Show GEN WOODS TACT How He Prevailed Upon BetterClass Cubans to Accept Office A former officer of volunteers who was in tIme Santiago province hair a year after the occupation told a liulo story yesterday Illustrative the remarkable re-markable tact of Gen Wood One of J the chief difllculties encountered In reestablishing re-establishing government down there he said was the disinclination of time better class of Cubans lo lend a hand J ho wealthy and wolloducatcd na tives could have been of the greatest nsiatnncc but they refused to accept civil offices and held back and sulked complaining that too many of time minor positions had been given to the Spaniards One of time places where those conditions prevailed was a small town not far from Santiago vhero Cicn Wood was particularly anxious to secure a good Cuban Mayor but he had been warned In advance that tionu of the men considered available would dream of taking the post One day the principal storekeeper of the town came to time palaci lo seo about a small con tract for fodder Hf was a typical na tive of the mercantile class fat garrulous gar-rulous and conceited and ft was evi dent that he was the chief gossip of his neighborhood After concluding tho business matter the General pre tended to consult a letter By the way senor he said you are an old resident of time country and I would like you lo give me a llllle advice E am at your Excellencys service said the storekeeper swelling with pride In It true then as Is stated to me con tinned the General that the Cuban gentlemen are very Indifferently educated edu-cated and fear to accept civil offices lest they appear lo disadvantage compared com-pared with the Spanish employees NO your Excellency roared the Cu ban indignantly thats all Spanish lies Some scoundrel Soaniard wrote you that Just to make you prejudice Our Cuban gentlemen and ho poured forth his wrath and patriotism for nearly half an hour Ah well said Wood quietly I merely wanted your opinion and am sure Im very much obliged Youll consider this conversation conversa-tion private of course Certainly said the storekeeper and as the General Gen-eral anticipated he hurried homo and told It to everybody In town A few days later one of the leading Cuban citlzpns was appointed Mayor and at once accepted He Is still administering administer-ing time office with great success New Orleans TimesDemocrat |