Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-29
GREAT GRAFT IN CUBA
Millions of Dollars LavishIy
Given Away.
PADDING OF ARMY ROLLS
Thousands More Paid Than Saw
Service.
DIVISION OF PUBLIC LAND
Proposed to Give It to the Army of
Liberation-Hope Only in
American Control.
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.

| BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and the Chicag
| Record Herald.
HAVANA, March 81, 1907.
| One Of the causes Of the unrest in Cuba
| and the demoraiza ton of the common peo-
pie is the manner in which they have been
debauched by gratuities since the war OF
| independence. From sixteen to eighteen
| thousand men have obtained employment
under the government, one-half of them
holding slnecures at large salaries that
were created for their Individual benefit
without regard to the public interest; and
at least seventy million dollars has been
distributed in cash theoretically as COM
pensation for the services and the sacri-
fees of those who took part in the war
against Spain. This generosity has en-
abled the more restless portion Of the COM
munity to live without labor, and 1t is natu-
rally difficult for them to settle down to
work. According to common rumor, the
larger part of this sum went into the pock-
cts or spectators and middlemen, and the
pay rolls were padded with the names Of
impoStors, SO that the men who actually
did the fighting got very little of it, and
are still clamorng for relief. Only the
other day committee of generals waited
emptory emphasis, demanded that he
should Immediately pay the veterans of the
war of liberation the money that is due
them.
Millions Paid by Cuba.
A certain lawyer here in Havana is sup
posed to know everything and to tell the
truth at all times. He is a good deal of a
cyhlc ana often speaks with a plainness
that Is painful. 1 was told that he could
piN
subject than anybody else and so | asked
him how much money had been paid out
IN gratuities since the occupation of Cuba
by the United States army in 1893
altogether ABOUT seventy million dol
lars, was his reply. In the first place, the
United States government paid three mil
non dollars cash to Maxine Gomez and
ms associates to keep them quiet during
the early days of the occupation. When
they discovered that we had no intention
of giving the island over to their tender
mercies after the evacuation by the Span
1ards, they began to threaten trouble and
we bribed them to behave under the pretext
Of assisting them to return to their homes
and to get a new start in life. We gave
S15 cash to every man whose name was on
any roll of the so-called Army of the Re-
public Liberation. A great many more
came than got the money A great many
who got the money never had anything to
do with the war and good many honest
men received nothing because they refused
a made
up the rolls
"One of the first things the Cuban gov
eminent did after the republic was set
its feet was to borrow s35,UOO000 to pay
these same troops. They have since bor-
rowed $l6.0000O0 more and have dis5ursed
100000 in cash out of the treasury. That
makes total of s5SOG0,000. AS soon as
this loan was placed with New York bank
ers at very heavy sacrifice the certificates
furnished the alleged veterans became mar
ketabe assets. Certain SPECTATORS from
the United States devised method by
which they were able to buy up nearly half
of them at prices all the way from II to 30
per cent of their face value, and in that
way a considerable portion of the money
found its way into the pockets of our en-
terprsing fellow-countrymen
Army Rolls Padded.
How many names were on the rolls?'
Between sixty-tive and seventy thou
sand. The list was made out by COM
mittee Of Cuban generals and was padded
numerically. Thousands Of men got in
several times under several names. Take.
for illustration, the name Of Jose Maria
Domingo, an enterprising colored insurgent.
Upon promising to divide with his captain
and his general he would go down Jose
Domingo, also as Maria Domingo. as Jose
Maria, and as Jose Maria Domingo and in
each case he and his captain and his gen.
eral could make oath that each of these
together about 12,oO0 actual living men
We're represented on the pay rolls of whom
about 1000 actually took part in the fight
ing and were entitled to the bounty. First
and last during the three years of the war
probably 10000 men We're engaged A few
of them during the whole period, H)st of
them for only few months. Probably
half of them were dead at the time the
pay rolls were made out, and good many
who returned to their cabins did not hear
of the scheme or claim the money at the
time, and are now demanding their share
But there were never more than 10 onO in
surgentS under arms at the same time
When old Maxine Gomez saw the pay roll
with its 65.O0O or 10000 names, he made a
loud protest. He declared that it would
ruin his reputation, because if he had had
half that many soldiers he would have
driven the Spaniards off the island.
ne dlstrlbutlon was not equal; the pay
ments ranged from $3.50 to $1,000 accord
Ing to the rank Of the claimants, and thew
We're delayed so long that a large number
lost faith or became hard uD and were
willing to sell out their certificates. on the
theory mat bird in the hand is worth
two in the BUSH III
1T is estimated that it will take at least
S1o,GO0,COO more to settle unpaid CLAWS
growing out of this scheme, and Gen. Pedro
generals are now insisting that the provis
lonal government pay them out of the treas
ury.
Palma's Phantom Army.
Another similar graft which is now 60
Ing on" continued my lawyer friend. "is tho
fragment of a phantom army which is al
legged to have been organized under the or
ders OF President Palma in the different
provinces during the revolution last sum.
ner. Each provisional governor was an
thorized to enlist, organize, arm and eouip
local force and although this militia took
no part In the revolution and saw no active
service whatever, the politicians are now
presenting muster rolls which contain the
names of half the adult male popuIation
of Cuba and demanding $3.50 a day for
each man for a period of three months.
Very few of the militia companies were or
ganiZed, only three or four were ever armed
or uniformed but since it was proposed to
pay them their number has swollen to the
size of the hosts of Pharaoh, and it will
take at least 100000 to pay the claims
that have already been filed. The muster
rolls were not made up until liter the revo-
luton was all over; then the politicians
seeming graft, put down the names of all
of their constituents who would agree to
support them or give them a percentage
Now come the horse claims. During his
efforts to mollify the insurgents Secretary
TIA n. ncenSad horse STEALING II fc