The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 9, 1896, Page 1

VOLUME LXXXL_NO. 9. SAN FRANCISC 0, WEDNESDA TOTAKE POSSESSION OF CUBA Such Action Will Be Urged - in the Senate by Mills. 'HIS JOINT RESOLUTION IS PREPARED. It Directs the President to Hold the Island Until the Patriots Are Freed. REJOICING AT MACEO’S DEATH. But the Report of the Lieutenant Is Not Fully Verified, and the Insurgents Decl HAVANA OVER Killing of Gomezs Chief Voi, LXXXIII —No. 2151 Copyright, 18%, by ARkeLL Weskry Co. No. 110 Fifth Avenoe All Keghis Reserved. are They Are in the Fight to Win. WASHINGTON, D. C., Dec. 8.—Sen- ator Milis of Texas will to-inorrow intro- duce the icllowing resolution 1n the nate: ‘Joint resolution directing the President ke military possession of ths island ba and hold it until its innabitants of C can ins tute such Government as they | | Maceo 1s really dead this time some of the | Cubans profess to believe that the finding | of the confession and the diary was due | to a trick of the insurgents to delude the { Spanish into the belief that Maceo was killed while he pursues his plan of reach- ing Gomez. | Havana last night, but the censor would not permit of its being cabled until this may w sh to organize and arm such forces | evening. as may be necessary to protect them st invasion; Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that the Presidgent of the United States is hereby directed to take possession of theisland of Cuba with the military and naval forces of the United States and hoid the same until the peopie of Cuba can effect a Gov- | ernment dJeriving its powers from the consent of the governed, and arm and equip such military and naval forces as may be necessary to securethem against fureign invasion,’”’ S EEJOICING AT HAVANA. Premature Mirth of Spaniards Maceo’s Alleged Deuth. MADRID, Sparx, Dec. 8.—The Havena correspondent of the Imparcial has senta | dispatch to that paper which has caused rejoicing among the people of this city, who take it for granted thatthe state- ments made are true. <The corre- ’ spondent claims that he has per- sonally made an investization of reports current in Havana to the effect that Antonio Maceo, second in command of the rebel army, and the son of Maximo Gomez, the rebel commander-in-chief, are dead and found the rumors to be true. Inofficial circles the reportisacceptea with Teserve. The correspondent briefly gives the de- tails of the defeat by a Spanish force of 2000 rebels near Punta Brava, about tweive miles west of Havana. The insur- gents’ loss is placed at forty killed. It has already been officially announced about six times that Antonio Maceo had been killed, and there had been rumors jinnumerable to tue same effect. Hereto- fore it has been the custom of the Spanish officials to announce the death of Maceo whenever he defeated the Spaniards,either in strategy or open battle. No recent re- ports have been received of the death of the Cuban leader,and it is conjectured that American correspondents in Havana, knowing the ways of the Spanish officials, bave placed so little credence in the report that they have not mentioned it in their dispatches. It is reported that Maceo has crossed the trocha and is proceeding west- ward to join the army of Gomez, and this | riay have caused the Spanish officials to circulate the report that he was dead. There was found among the dead rebels the body of a well-dressed man, on which | tlere were documents which led to the be- Jief that the dead man was the son of Maximo Gomez. Among the papers found was one on which, written with a lead-pencii, was the contession that the writer had commitied suicide rather than abandon the body of Antonio Maceo. The war diary of Maceo was also found. In it there is an entry which says the rebels crossed the trocha on December 4. It ix conciuded from these circumstauces that Maceo was killed in the engagement with Major Cirnjeda’s command. The news of his death has caused the greatest kind of a sensation in Havana. The loyal- ists are jubilant, believing thet with the killing of Maceo a blow has been struk at the rebellion that will result in its speedy suppression. The rebel sympathizers, though they feel very despondent over the loss of the rebel leader, a considerable nuniber of them place little reliance on the truth of the news. The Government officials vouchsafe no infermation as to how Maceo, with an ‘ erwhelmingly superior force operating ainst lrim, und supposed to be watching Spaniards, doubled on them, crossed the is movements, could have eluded the trocha at what has been supposed the | Newspapers strongest part of it, and reached the proy- ince of Havana without interference until he was close to Havana. Though the Spaniards are confident that i Over | Major Cirajeda is row in the city, and it | has been proposed to hold a great demon- | stration in his honor. Inthe cafes and all | other public places the Spanish residents are congratulating each other on what they believe to be a