Arizona silver belt., 1900-05-24
CUBAN SCANDAL.
Republican Extravaganceand Fraud in the Island
 Government.
REGULATIONS MAY REACH $4O0,OOO.
The Expenditures of More Than Sl4,000. 000 in a Single Year. Many Trusted officials
 Implicated.

In the United States senate on tn,
 18th inst, senator Bacon, speaking or
 hls Cuban investigation resolution
 said: "There has been in Cuba tho
 most eXhorbitant and eXtravagant eX
 penditure of money. If we had be
 fore us only the naked fact that the
 receipts on the island during the single
 year were more than Sl6.000,000, and
 the expenditures more than S14,000,-
 600. we would be bound to investigate
 the subject to see that this vast sum
 had been properly and prudently
 handled {"
 MT. Bacon presented statement
 showing the receipts and expenditures
 of the various states, including Geor-
 gia, iSSOuri and Massachusetts. They
 were in every instance less than those
 of Cuba.
 ''These expenditures in Cuba" said
 MT. Bacon, "are so much larger in pro-
 portion than those of many states that even if there were no rumors of extray- agance and fraud and corruption in connection with Cuban affairs. they
 would call in trumpet tones for an in-
 vestigation. We have had all sorts of accusations in the press of the country, and finally there have been admissions of irregulartie in the financial affairs of the island.
 Mir. Bacon discussed al length the allowances made to various officers in Cuba by direction of Secretary Alger. He inquired why such allowances were not made to Gen. Wilson and Gen. Lee He read the order of Gen. Alger mak in. an allowance of S7 300 per year, in addition to his salary, to Gov.Gen. Brooke.
 "Whatis there, "Mr Bacon inquired, lin the office of the Governor-General of Cuba which requires him to eXer- else functions of greater dignity than a general commanding an army III the field: What obligation was there on this government to place him in a po- sition or yice-regal authority? What obligation was there on the govern ment that any one who claimed to have an official dignity in Cuba should be the guest of this man?"
 MT. Bacon declared that one of the prominent officials in Cuba had used the Cuban funds with which to pur- chase personal apparel. He further as serted that there were well founded ru mors that there had been the most eXtrayagant expenditure of Cuban funds for fitting up luxurious quarters for officers and furnishing these officers horses, carriages and liveried servants. 1
 ''Still further. " said he. within the past week, the fact has been disclosed, i q fact that brings the blush of shame | to the cheek of every American citi zen, that trusted officials in Cuba have | large amounts belong ing to the people of Cuba. Nobody | knows how large these amounts are. | At first it was stated that they were | s30000. Next it was said they would | amount to S15,000, and now it is inti- | mated the amounts may aggregate | s400,000. At first one man only was | involved in the difficulty. Now there ! are many so many that it is intlmated | may amount to conspiracy"
 MT. Bacon then read the order un- der which Maj. Rathbone wass acting | IS Director of Posts of Cuba, and said | the power conferred upon him by that | Irder was so great that it had resulted in a disgraceiul and mortifying cOndi- | tion of affairs.
 Mr. Bacon continuing, said the ques- | tiOn now presented was, should con | sress sit still, in the face of these gross | violations of public trust. or should it | IHNtoOiedJt ib " oiit DoOtDbi. Ilt ui- ! lerstood that the majority of the Com | mittee on Relations with Cuba did not | desire an investigation of Cuban af- | fairs by congress, because senators were startled at the magnitude of the | work. and were afraid it might take | the balance of the year. If these sen ltors were not willing to undertake the work, he MT. Bacon knew of sen ators who were.
 Mir. Bacon maintained that the United States government was not in Cuba by authority of law, and as serted that if money had been spent | that was not necessary to be expended n the pacilcation of the island, it had been expended illegally. In the Philip pines and in Porto Rico we had excr- ;ised the war power because they were territory, but Cuba was not conquered territory.
 When, he asked, shall we carry nut onr pledge and leave the island to ts own inhabitants?''
 In conclusion. Mir. Ba, on pointed out hat no nation ever had better op- ortunity to set itself on high plane h the administration of affairs than