The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1883-05-17
THURSDAY, MAY Il, 1883.
Official Corruption in Cuba.


Official corruption is apparently ram,
pant all through the Cuban civil sery-
ice. Said Cuban taxpayer TO the
writer recently: lit would he bad
enough to have to pay the awful taxes
we do, but it is doubly sickening to have
to pay those taxes and know that an
immense proportion is coolly pocketed
by the Spanish officials" This same
gentleman showed me local tax bill
for his house fully paid and reeeipted.
He then pulled out two later unre-
ceipted bills covering exactly the same
period, but with ''penalty'N taxes for
delay-added The conclusion was ir-
resistible that the first tax had been
stolen without entering it on the books
at the Tax-oflice. have heard, too,
from the best authority, of case where
Il planter who had gone up to pay taxes
ON plantation sold for $300,000 had
been invited by the officer to fix the
amount at 100000 and .'divdeN the
tax on the balance. Indeed, il is per-
fectly amazing here to find how uni
versally accepted is the notion of deep
seated and general official swindling.
Some little incidents throw side-light
on the evil For instance, the regular
fee is twenty-five cents for getting q
passport vised at Havana before leaving
the island. Go tothe Government Office
in the city and try the experiment Of
not Offering an extra fee. You may
wait one, two. three days before the
passport is handed back. But offer u
dollar, and presto, the little instant
of work is done and the document re-
turned. If people here who ought to
know American residents and re-
spectacle Cubans-can be half be-
lieyed, the degree of public
swindling would be positively lu-
dicrous, could crime ever be made
funny They aver that Cuban offices
are regularly bartered in Spain to men
who come over us civic pirates to prey
on the island. l have heard OF the case
Of one Customs officer who came from
Spain after paying there $4,000 forshis
place. In two months, as the story
goes, he was removed, that his position
might he sold over again. ''Never
mind.' said he, .'in those two months
made $4,000. = No doubt many of
these stories are exaggerated or ficti-
tiousj but if every one of them was n
lie, the undoubted and palpahle fact
that every one believes them seems
enough TO sap the confidence and ener-
| gies of sturdicr race than is found in
| Cuba 0
/ The vices of the Spanish oflice-hold-
ing class are reflected deeply on those
lower orders with whom the stranger
has to deal. OF all the places in the
world prolific in petty swindles Havana
takes the palm. The hucksters. money
changers, hotel Interpreters, and every
bodyof the genus cheat with GOODNESS
and hardihood that smacks OF genius,
and, when detected, calmly lower their
price, smiling as az joke. They have
| easy scope for fraud in the cuirencies of
I the island, which are enough to puzzle
more experienced brains than the tour
lists, Paper money deprecated in
l gold 80 per cent. and not full legal
tende0, Spanish gold, Mexican and
/ American-cons, greenbacks, all circu-
late in most puzzling relations of value.
Many of the paper bills and shinplasters
are so faded torn, and dirty that the
/ widest stretch of fancy is required ia
1 attribute. to them value; while the com
| plexlties Of foreign exchange caused by
this hodge-podge Of hybrid. ctrrencies
are most curious and whimsical.--Hd-
cana Cor. ~ T. E'reEtRg Post.