The Tucson citizen., 1902-06-25


duced in Congress calling upon the
War Department for an itemized
statement OF all the expenditures made
by General Wood while governor OF
Cuba
Probably Congress has the right to
demand an accounting hy General
Wood OF his stewardship while admin
lstering the affairs OF the island.
There ought not to he any partisan
feeling. however. about matter
which involves the good name Of the
nation General Wood held posi-
ton of great responsibility, lie was
confronted BY many delicate problems,
II was OF the highest importance that
peace should be preserved in Cuoa
while the people were under American
tutelage and being prepared for indie
pendence aud self government. That
there was not more friction between
and that the period OF reconstruction
was not marked by violent outbreaks
is evidence that the military and civil
administration OF the island was char
acterized by tact and judgment on the
part Of the American officials II Is
OF comparatively little importance
now whether Cuban acquiescence IN
American rtlle was Obtained by liberal
treatment in a financial way OF the
leaders OF the revolutionary movement
against Spain Peyhaps they may
have been dealt With in generous
spirit Diplomacy is not oyerscrapa-
Ions n such cases
One of the alterations is that Geu-
eral Maxine Gomez. jAe commander oi
the Cuban revolutionary forces was
made handsome allowances from the
public funds In this connection it
should not be lost sight of that it was
Cuban and not American funds that
were used and il was the affairs of
Cuba. as guardian that General
Wood was administering.
According to the report. one of the
Cuban factions was disposed to make
trouble An outbreak at that time
would have been both embarrass ng
and costly 1t might have led up TO
such another complication as we have
on our hands In the Philippines. So
Come whose followers largely of tae
preparing to revolt against American
rule was paid So 600 to hold them in
check II the United States govern
ment prevented an incipent revolution
by the judicious expenditure OF $4,000.
il made good bargain from a business
point of view To have hunted down
several thousand Cuban bushwhackers
would have proved an expensive un~
dertakjng Spain kept an army OF
2os 300 men on the island and spent
many millions of dollars in an unsuc-
cessfui attempt 10 exterminate The
guerillas fighting for Cuban indepen-
dence. No doubt American soldiers
would have conquered the bushwhack-
ers in time. but 1t would not have been
easy work. and the cost OF military
operations would have been mu,h
greater than the sum alleged to have
been paid to the Cuban leader to keep
his followers quiet
The history of the American admin
istration OF Cuba during the recol-
structon period is yet to he written,
Possibly a free hand was given dplo-
matists in the army OF occupation in
! dealing with ambitious revolutionists.
II is cause for national congratuiatiOn
/ that no serous collision with the tur-
bulent elements in the island occurred
while Cuba was under American con
! troll \ war with the Cubans would
have been a calamity in more ways
than one The world would have said
that a contest was forced on the Gu
bans in order to precipitate annexa-
ton. Americans are proud that their
pledges to the Cubans have been re-
deemed II, as is alleged, the Cuban
leaders were 'pacifed' by generous
treatment diplomatists viii justify the
transaction on the ground thai pac!ti-
cation with draft on the Cuban
treasury is preferable to pacfcatian
by force OF arms at the expense Of the
United States.
The archives of the War Department
may contain some intert sting docu-
ments relating to the American occu-
patton of Cuba But is it expedient al
this time to make these secrets publ !;
They relate largely to Cubans 1t is
not always wise for a government &C
take the world into its confidence.
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