death blow to the re- bellion, and it 18 predicted that Captain- | General Weyler will now have an easy | task in defeating the insurgents under i Gomez and the minor leaders. For nearly | two years there has not bezen such joy in | Havana as there is now and the speedy | establishment of peace is confidently | looked for. It isthought that when Go- | mez learns of the death of his chief lieu- tenant he will be disposed to treat with | Weyler for a cessation of hostilities. There is some ground, nevertheless, for | the supposition that the report is not true. The officials here declare that while | they believe that both Maceo and Gomez’s son are dead they lack positive informa- | tion and are awaiting a confirmation of the report. This, however, has had no | effect upon the popular jubilation, and | Major Cirujeda is the hero of the hour. It | is also reported the rebel leader Valencia | was killed in 2 recent engugement. | The message of President Cleveland to { Congress, wherein e treats of the Cuban | question, has created a bad impression in | politicai circles and depresses the Bourse. | 1oGovernment circles greater silence is | maintained, none of the officials display- ing a willingness to discuss the subject at | any length, though some satisfaction is | expressed that the messa:e does not in | any way advocate the absolute indepen- dence of Cuba and does not support the proposal to recognize the 1insurgents as belligerents. | The opposition pupers are greatly irri- | tated by the threat of intervention on the | part of the United States, uniess Spain | speedily suppresses the rebeilion. They | declare that Spain is fully able to avert such action. — e — VICTORIES ON PAPER ONLY. Spanish Leaders Report Having Routed | the Insurgents. | HAVANA, Cupa, Der. 8.—Major Ciru- | junda, having received information that a [ force of rebels vad arrived in the vicinity | of Punta Brava, in the Havana province, started with his command in the airection the rebels were believed to bs. The i Spanish troops met the main body of in- surgents, 2000 strong, at San Pedro and engaged them in battle. The insurgents intrenched themselves behind stone fences and held the position untii nightfall, when they were dislodged and compelied to re- | tire. The Epaniards then returned to | Punta Brava. They lost in the fight three ! privates killed and three lieutenants and | eignt privates wounded. Over forty of the rebels were left dead upon the field, Reports received here state that General Figurva's command has had an engage- ment with the rebels at Rio Hondo, near | 8an Jose de Lajas, Havana province. The Spaniards came upon the outposts of | the rebels and immediately opened fire upon them. The fire was briskly re- turied and the eugagement lastea until 6 o'clock . M. The rebel outposts were captursd and the position occupied by their main body in vhe Morales Hills was then attacked. A cavalry charge by the Spaniards was repulsed, but the insur- gents were finally driven from the field, | leaving behind them over sixty of their number dead. It is believed that they | carried with them many wounded., The Spaniards lost a lisutenant-colonel and a private killed and one lientenant and twenty privates wounded. During the battle thirty-five cannon shots were fired by the rebels. T g INTERESTED IN CUBA, ALL Abroad Comment on the Message of the President. BERLIN, Germaxy, Dec. 8.—The Vos- sische Zeitung says in its comments on President Cleveland’s message to Congress The important news reached | we cannot always answer. streets dripping with the unspeakable. [Paicz, 10 Cexrs. $% 0ty post-office. Botered as second-ciass matter at the New York Referring to disreputable journalism Rev. William H. Faunce says: “There are two newspapers in this city whose very names are synonyms of degradation; whose very posters reek with moral poison; which exist by the systematic and purposed corruption of their readers. and brutality, and diurnal instigators of crime. every pure mother snatches them from her daughter’s hand. fattening on the weakness of human nature and resembling nothing so much as a garbage-cart dragged through’ the Yet they ask admission to our homes. : They have become purveyors of lust- Every father dreads to see them in the hands of his son, and They parade our streets simply for evil purposes, If asked what it is right to print, But we all know the difference between an enterprise fighting for purity and truth and one seeking to pollute the people.”—Leslie’s Weekly. that the documentdoes not justify either fears or expectations in regard to the Cuban insurrection. The policy of Presi- dent McKinley, the paper adds, will, how- ever, probably be different. The Cologne Gazette expresses hope that the proposals made by President Cleve- land will be approved by tne Spanish Government before a change in the United States administration shall take place, and adds that it is possible that the United States and Spain will reach an agreement which will pacify Cuba. The paper fur- ther says the President’s suggestions in no way tend to lessen Spain’s honor. TORONTO, Oxr., Dec. 8.