Kansas City daily journal., 1896-05-24
ECHOES Of CUBA.
ABour TuE PEOPLE VINO ARE
STRUGGLING ron FREEDOM.


fcnscs Mt 1invnnD.
To describe the situation In cuba Is i'm
possible save by cuban to Cubans. No
American can comprehend II. lie reads
his mythology. his history OF ancient
Rome aud then thanks his God that those
days ate past, whether as dark as painted
or not. lie half suspects some imagin-
atiyo reporter OF those ancient times got
IN an exclusive" for the historian on Old
man Nero auI probably let his lmagination
push the stylus a little beyond the line OF
cold facts. he. perhaps. believes half he
reads about medieval hatharlsm aud com
ciudes that 1t Will do no good Mt this late
day to verify the tales OF the iuquisltlon,
while even Turkey and the Khurds arc
so far away that he hasn't much time
to nicely adjust his allowances for the
stories OF horrors coming from there. But
the average thinking American, accus-
toned as he Is to make his own aprica-
ton Of the provCrbill grain OF SAT- to
everything he hears and reads. VIII be far
'out to sea- ON the cuban question TO
the cnd. I, Is absolutely impossible for
ard or criterion by which to formulate the
situation IN his mind which has been de-
Nelopvd IN an atmosphere Of purost free
dom ana trained In American public
schools, 10 think, speak and act every
minute of his NE, with bollcst assurance
Of his inNltrnAble right to think. speak
anil act Is he plcHsos, SO long MS he IL
honest and upright. II there Is any Amer
lean who Is not proud of his country and
u trcohorn man, he should be sent TO
Cuba for Just q few weeks and he VIII
come back u proud American patriot lie
VIII believe that the Janitor OF "A public
school building who does not run M the
stars and stripes punctually and rcvcrcnt-
ly when school opens ANA lower the Nag
from the storm and shield It trndcrly from
exposure I" weather when sessions are
over should be responsible for setting an
tNituIlr irtu before future Aupri-
can citizens. lie Will better understand
why tho Cuban loves the stars and stripe.
Of America next to his own star and
stripes. patterned somewhat after II. and
hates, as a brightly motuel reptile. the
viii have the eyes of hts understanding
partially opened to a history of centuries
of cruelty and oppression on one side
and helpless slavery or fruitless struggle.
AMI mlityrlom ON tho other. He will ap-
plaud IN his heart Of hearts the sturdy
wefe actors in that famous Boston tea
party and dovoutly thank heaven for the
honest manhood of his forcfathers who
trans, Atlantic governmcnt and not only
forced tn" repeal Of the stamp act, but
took up their nintlocks aud became Just
what the Cubans are to-day. determined to
hoist tn" nIg of liberty over their native
land and to drive the self lf-constituted OPP
rrussur from their shores back TO his own
side OF tn" Atlantic.
But there Will be another sensation eS-
r.criencol by tho. American coming from
with thousand questions. more or less.
from every one he meets. and these, ques-
tons VIII gll be the same from each per
son. At first he feels competent to an
swer some OF them. but gradually he
feels his powers of description and eN-
planation failing until at length in de-
spnir of ever being able to get through the
ever multiplying catcrhiSm he madly re-
solves to either rush into the country and
hide himself or into print shop and
get the whole thing set up. The only al
tentative Is either to bring cuba over
here. or TO take all his intcrlocutors over
there 10 see nul feel for themselves. In
prrdicam'ut. the newspaper man for once
mas N" lINantaE" Of not being the inter
Niowrr, He can explain that II is a long
aui interesting story and invite his friends
to buy paper"
The most common questions asked by
AMERICANS arr; "Will the Cubans win their
light" Us Woyler bad as he is paint
reports from Cuba been eNAggerated:" To
answer any one of these briefly and cor
rectly is impossible. and 80 | will take
them up in their places later on beginning
now with the entrance into Havana and
the lines of the censorship, which is Hn
important point in the TRIP. especially for
one who would send back Information Of
what h" secs and hears from tn" point of
observation There are only two ways of
chances of getting sunk or captured on an
"cNpcditinn' na John Melton, of the Jack
scuyillc Timcs-O Mon, ana now of Mora
castle, dld ON tho Competitor, and til"
other is 10 hedge ones sell about by all the
safeguards the United States state depart
Ul'Il till lN1ll-ll bN WY VI passports anu
TO go boldly IN by REGULAR steamship under
the fruwning walls OF Mora castle and to
face the army Of Spanish military police
and custom house officers. These fellows
are like all spanish officials very cOupc-
tent 10 rise to any emergency. Emcrgen-
tgs tancg y p h'%gS bGy GyeGT mn
much of the opinion Of the founders of old
common law that there cannot be valid
transfer of property without a considern-
tion. and they AZ" consldrratr of a passen-
ger accordng 10 thes" oircnmstanccs; TINS
end is accomplished more OF less delicatuly
In various ways. The best method Is 10
wait until the Interpreters for the leading
hotels come aboard your steamer, ana then
nut yourself into the hands Of one of these
nom the biggest and host hotel In Havana.
These hotels make, under ordinary circum-
stances, fortunes every year out OF Amcrl-
can tourists, and the interpreters. who act
Ms runners to steamers and trains, are nee
rssarily important functlonnrics, and. to be
OF most usefulness all round they must
have high standing with the authorities. II
is this stand in that ordinarily insurcs
the most ciyil treatment Of foreign arri-
vals; Hut If a fellow happens I" have been
writing letters over his signature from Key
West aud lurking about the Florida Keys
ana coasts for a month or SIX weeks, visit.
ing and Interviewing prominent officials of
the juntG while they are working OF eXpe,
well established at Havana in advance by
the Spanish consul ana MS secret
service corps AZ Key Wcs,, oss,o, Con.
il-commodcd by having his baggagc
held about twenty-four hours while an his
need heed not ~ be surpfi!cd ' d at all Mcanwhiie,
he goes out to buy night shirt, and hnls
there is not such an article Tor sale IN
Cuba; they don't use them The nearest
approach to II is a fancy embroidered thing
somewhat like a. GORGEOUS ncglige, coming
about down, to the hips and having silk
rope with huge tnssels to tie about the
neck. Just what special occasions this is
intended for couldn't learn. To purchase
"a clean white shirt is equally impossible.
They are all In tumble, and not sold by
numbers, nor are they numbered, but each
shopper must try them on until he gets u
lit; or n little better, have his measure and
that of the shirt half taken and half esti-
with collar and cuffs always attached on "A
No l5I, person, he should he satisfied, even
though til. garment Is badly finger marked
anI musscd. Finally, he has 6S-cent
spanlsh-made garment of this description.
and pays $3.50 for i in Spanish silver or
81 10 in Spanish gold, and orders it, with
Ills fancy night shirt, for which he pays q
like sum. sent To his hotel right OF. lie is
assured that this Will be done. hut night
lengthens, and finally he goes to iny.sti.
gate Nothing has been heard about 1t at
the hotel office.
He inds his way to the store. which is
dark and closed. Finally he gives it up,
ana next day visits the store again. and
is for spanish words to do Justice to the
ocrasIon All declare II has been sent.
Finally after long search, no trace is found
OF his goods, either at the hotel or store,
and he gives 1t up. Three or four days
later he finds the package in soiled, torn
paper lying on his bed but inquiry fails
10 disclose any history OF its wanderings.
This much, as little specimen of differ
enCe found everywhere between methods
ana results In the United States and in
ish rule There are Cubans with American
ideas of doing business, but American pro-