The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-23
HORSEWHIPPED IN SANTIAGO.
NEW WAY FOUND TO ENFORCE
SANITARY REGULATIONS.

SANITARY REGULATIONS.
Eminendy Respectable Citizens
Made to Aid in Cleaning the
streets They Were in the Habit of
DehIing-CompIete Surrender to
sanitary Acknowledgement and
Municipal Machinery Greatly Inn
proved.
washington. Dec. 22.-Robert P. Porter,
special commissioner for the United States
to Cuba and Porto Rico has returned from
Santiago, and has submitted his report to
the Secretary of the Treasury.
While in Porto Rico, kr Porter held
public hearings, and all persons interest
edi the welfare of the island were to
submit statements and give oral testi-
mony. The Chamber of Commerce, repre-
senting the commercial and industrial in
terests of the province, responded.
The machinery of the military governor,
Mr.. prter says, is running with a fair
degre of smoothness, and the men re-
spoons bile for it understand their business
thorC aghly. The disagreeable smells of
the spical Cuban city, his report says,
are Hss pronounced in Santiago, while
viii 4wash, linewash, fresh paint and all
sor 5of dsinfectants have deodorized the
surrounding atmosphere and made the old
toy7d quite habitable The streets are no
lor g{r used as sewers, and the unhappy
in liVdual who violates the law and es-
csp@ the lash of the sanitary commission
e1's whip is compelled to work on the
reets for thirty days.
tbs official, Maj Barbour, with 126
Ineh dressed in spotless white, and thirty
Wb good United States teams and carts,
having dug out from the streets of San
uago the filth of ages, is now able TO keep
fhem absolutely clean. Every day, by the
faid of petroleum, the garbage of the city
is burned. The work of sanitation is not
confined to the streets, but extends to
the dwelling houses, shops and buildings
of all kinds.
Whipped Them in the Streets.
To accomplish this, however. the doors
of houses had to be smashed in, and people
making sewers of the thoroughfares were
publicly horsewhipped in the streets. Eln-
inently respectable citizens were forcibly
brought before the commanding general
and sentenced to aid in cleaning the
streets they were in the habit of dehling.
The campaign has ended in a complete
surrender to the sanitary authorities and
the inhabitants of Santiago, regardless Of
class, have had their first object lesson
in the new order of things inaugurated
by the war. Several important streets
have been repaired al the public build
fngs have been thoroughly cleaned the
work even extending to the opera house.
The law courts, which were abolished
when Gen. Shafter took the city, have
been reorganized The Supreme Court,
the report continued, is composed of care
fully selected Cuban judges, the appointees
nominated wholly on account of legal at
tainments. In, the same manner local
government has been restored and native
Mayors and officials appointed the only re-
quirement being that persons accepting
such offices shall take the oath recogniz-
ing the military occupation of the island
by the United States but in no way com
hitting them to any future form of gov
eminent.
Money Went to Spain
The Spanish when in possession of Cuba
not only assumed control of the judiciary,
but of the municipal government, the
larger portion of the taxes raised for mu-
nicipal purposes being diverted with the
other revenues, into channels which, says
the report, either led to Spain or into
Spanish pockets.
Mr.. Porter ADVISES mat these taxes here
after be used exclusively for local pur-
poses and as far as may be deemed prac-
ticable, that they be collected and dis
bursed by properly constituted local au-
thorities. The rural districts of San
tiago have been so depleted that it will be
impossible to collect taxes over and above
those needed for the bare necessities of
schools for the poor, and possibly small
sums to improve the sanitary conditions
The dawn of prosperity however, should
be the signal for inaugurating systematic
work on the country roads. The money
expended on roads, whether from the gen.
eral fund of the island or from the local
budgets, would come back a hundred fold !
1t is stated, and make Santiago one of the
richest sugar, coffee and fruit-growing
districts in the West Indies.
Now that the custom tariff has been dis
posed of, Mr. Porter recommends that an
immediate schedule be prepared for levying
and collecting internal revenue for the en-
tire island The question of separating
these taxes from purely municipal taxes
should be considered also The largest
amount of delnquencies during the last
three years, about $6,0OOO0O, was of course
due to the war.