Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-17
CUBA'S RESOURCES
Continued from First Page.)

(COntinueu from tlrSt PaSe.)
village of 800 Inhabitants had $500 coun-
try people concentrated within it's borders,
but managed to keep free from the cpl
this population from January to Novem-
Der &c, 1897, reached only 1,142. against
1a1 the previous year. BOO MadrTga had
around 1t had 1888 inhabitants Out of the
S.122 people in this district 2,751 died be-
TWEEN New Year and Thanksgiving day.
or rather November o. for they have no
Thanksgiving day in Cuba. The lack of
one is not felt this year. In 1896 the deaths
In Madruga and surrounding country were
nearly 800, but the average annual rate for
the five years previous was PAT.
Similar Mortality in Other Villages
A similar mortality is shown in other viii
lagos, and 1t keeps up actively. An Ameri- |
can who was in the hamlet of Palos a
fortnight ago told me of seeing the death
cart pick up five bodies on the streets. In |
Guines at this writing the record of deaths
is close to a round 1000 Naturally the |
question will be asked whether any remain. |
Not enough to cause the conservative bust |
Less interests in the United States to !
SILVER with the fear that motives of hui |
ranity may yet compel the American COM |
monwealth to interfere. In the interna /
national sense not enough of the country
people of Cuba are left to make their fate |
of sufficient Importance to compensate the I
Irited States for the financial harm which |
the conservative business interests would 7
suffer by trouble with Spain. Humanity |
might have had some place in the Ameri- |
can policy toward Cuba a year ago. 1t is |
no longer so. All that now remains is to !
look to the Industrial and agricultural con- !
ditions to determine when natural product |
1veness may again create wealth and COM
merce again bring profit to the states.
But while the present situation does not |
justify following the instincts of sympathy |
in national policy, there is a remnant of |
the country people who need succor. The |
sense of overwhelming woe which the fig
ures show should not forbid their closer |
study. And here, in the presence of the |
misery that still has being, the future can |
be understood. The fractional labor guam
tity may be conserved, it's energies nursed
back to strength and something saved for
the equation in political economy. Given
the soil, ind the arms that are to till it.
With this practical end in view l have
taken pains to personally look into what is
doing and what must be DONE The two
reconcentrado settlements of the town are
crowded. Death has thinned the tenants
OF the palm "bohios" or huts. The inmates
are mostly women and children. The few
men among them take aims with the graft
tude of the helpless. Their appearance
shows that it is a genuine inability to
work Time ard regular nourishment are
f 6oth needed to build up their wasted
eminent contemplates will not do It, These
reconcentrados are sick and must be nurs
ed back to physical strength. They need
matlcally and for months to come
Effect of Political Chunpes.
l am ready to believe that the political
changes have caused an improyement
Private charity is supported by more ac-
tive municipal cooperation The new ALL
tcnista alcalde Tomas Garcia has been I'm
Office fortnight and has given energetic
administrator witnin the limits of official
resources. In the alcaldes company I Wis
lted all the local institutions, including the
civil and military hospitals. The town had
commod1ous asylum as it was called
built by private subscription. The military
authorities took that as a hospital for the
soldiers The regular civil hospital was ap-
prCpriated in the same way; also the school
mouse. The PEOPLE Of Guines then put up a
building a little distance out of town. For
an emergency structure 1t answers the pur-
pose we'll The wards are two large
rooms, separated by a wooden partition one
for the male patients, the other for the
women and children. Those whose calling
does not require them to see the interior
of reconcentrado hospital may be CRATE
full for what they are spared. My purpose
is not to describe this one at Guines t,
glance at whose inmates tells the whole
story of the concentration policy but to
bear testimony to the good management
BY unremittent efforts supplies enough
nave been had to meet the daily needs.
Broth and milk are the diet. The medical
ana other attendance Is excellent.
DASpehHihS Mcn1clne.
But patients ara not brought to this
institution till they in the last stages
of disease. Few ever rise from it's pallets
1--WE are trying" said the alcalde simply
"to have it SO they will not need to be
brought here" And to have it so they will
not need to be brought there; food and med
icines are necessary in their dwellings. A
dispensary is maintained at the city hall.
l watched scores of the poor creatures VINO
"a WAC tn fna
for medicines. In most cases the drugs
We're for others worse off than themselves.
The d:spensary stock was small and linn
tied to a few rem edes, but even this stock
Is kept up with great difficulty. To repen-
ish it is daily problem.
There is also Il pretense of distributing
food. You should have been here the
other day, said Col Rodriguez the jovial
military comma ndant of the district, to
me- I'VE celebrated the feast day of our
patron saint of infantry by distributing
5000 ratons to the poor" An official dis
tribution ''of kind has also been kept
up in spasmodic way. The kind is
poor one though the authorities assured
me that. officially, nothing was lacking.
Nevertheless. there has been something
lacking, and it is still lacking This is aid
from the government in Havana. Reluctant
admissions from officials not necessary
to establish this drawback. Even now per-
mission to continue for a week the little
that is doing in supplying rations has been
obtained only after repeated and urgent
remOnstranceS 1t is said next week the
new system is to be inaugurated. In plac e
of rations money is to be distributed to |
the concentrates. with which they may
buy food. Havana province, it is stated, is |
to have $4,000 out of the fund or this |
Gunes' share would be 500. This word
was given by the farmer alcalde. who was |
supposed to know the plans of the govern |
ment.
Without impugning the sincerity of the
authorities at Havana. questioning their |
desire to afford relief. the conditions in |
surrounding
sufficient commentary what will not |
be done through that means in nourishing |
the survivors back to the life that is cap |
able of sustaining physical labor. Par |
ticular instances and details which would |
be narrowing TO the sensibilities need not |
be heaDed one uDnn the other to hliSh