Show Freedom Must Be Absolute New York May HThe correspondent correspond-ent of the New York Journal has just returned from a visit to General Go visi mez and the other Cuban leaders in Cuba and is the bearer of the following follow-ing important statement by General Gomez to the American people Your correspondent now in camp ha requested of me a statement of the attitude of the Cuban republic on certain cer-tain questions likely to assume more or less importance when our struggle for liberty shall have concluded The question of our acceptance of the autonomous terms offered by Spain has already been ably answered by our distinguished representative in the Uhlicd States Mr Estrada Palma Neither th terms of autonomy nor the act of offering them is worthy of ser I ous consideration on the part of Cubans Cu-bans who have become familiar with the treachery and duplicity of Spain i and the worthlessnesretherprrsi We do not believe we shall ever cal a special convention to consider the framing of the peace treaty with Spain Onlv a concession of absolute independence inde-pendence will be regarded as a sufficient suf-ficient basis for treaty negotiations and this the Spanish government will I not grant I is difficult to discuss without embarrassment em-barrassment the Question of cur attitude atti-tude toward any proposition looking to the annexation of Cuba to the United States in the event of our ultimate ulti-mate victory as there has developed in the United States a strong antian nexation sontiment before the Cubans I have indicated in the slightest degree Jan I J-an desire for this closer relationship Among the men now battling for Cubas freedom there Is a strong senti mel i against annexation to the United States although our feeling toward your country is of the friendliest and most sympathetic character We are fighting for absolute freedom not only from Spain but from any government not of our own making We will stand ready to form with the United States an alliance calculated to ultimately strengthen our two countries commercially com-mercially or otherwise hut I do not believe be-lieve there is a sentiment in either country in favor of annexation strong enough to warrant the hope of the ultimate ul-timate union of our two countries in the relationship contemplated Any proposition from Spain looking look-ing to the granting of our independence upon the payment to the Spanish government gov-ernment of a sum large enough to cover the expenses of the war will be rejected re-jected by the Cuban republic We ca wrest our independence from Spain with our sword without incumbering our now republic with an enormous war debt I In tls communication I wish to t again call the attention of the civilized I world to the warfare conducted by General Weyler now in command of I the Spanish forces in our inland 1 The horrors of faroff Armenia are I not as deserving of the attention of the American congress as the barbarous and atrocious conduct of this general I GOMEZ The above statement was handed to I the correspondent by General Gomez j at his hcadriuarters on the field I The correspondent says I reached here with comparative ease after having left the Spanish line Uuiipg the five days I remained in camp with General Gomez I found mm and hi > men confident of success and apparently able to continue the war in their fashion for several years to come His inactivity has been severely se-verely criticized by those unfamiliar with the conditions under which ho finds it necessary to fight Should he enter uron an aggressive cairoaign attacking the Spanish repeatedly he would soon exhaust the small amount of ammunition at his command and ould be left absolutely without other defense than that afforded by n retreat to nearby forevts As indicated to me In an interview with him he will hold the plain of La Reforma his present headquarterr until such time as a plentiful supply of ammunition enables en-ables him to renew the magnificent campaign inaugurated by Maceo and himself a year and a half ago At present however he will remain quiet acting only upon the defensive until h I supplies recently landed by Roloff reach him He will then according to the information in-formation furnished me in camp begin a countermarqh upon Havana with ill the forces in the province of Santa I Clara and to the eastward up to the gates of Havana By this means he will refute in a most startling manner I the statements of Weyler that the three provinces of Havana Mata I and Santa Clara have been pacified This war may b the final struggle of the I |