Fair play., 1876-06-08
AN AMERICAN IN CUBA.


anu DOCaai vs ssse
C1bans-Qseer Freaks Of Power Of the
Captain-s:eneral.
Correspondence OF the ST. Louis Republican,
MATANZAs, Cuba, May lin my
last letter endeavored TO express my
impressions oi the lol;tical and social
peculiarities of the Cubans. From
what said it may be readily gathered
that somewhere in the State arbitrary
power is vested, and not in a Legisia-
ture. That is also true. Spain may
have her COrtes, such as it is, and her
constitutional monarchy" such as
that also is, and neither Of them have
any thing to do with the government of
her colonies.
THE GOVERNMENT OF TIE ISLAND
of Cuba is one man; that man is the
Captain-General. He can dispose Of
you if he wants to, and in any manner,
and, as far Is your redress is concern
ed, without responsibility to any body.
If he wishes he Can buy your horse Of
you on a very long credit indeed. He
can close your place of business, and
take charge of yoor books, and give
you a room in a public building, and
there is NO power competent to make
him even give his reasons therefor. He
can call = cour;-martial to try
you, ana detail L shoot
ing-squad before the court sits, and
it is not uncommon for him to be thus
playfully eccentric. He levies taxes
and imposts, and stands at once in the
place of all branches and functions of
human government, and is the Consii-
tuition and its interpreter. He ought
to be good man. Sometimes l have
heard he isn't. However, there have
been better and worse, rs men 90,
among the thirteen who have occupied
the position since the Cubans began
their little disturbance in the Yara.
Some of the
QUEEREsT FREAKS OF POWER
have been performed by these Captains
general in times past. One Of them,
many years ago, issued 4 decree tina,
all the iliegitimate children horn during
his administration might be called by
his distinguished name. 1t was Valdez
or Velasquez, or something of similar
sound, and there are many Of the name
now living. suppose he did it to COW
er all possible contingencies and acci-
dents. The man who told me this did |
not think it i strange thing to do.
There is, in truth, q common opinion
here that the Americans are a very
light-headed set, and often laugh at
things in which there is no possible |
joke.
1t may be supposed that, with the So
cial feeling all at discord in Cuba, ow-
ing to the existing conflict and the
strange government, both Cubans and
Spaniards lead rather queer lives. So
they do, and don't know it. As stated
in the beginning, these things haze to
be looked At with foreign eyes. The
man born and reared here has not Il
very vivid appreciation of his peculiar
lo:.
The same man in Eastern Cuba, liv-
ing with his machete in his hand, fight
ing for something dim which he calls
independence, has very little idea, or
none, of what a republic is. The train
ing of his whole life forbids. If he can
finally organize one, and live peaceful
" thereafter, ne will possess genius
for freedom which none of his brethren
of the same stock in South or North
America have displayed. Some day,
have no doubt, he will have chance
to try it, and we can't tell what he may
do, for You must understand that this
Cuban is
A STRANGE CHARACTER.
To begin with, he is demonstration
of the fact alluded to 4 while ago, that
the children of foreign residents dete-
riorate physically in the tropics. In
person he is sometimes exceedingly
small, but is apt to be long and attenu-
ated, with very thin chest, very puny
arms. and NO calves to speak of. To
his inadequate legs he adds very long
and elegant foot, and to his arms as gen.
orally useless pair OF hands as you can
imagine belonging 70 some tall female
in declining health. His face is sallOw
and gaurt, and his eyes very black, and .
ho bss n su;!e which often has the fac.
llty of getting no higher than his NOUS I
ache. He is terribly dilletante. a great
ounger and smoker, and withal oily /:
md voluble of tongue, and has at his
q copious vocabulary in s
rh;ch vOn NAV mot defpcf in an hOur,S