway
corporations hope to acquire it for 100000.
CRITICISM OF GOVERNMENT
An official whose duties have taken him TO
Cuba and Porto Rico discussing the develop
ments in Cuba. said:
What they need there is for Senator Allison and
each year as a Joint Appropriation Committee
reason for H. AS II now Is, there is no publicity
and discussion of these purposes for which the
item, and no one in authority explains that they
along with less For instance, in the
public improvements there is no scrutiny such as
is given the River and Harbor bill in Congress II
but its absence hardly compensates for the lack OF
restraining influences. II they knew that here
be scrutnized by committee of Congress vent
ure that those engineering officers will find that
plish the work which is necessary.
Another phase of our administration is not a
for business chances There Is nothing wrong
in This IN ltseif and some OF mem h % countess nave
with supplied by their friends. Every
| BODY seems to have a lot Of people home who
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