—The Mail and Empire, reviewinz the President’s mes- sage, says:" “Throughout the Cuban para- graphs of the message are free from bun- combe or jingoism, and the interest of the United States in the struggle is not too strongly asserted. Judged by what he says on the subject of the revenue, Mr. Cleveland is not likely to give his sanction to the Dingley bill, if that measure of temporary reiief should go through Con- gress. From all appearances the session is likely to be a barren one.” The Globe says: *‘Perhaps the most sug- gestive as well as tne most prominent feature of Cleveland’s message to Congress is the reference to military strength and foreign relations. The peopls of the United States may question the divine right, but they faithfully believe in the divine power of Goveruments.” —_— EXERCISING ITS FUNCTIONS. Senor Palma Teils of the Gorerament Extablished by Insurgents. NEW YORK, N. Y., Dec. 8.—Senor Estrada Palma, delegate of the Cuban re- public in the United States, gave outa statemeat to-day regarding the reierence by President Cleveland to Cuba in his annual message to Congress. He thinks the message, generally speaking, is in a great measure very depressive to Spain as an indepenaent nation and supports the Cubans in their distrust of any promise whatsoever that the Spanish Government can make to them and pledges the guas- anty of the United States asa security for an ag:eement which Spain may enter upon with Cuba. “‘As to the inference contamed in the message that the Cuban Goverrment has now given up all attempt to exerc'se its functions, I shall,” says Senor Palma, ‘‘only mention the iact to prove the con- trary that immediately after the capiure oi Guaimaro by General Calixto Garcia, President Cisneros and his Cabinet pro- ceeded to the town and there issued ana enforced various decrees, some of which related to the treatment of prisoners and to further military operations, thus prov- ing that the Civil Government of the Re- public of Cuba commands the respect and obedience of -the military authorities. “itisidle taik,” he said, “to speak of autonomy to the Cuban people. Abso- lute independence of Spain is the aim of the Cubans.” SIS YELLOW FEVEKR EPIDEMIC. Frightful Mortality Amonqg the Spanish Soldirrs in Cuba. WASHINGTON, D. C., Dec. 8.—The monthly public bealth report, published by the United States Marine Hospital ser- vice, in its issue of to-day gives an appall- ing picture of the ravages of disease and plague in Cubs. According to the reports of the officers of the Marine Hospital ser- vice stationed at Havana and <other ports on the islands, yeliow fever is reported epidemic at various places. The sanitary inspector at Havana re- ports that during the week ending No- vember 26 there were in that city 220 new cases of yellow fever and eighty-seven deaths, while the number of deaths from smallpox was fifty-four. Of the eighty- seven deaths from yellow fever, eighty- -three were among Spanish soldiers in' the bospitals, All the smalipox deaths oc- curred among civilians. The 1nspectdr at Santiago reports that yellow fever prevails amons the troops, and as a new contingent of 20,000 recruits was shortly to arrive a fresh outbreak of the fever will be feared. It is also an- nounced that in the eight military hos- pifals in and around Havana there are no less than 10,000 sick and wounded Spanish soldiers. Official reports of the Spanish army sanitary authorities concede that during one period of twenty days there were admitted to the military hospitals 1835 cases of yellow fever, and that during the same period there were 497 deaths from the same disease. These official. figures will give an approximate.idea of the frightful mortality from yeliow fever among the Spanish soldiers. Teath of Ernest Engel. BERLIN, GERMANY, Dec. 8.—Ernest En- gel, the German statistician, died to-day at Lorzwirth. He was 75 years of age. Herr Engel succeeded to the directorship of the Bureau of Statisticsin 1860. He was the author of a number of statistical works. LA ES RS 1i Hung Chang’s Changed Plans. BERLIN, GErMANY, Dec. 8.—The Tage- blatt bas a dispaich from Tientsin say- ing that Li Hung Chang has decided to abandon completcly his projected giving out of large commercial orders, T0 GET BY BILL WHAT VOTE DENIED A Plan to Secure to the Mayor the Powers of the Charter. BIG REFORM,FEW WORDS Sfam Braunhart's Measure That Will Go Before the Senate. PHELAN MAY ACT UNDER IT. Nearly All the Provisions of the Defeated Document to B2 Incerporated. Ffamuel Braunhart, State Senator elect, will concentrate his best energies during the next session of the Legislature to se- curing the passage of a bill which shall give to the Mayor of this City nearly all the powers which would have belonged to that official had the charter, lately de- feated, been, instead, accepted by the peo- ple. The bill is not a long one, and would scarcely