Morning journal and courier., 1888-02-18

To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 During the past few weeks many alarming telegraphic reports, emanating from Key West and Tampa, regarding affairs in Cuba, have appeared in American newspapers. As there are now in the island perhaps two thou sand American tourists, their friends in the States have been made extremely miserable, as the floods of cablegrams and letters of in quiry now pouring upon Cuban cities fully prove Aside from this the business inter- ests between the States and Cuba long since reached gigantic proportions. No less than two hundred million dollars of American
 business with Cuba. These great business
 interests have thus been temporarily im-
 measurabIy harmed.
 THE REGENT ALARMS.
 The two named general and important facts warrant straightforward statement ot the condition of affairs in Cuba. That these
 reports have been printed with a purpose to
 injure every manner of commercial inter
 course between our country and this, and
 put an end for this season to travel towards the West Indies, or have been sent through the great press telegraphic channels to the American public by alarmists or inconpe- tents, is undeniably true. The gist of re- peated, and it would almost seem methOdi- eally-prepared, 'fnews' from Cuba, sent out to the country from Key West, has been that smallpox was sweeping over the island; that murder and assassination were rampant in every city and pueblo; that intolerabie ccr- ruption had honeycombed the entire admin istration Of the newly appointed governor general, Sabas Marin; that prominent Americans were barely escaping from vari- ous horrible dilemmas with their lives; that bandits were capturing all sorts of great and little people for ransom; that public meetings were being prohibited and news papers suppressed; that soldiers were em- ployed in ell manner of official outrages; that in fact reign of terror had set in, and all Cuba was trembling upon the verge of tremendous upheaval of revolution, pillage and butchery.
 This has all been wonderful news to Americans and other foreigners iu Cuba. I have purposely delayed referring to it in this correspondence until able to write re- garding it with accuracy and complete truthfulness. I have already visited twelve of the larger cities and fully score ot villages; conversed with hundreds of Amer jeans and Europeans who have been in ev cry portion of Cuba during the winter gone repeatedly and alone to various plan.
 tations; visited the guajiros or country foll
 at their sitios and cabins; in my ignorance of this carnival of crime and disease sought
 out numberless and lowliest old corners and
 quarters of Havana; actually made ap
 pointment to visit at an early date the fa, nous Cuban Jesse James, Matagas; in fact
 have been in every conceivable position ant place. where cosnizanee of any manner O danger to health or body could be secured and am writing these words upon the balco ny of my hotel on the Prade. underneath tn shade of davara's beautiful laurels, with tn magnificent thoroughfare beneath me filled with gay tourists. and throngs of native mel and women of manners the mildest and face the f1iendliest and kindest you may find be meath the sun.
 But there are truly official corruption, dis ease, assassination and brigandage in Cuba So there are in cur own country; and ther' have always been. In that sense, and tha only, has there been infnitesimal truth il the outrageous reports eoncocted at Key robbery in all Cuba to-day than the late MT William M. Tweed, of Greenwich, Conn. illustrated was possible in New York city alone. There is no more smallpox in al Cuba this moment than there is in the ons city of Brooklyn. There are no more mur der, assassination and robbery in all Cuba II a week than there are in New York or Chica go, or San Francisco, in any one Sunday O the year. There has been no more robber, by bandits in the six Cuban provinces in whole year than there is done in any on month of any year by armed American out laws upon our railways in the southwest And there is not hundredth part of tn danger of revolution and bloodshed abou anything in any part of Cuba as there is O. | revolution and b1oodshed in the coal region of Pennsylvania. Cuba is ever sufficient, un hijo de Ia desgracia. She should receive l no needless hurts from the universal press O
 8 nation which periodically plays the lover part with honeying and ample professions and whose citizens to-day have more materi al risk in the welfare of the Antilles pear ! than have those of the kingdom which ca.
 never enforce or win her loyalty and respect THE CARNIVAL SEASON.
 Indifferent of the dire things said abou them, Cuban people are already filled witl restless anticipation and excitement over tn ! approaching carnival season, which begins Sunday. Every manner of man and woman breaks into 8 smile of radiant sxpectanc, when it is mentioned. Nationally considered l these carnival days have not tithe of the ! import of our blessed American winter holi day season. Love, home, the ireside, al that gives tenderness to the inner heart of l people, are in our Christmas-tide. These people make little of Christmas, for they have neither the rigors nor the sentimen which intensity the cheer of that time witt us But in their political slavery carniva ! season is as dearly prized as their quality O sentiment permits; for to the great unclassi l fled masses of Cuba it brings a gaiety ant license which are to them nearest conceivabl, akin to that liberty they hunger for with un utterable and often pathetic longings. Fron one end of the island to another it is tha ! time of the year looked forward to by ever. human being as season of enjoyment ant excusable folly. It must be remembered ! that there are no serious people in Cuba Bv that is meant no lugubIious, solemn l acidulate humans who, as with us, harroy \ and chill by the very exudatiens from thel | clammy, dank dreariness. Even a Cubal l sick man is a pleasant object for contsmpla l tion when contrasted with the perambula I ting American mummy into whose heart an \ face no light ever comes. So that ligh hearts, bright faces and fergivable trivialitie are here, ever the inward and outward ez pression from the most insignificant prompt l ings. I am not defending these characteris \ tios. The facts are simply stated. Other | may discuss the ethics. So 1t is true tha | every man. woman and child in Cuba, what ever may be the individual dolor borne, g carnival days approach tighten and brighter l in way that ia good to see, if there be n good in the universal fact.
 In Cuba there are no great Aardi Ora l processions and isolated espsctaculos or pc geants as in New Orleans and many Euro pean cities. Instead it's cities, and especial it's brilliant capital, Havana, are during thi period simply wholly and completely grea | hives of bacchanals and indescribably gro | tesque eccsntricities. The poor guajiro C ! the interior has saved from his sorimp an ! dole few pesos. From hundred mile | away he comes afoot or upon his nimble jaea over the mountains, dreaming of Havana glories, or msyhap singing in his heart 0 | with his lips that melodious little love son i which one time or another has bewildere the brains of every Cuban counsryman:
 Havisto mi amor querido,
 Por la caIle de Ia Habana-
 ! Una precosa Cubana,
 | Que me tiene confundidol
 | I saw my adored
 | On street of Havana
 | A precious Cubana
 1 That held me enthralledi
 and his kind are here by the thousand to ad picturesqueness to the interesting carnivf | Tha Ina