The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-10

| Al audience of fully l.0Oo persons ns- l tened to the lecture on The United i States in Peace and War in Cuba, de- | iiyered by General Fitzhugh Lee at the Auditorium last night. The lecture was under the direction of Camp Lonax, Uni ! ted Confederate Veterans of Montgom- i cry, and many persons from cities ad1a- cent to Montgomery came here to hear the address of the distinguished soldier, statesman and scholar. General Lee spent all of yesterday in Montgomery and was paid considerable atte ntion by veterans In the afternoon he visited the State Capitol and mani fested much interest in relics. pictures and other articles sacred In Confederate history.
 The distinguished Virginia war accom- panied to Montgomery Tuesday night by Mrs. Lee and their daughter. Miss Lee who went on to New Orleans yesterday morning. General Lee will go t1 Macon: Macon tonight. after which be will join Mrs. Lee and Miss Lee in New Orleans.
 The auditorium was appropriately dec orated last night with flags and bunt- ing and potted plants were tastefully ar ranged about the stage on which sat rep resentatives of the several Chapters Uni .tcd Daughters of the Confectionery of
 
 Camps of Confederate Veterans.
 Courtney's orchestra discoursed South ern airs before the speaking began. and Dixie was heartily cheered by the big audience.
 Tho Assembly was called to order few
 minutes after s o'clock by General John W. A. Sanford. He called attention to tho contrast between April 9, ls6o an1 Confederacv in "variegated wretched- ness he said, marched up to Appomat- tox and laid down their arms Now, thirty-seven years afterwards. in the Cradle of the Confederacv. on the thtrty- seventh anniversary of that day of sor- row he gazed upon the same veterans. their wives. sons and daughters gathered with radiant faces happy to near an ad; stsss stssss oi in 'f@srs Pesce and I War War in Cuba. transaction in which he bore so conspic- uous a part.
 General Sanford was cheered and Gen l eral George P. Harrison of Opelika. Commanderr of the Alabama Division DIV s ward to introduce General Lee. Ladies. Comrades and nd, countrymen. midst this evening distinguished gen 1 tleman-a Southerner who bears an illus ] trions name aud who has himself helped to distinguish that name.
 i General Harrison then briefly reviewed ! the career of General Lee as young of. ficer in the regular army. commissioned bv his native State, Virginia. as Lieu ter.nt Colonel of Cavalry in the con, nt l Virginia. sent by President Cleveland as Consul General to Cuba and finally com missioned hy President Mckinley Ma ! jor General of Volunteers for the Span ish-American war.
 General Harrison said the whole nation i dnlishted to honor General Lee because of his splendid achievements. but the Southern people loved him best because | ho 10
 | When General Lee advanced to the
 front of the stage he was greeted with
 tremendous applause which did not sub side for full minute. He spoke with
 out notes and in a strong clear voice. No l attempt was made at elouuence. In fact
 General Lee said he preferred to treat his subject without rhetorical display He consumed one hour and forty minutes
 and he was given the closest attention.
 his remarks being frequently applauded. The first thirty minutes of the lecture l was devoted mainly to comparative dis, | cussion of the wars of the United States
 and the extraordinary growth and pros | perity of the country Notwithstanding the remarkable strides made by the t'ni-
 ted States General Lee said that Spain. | in the fifteenth century. was the same
 Spain as in the nineteenth century. Near lv every foot of ground discovered by Christopher Columbus for Spain had been
 lost hv that country
 | Coming down to discussion of Cuba. | General Lee spoke of its richness of soil hnd it's advantageous geographical loca-
 ton. Because of it's strategic position 1t
 had been a constant menace to the Uni
 ted States in case of war with foreign | power. The day was coming. he said.
 when tho early fruit and vegetable crops | of Florida would be mcnaccd by the
 abundance of fruits and vegetables which
 would be supplied to the world by Cuba,
 where fruits and vegetables grow
 throughout the wear. As soon as Cuba
 gets stable form ot government he
 said it would become Amoricanizcd fast ! CT than Texas. He heartily endorsed the 1 views nf President Roosevelt on the Cu-
 ban tariff question and said he believed
 this country was going tn give Cuba a
 stable govcEnment with certain beneficial
 restrictions.
 General Lee was at his best and per
 haps afforded more entertainment in
 speaking of his official duties in Cuba
 and nersonal "reminiscences of his stay in Havana.
 He said President Cleveland asked him | to go to Cuba and see if the United
 States could afford to recognize the bel ligcrent rights of the Cuhans in their war | with Spain Three weeks after he got
 there ho said he reported to the President that it was plainly the duty of the United
 States to interfere and stop the war: tha.
 unless this was done it would go on indef-
 nitely and that women and children were
 suffering. He said he told President | Cleveland in this report that if the United | States was involved in T war with Spain
 it would not last four months and that
 it was the only solution of the situation,
 President Clevelan nd. h. said. was a con
 SerVatiVc man. He did not want to dis | turb values and excite the people. General | Lee declared that it the war had been l fought at that time under his suggestion
 there was no telling what might have
 been tho political situation in the United States today.
 l Then General Lee related incidents of | his stay in Havana as United States Con- | sul General. He said Captain General 1 Wcylcr was not altogether bad as he had been painted, although indicating that this was Il very charitable statement. | Weylcr. hc said. liked him General Leel l because he was firm with him. Gomez G neral Lee described as perfectly incor. rupubio. courageous nut l@ckns in the ! Knowledge of warfare. Hc said Weyler l would frequently leave U4Ninl and 2 | out looking for Gomez. General Lee did
 not believe that Weyer really wanted tc md Gomez or that Gomez wanted to he found by Wcyler. He declared that he
 could not forgive Weyler for his famous | "reconcentrddn ord2r" hy which old ncn
 women and children were forced to leave | thrir country places and collect in tht l cities and towns there to StaTve to dca tn | Statistics he said prepared by American 1 ConsulS showed that Fn,000 persons had actually died of starvation on account oi | this order and General Lee gave graphic 1 description of scenes of hunger and nis' l cry which he himself witnessed al Ma
 tanzas.
 General Lee led up to the outbreak ol ! the war
 Then that great President whose big heart now lies stilled at Canton, Ohio, l.. lN