Omaha daily bee., 1898-12-23
ENFORCE Law BY HORSEWalP
That's the Way the Authorities Secure Clean
Streets in Santiago.
STARTING NEW ORDER OF THINGS IN CUBA
Sanitary COmmissiOner Publicly
Horsewhips People for Dirtiness
and They Are Sentenced
to Work ON Streets.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22.-Robert F. Por
ter, special commissioner from the United
States to Cuba and Porto Rico, has re-
turned from Santiago and has submitted his
report to the secretary Of the treasury.
While in Porto Rico Mr.. Porter held pub
lie hearings and all persons interested in
the welfare Of the island were invited to
submit statements and give oral testimony.
The Chamber of Commerce, representing
the commercial and industrial interests Of
the province, responded. The machinery Of
the military government, Mr.. Porter says,
is running with a fair degree of smoothness
and the men responsible for it understand
their business thoroughly
The disagreeable smells of the typical Gu
ban city, the report says, are less pro-
nounced in Santiago, while whitewash, lime
wash, painting and all sorts of deodorizers
have purified the surrounding atmosphere
and made the towns quite habitable.
The streets are no longer used as sewers
and the hapless individual who violates the
law and escapes the lash OF the sanitary
commissioners whip is compelled to work
on the streets for thirty days. This off,
cial, Mayor Barbour. with 1876 men dressed
in spotless white and thirty-two good United
States mule teams and carts, having dug out
from the streets OF Santiago the filth of
ages, is now able to keep them abso-
lutely clean. Every day. by the aid of pc
troleum, the garbage Of the city Is burned.
Horsewhipped for Dirtiness.
The work of sanitation is not confined
to the streets, but extends to the dwelling
houses. shops, buildings OF all kinds. To
accomplish this, however the doors of
houses had to be smashed in and people
making sewers Of the thoroughfares were
public horsewhipped in the streets. Emil
nently respectable citizens were forcibly
brought before the commanding general and
sentenced to aid in cleaning the streets they
were in the habit Of defiling. The cam
paign has ended In 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 re-
paved, all the public buildings have been
thoroughly cleaned. the work even extend
ing to the opera house. The law courts,
which were abolished when General Shat
ter took the city, have been reorganized
The supreme court, the report adds, is COM
posed OF carefully selected Cuban Judges
the appointees nominated wholly on legal
attainments, the bar association OF the prov
ince having been consulted as to the char
acter and qualifications Of the new judges
In the same manner the government has
been restored and native mayors and city
officials appointed, the only requirement be-
Ing that persons accepting such Offices shall
take thsyo yoath Recognizing the military oc-
cupation of the Island by the United States
but In NO way committing them to any
future form Of government.
Taxes Diverted to Spanish Pockets.
The Spanish, when in possession of Cuba,
not only assumed absolute control Of the ju-
dietary, but Of the municipal government,
larger portion of the taxes raised for
municipal purposes being diverted with the
other revenues into channels which, says
the report, either led to Spain or into Span
ish pockets. Mr.. Porter advises that these
taxes hereafter must be used exclusively
for local purposes and, as far as may be
deemed practicable, they be collected and
distributed by properly constituted local
authorities. The rural districts of Santi-
ago have been so depopulated that 1t will
be almost impossible to collect taxes over
and above those needed for schools, for
the poor and probably small sums for the
improvement Of sanitary conditions. The
dawn of prosperity, however, should be the
country roads.
The British government spends annually
for the roads in Jamaica about $500, 900,
where there are now 1000 miles already
constructed. The money expended on roads,
whether from the general funds Of the
island or from the local budgets, would
come back hundred fold, 1t Is stated, and
make Santiago one Of the richest sugar,
coffee and fruit growing districts in the
West Indies. Bananas can be grown at
profit and as 1t takes only fourteen months
to grow-unlike coffee and oranges-the
poorer classes could undertake their culti-
walton to their great advantage.
The internal, Industrial, professional.
licensing and other miscellaneous taxes
have SO far been remitted in this part of
Cuba, but the authorities are now prepar-
ing to enforce them.
Recommends Internal Revenue.
Now that the customs tariff has been
disposed Of Mr.. Porter recommends that a
tariff be prepared for internal revenue for
the entire island. The question OF sepa-
rating these taxes from purely municipal
taxes should also be considered The large
amount Of delinquents for the last three
years. which have amounted to about
$6,0OO,000, was, OF course, due to war. In
normal times there are $4,000, 900 or 81, ,OOO,-
900 OF revenue that must not be over
looked-revenue, which II properly and
economically employed, would aid in the
industrial rehabilitation of Cuba. Some OF
the more onerous duties, however, should
be abolished.
Mr. Porter makes several other recon-
mendations, principally with regard to i'm
provements in the harbor and the estab-
lishment of lights and buoys and the re-
moval OF Instructions.
Mr.. Porter speaks in high praise OF the
administrative ability OF General Wood, the
military governor at Santiago, as shown In
his admirable management Of the affairs