be suspected of accomplishing, in the event of its passage, so much reform in so few words. The bill makes of the Mayor a real factor in the government. His approval is re- quired, under the provisions of the bill, for every act of legislation. The bill will especially cure the defect of the consolidation act pointed out by the Supreme Court in Jacobs vs. the Board of Supervisors in the matter of the ordin- ance fixing water rates, wherein it declares that that ordinanee does not require the Mayor’s approval. Under Mr. Braun- hart's bill such an ordinance will need his approval. The bill will be presented early in the session, and every effort made to rush it through and to secure the signature of the Governor,-in order that the new Mayor of this City may act under it. The act to be presented to the State Senate is as foliows: An act to require ordinances and resolutions Ensv.-d by the City Counecil or other legislative ody of any munieipality to be presented to the Mayor or cther chief executive officer of such munieipality for his approval. The people of the State of California, repre- sented in Senate and Assembly, do ensact as follows: Section 1. Every ordinance and svery reso- lution of the City Council of any municipality providing for any specific improvement or the granting of any iranchise or other privilege, or affecting real properiy interests, or the ex- penditure of more than $100 of public moneys, or layi.g tax or assessment, or establisaing rates for water or artificial light, and every orainance or resolution imposing & duty or penalty which shall have passed the City Council shall, before it takes effect, be pre- sented tothe Mayor for hisapvroval, The Mayor shall return such ordinanece or resolution to the Citv Counci! within ten days after receiv- ing it. If he approve it he shall sign it, and it shall then take effect. If he disapprove it he snsli specify his otjections thereto in writ- ing. If he donot return it with such disape proval within the time above specitied, it shall 1ake effect as if he had aporoved it. The ob- jections of the Mayor shall be entered at large on the journal of the City Council, and the City Council snall canse the same to be imme- diately published. The City Couneil shall, sfter five and within thirty days afier such or dinance or resoluiion shall have been returned with the Mayor's disapproval reconsider and vote upon the same, and if the same shall, upon reconsideration, be again passed by the affirmative vote of notless than three-‘ourths of all the members, the presiding officer shall certify that 1sct on the ordinance or resolu. tion, ana when so certified it shall take effect asifit hed received the approvalof the Mayor; but if the ordinance ot resolution shall fail to receive upon the first vote thereon aiter its re- turn with the Mayor’s disapproval the afirma- tive vote of three-fourths of all the members, it shall be deemed fiunliy lost. Tne vote on such reconsideration shail be teken by ayes and noes and the names of the members vot- ing for or agains: the same shall be entered 1n the journal. Sec. 2. The word “municipality” and the word *‘city” as used in this act shall be under- stood and so construed as to inciude, and is hereby declared 1o include, all corporations heretofore organized and now exisiing and those hereafter organized for municipal pur- poses. . Sec, 3. The term "Cllg Council” is hereby. declared to include any body or board whicn under the law is the iegislative department of the government of any eity. Sec. 4. In municipalities in which there is no Mayor, then the duties imposed upon said officer by the provisions of this act shall be eriormed by ihe President of the Board of gr\ls(ees or other chief executive officer of the municipality. Sec. oy This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage, and all acts and parts of acts in conflict with this act are hereby repealed. ROBBEKY THE MOTIVE, An Attempt to Wreck n Train on the Jowa Central Road. WEBSTER CITY. Iowa, Dec. 8.— Robbery is supposed to have been the motive for an attempt to wreck a passen- ger train on the Iowa Central road near Latimer last night. A posse is trying to find three suspicious-looking strangers who had been loitering in the vicinity for some time. Iron rails were placed across the track where they could not be seen by the locomotive men until too near to stop. An extra freieht happened to be just ahead of the passenger and the engine struck the obstruction, allowing the pas- senger train to pass undamaged. 2 ladS0 15TIT IR Porming a Ihread Trust. LONDON. Exc,, Dec. 8.—It isannounced that the Coates Thread Compn_ny has ab- sorbed the Finlay<on, Bouss:field & Co. thread works in Scotlsnd aund it is en- deavoring to secure control of the Scottish and American factories of the Knox Com- pany. Experi- ments are expensive. It is no experiment to take the medicine which thonsands in- dorse as - the best—which cures when others fail, namely Hood's Sarsaparifla Hood’s Pills {isiaes S