Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-09-29
GOOD ROADS FOR CUBA.
THE ISLAND is A NATURAL PARADISE
FOR WHEELMEN.

The Picturesque Beauty of the Scenery
Is Sure to Attract the Attention OF the
American Cyclist-The Militant Apostle
OF Better Highways Il General Stone.
It might seem trihe premature to
consider Cuba as favorite resort for
wheelmen. The island is not now
blessed with many roads available for
anything more than mule trains. but
the militant apostle of good roads,
General Roy Stone, has shown in
Porto Rico what little Yankee ener-
gy can do for the improvement of
highways and, of course, the same
can be done in Cuba, and doubtless
will be done now that the island has
ceased to be colony of Spain. For
one thing, the picturesque beauty OF.
the island, enhanced by the charm Of
its semi tropical verdure, is sure to-
attract the attention of American.
wheelmen, and when wheelmen get
their eye on country it is certain
that the condition of its roads will
speedily improve. In the case of
Cuba, however, wheelmen will find
that their task will be not so much
the improvement as the creation Of
roads, for practically no roads worthy
of the name exist, and even the streets
of the cities and towns are in a.
wretched condition Were the pa
tient native mule endowed with speech
like his kinsman of the Balaam story,
he would undoubtedly cry out against
what passes for street in typical
Spanish town. 1t will sound little
strange to read of century runs being
made in Cuba, but the thing may hap
pen, and that, too, before many years.
In the winter, with the improved: :
sanitary conditions that will soon OBJ,
tain in the Cuban cities, the island;
will become favorite resort for a.
multitude of Americans. The beau
tiful Isle of Pines will probably be-.
come one of the most popular places,
in the West Indies. Even in the
midst of their fierce fighting our sailor:
and soldier boys were struck by the
charm of the country around Santa.
go. Scattered about in the sugar dis!
tricts of Cuba are splendid sugar plan,
tations owned by Cubans and Amer!
cans, whose owners, under a decent
and stable government, would soon
open up the country by good roads,
and other improvements. Then there
is the centre of the island, as yet
practically unemployed and unknown,
but said to contain great forests of,
valuable woods. 1t will not be longi
before this terra incognita will be-
opened up under the stimulus of
American enterprise. Towns will.
arise, railroads will be constructed,
and then about that time along will
come the wheelmen, not long after
which we shall hear of this, that and
the other bicycle path or path run
ming, it may be, through grove OF
palm trees, while the air is laden with
tropical fragrance and the stiffness
of the forest is punctuated with the
notes of strange birds. If the adven.
turous American wheelman fails to,
take advantage of this new and de-,
lightful experience, we have very
much misjudged him.
General Roy Stone has already,
spent some time in Cuba, but his
duty there has been simply to advise,
in the building of temporary military
roads for the use of the army. But
it may we'll be that these temporary
roads will become the nuclei of per-
manent roads, just as the points near
Santiago at which engagements with
Spanish troops have taken place may
become interesting towns and villages
with American names in the new Cuba
which is to be. Indeed, it is inevita-
BILE that this American invasion of the
island is going to make many changes
in its geography and topography.
While the more important places will,
of course, retain their names, Ameri-
can industry and commerce will create,
new centres of life and trade and de- |
velop to their fullest extent the splen-
did opportunities for growth and
progress that have been SO shame-l
fully neglected by Spain. But to re-
vert to our first thought, Cuba is a
natural paradise for the wheelman,
and when he finds it out he is going
to see that good roads are built
New York Tribune.