The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1901-04-25
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Washington Letter.
Washington, April %, 1901

washington, April %, 1871.
Gen. Leonard Wood, military governor
OF Cuba, lost no time in calling at the
white house after he arrived in Washing
ton. He came ahead of the committee
from the Cuban constitutional convention
fer the express order of the president, who
wished to have talk with him before re-
| cefving the Cubans. The president will
hear what the Cubans have to say, pro-
vided they take the hint given them to
| boil down their statements, as time is
pushing, and this Is the presidents last
week in Washington for month and
| half, and he will say something to them,
which can be condensed into about this
| You have been offered fair conditions,
which cannot be changed in the slightest
particular; you are free to accept them
and have your own government, or to re-
ject them and have us continue to govern
You.
| Aguinaldo's proclamation, manifesto,
address, or whatever you choose to call
the paper he has signed and issued ac-
knowledging American sovereignty, and
calling upon all Filipinos to do the same,
! has not created much talk in Washing
ton. A notable feature of the comment
made upon it by prominent officials Is
that, instead of saying what they think
its.effect will be, they almost invariably
say General Macarthur Thinks" etc.
The fact of the matter is, the bigger fish
es prefer to wait and see what the effect
will be to attempting to prophesy. So
many predictions have been made about
things over there that fail to square with
results.
| For some years the cases of Americans
arrested in Mexico upon technical charges
have given the department of state con.
siderable work to do, as it is the invari-
able practice of this government to de-
mand that Americans so arrested shall be
given fair trial. Many of those arrested
have been employees of the Mexican Gen.
trail railway, as under Mexican law every
railway employe upon a train which, by
reason of accident, kills person is tech
nically guilty of murder. A paroled
American prisoner, recently In Washing
ton, said there were fifty odd Americans
in the jail at the City of Mexico awaiting
crias foI one thing or another, and that
they were poorly fed also that Ameri-
cans had been imprisoned underground,
in the salt mines, for four years. While
the opinion is expressed at the depart
ment of state that the above statement
was an exaggeration, both as to the num-
ber of Americans imprisoned in Mexico
and their treatment, 1t is admitted that
Americans are constantly being made the
victims of Mexican law, and that all this
trial for them. An official of the depart
ment of state said: "There is no Justice
in the law under which American railroad
employees are arrested in Mexico, but we
we ask the Mexican government to repeal
it. Even as it is, conditions have greatly
improved, for not long ago it was the
custom in Mexico to regard all Ameri-
registered at the American consulate.
This custom has been abolished, and, per-
haps, In the course of time, we may see a
new order of things regarding the treat
ment of railway employees. Undoubtedly
there have been numerous cases where
Americans have been thrown into jail and
kept there for an unreasonable time. Un-
doubtedly, too, the prisons have been
filthy and mean, and the prisoners made
to suffer undue hardships. All that we
can do, however, when a case Is called to
our attention, is to ask the Mexican gov
ernment to give the accused fair and
speedy trial, and we have done this in ev.
cry instance. The representations to the
Mexican government have been received
in good spirit, and in many cases have
been effective. Very frequently, where q
sentenced prisoner had not served a suf.
ficient time to entitle him to pardon un.
der the Mexican law, he has been given
his liberty in an informal manner, which
is more than could be done in this coun.
try" The same official called attention
to the fact that Mexico was constantly
complaining about arrests of Mexicans or
our side of the border, and our insisting
. upon their being tried under our laws
just as they do on their side.
Conditions in Cuba, as pictured by T
F. Moerlin Of Havana, who is now ir
Washington, are far from being rose col
ored. He said: Everything is getting
dull in Havana. The tourist season is
about over, and few Americans outside
the government service are left. The
( large hotels look like banquet halls dc
, serted. Then the political conditions are
!, so uncertain that all business Is dull
The sugar grinding will be finished by
, the unemployed. Idleness breeds discon
. tent, and fear there will be trouble bach
In the interior. Bandits are operating ir
several places, and are giving the rura
police something to do. One band was
: caught last week, and when their masks
were removed two of them proved to b,
rural policemen. The constitutional con
vention has refused to adopt the Plat
amendment, and that august body of Gu
: bans are now only drawing their $40 ,
4 day."
Q One Of the trees planted to-day, in tn
3 grounds of the department Of agriculture
during the official observance Of Arbo
day-a sturdy oak-was named jeremiah
Z M Rusk, In honor of the former secre
; tary of agriculture. Secretary Wilso
9 delivered an address strongly favoring