Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-11
Spaniards in Cuba Make Merry in
Face of a Crisis.
TEE CUBANS DO NOT PARTICIPATE
SPANS Display Of Naval Force Has
Gained the PopuIace.
YET STORM MAY BE BREWING
Copyright, 1898. by Chas. NJ. Pepper.)

Special From Stan Correspondent.
HAVANA. March 10. via Pert Tampa,
Fla, March 11.-Havana is not depressed
| at present. nor is it cheerful. The city is
| simply waiting for something to happen.
The statement that thirty-five balls were
given last Sunday night is correct.
The Spanish citizen who told me was able
to name most of them. Making up the to.
| tai. he included some events that. under
any circumstances. would hardly be classs
ed as indicating healthy social life. But
these were few. The French, German and
other societies gave balls. The Spanish
clubs and casinos gave balls. The gaiety
was not simulated, yet there was very
little Of it. Havana has not reached the
stage of frenzied indifference. where It's
! people can dance as part of the Paris pop
| ulation danced when the Germans were
entering the city. The people here dance
| without spirit. as though there were moth
| irg else to do.
Few Cubnns Were Present.
1 do not think that thirty-five balls on
a Sunday evening in this critical period
| can be taken conclusive proof that the
| public mind is calm. The Cubans gave
| no dances and few Cubans attended those
| that were given. They are thinking OF
something else. The shadow in the re-
| night arrests may not continue long. but
] those already made have been sufficient TO
| serve a warning. / do not know how
many of these ''conspirators' have been
| dragged to prison since the first sweep
| was made and eighteen Cubans were seiz-
| ed on the information of the secret po-
| lice, nor is 1t possible to state positr> ely
whether some of the prisoners have al
ready been deDorted to the Isle of Pines
| and to the penal colony of Chafarinas in
| Africa. The authorities indicate that de-
portation is the policy, because otherwise
| Imprisonment would necessarily be- and
| they good enough to show the world
| that Spain has no conception of liberal
government.
If people can be arrested, their homes in
vaded, their papers seized and they be i'm
| prisoned without semblance of judicial
process under autonomy, their good sense
| in rejecting autonomy when 1t is offered
them merits praise. The arrests affect
many Cuban families-naturally the friends
and relatives of the prisoners do not feel
| like dancing. Few Americans took part in
the series of festivities which marked th0
| closing Of the carnival period. / am afraid
that in many places they would not have
| been welcome; nevertheless, nothing like q
show of ill-feeling has been witnessed.
Instances of FOrbearance.
This week the probability of the volcano
breaking out into an insurrection has not
been worth worrying about. Instances Of
forbearance have been noteworthy for sew
eral days. A drunken American sailor
| ranged the streets proclaimng his pride in
the United States and inviting the whole !
Spanish nation to whip him. Though he
occasionally turned up with his eyes fresh
ly blackened, his encounters with the Span
ish people had no more serious effect.
When the police finally took charge of him
they let themselves be bit and clawed with
out provocation. The consulate was finally
able to ship this drunken sailor home. His
failure to provoke an anti-American riot is
worth recording.
There are also many instances of official
civiiities. Negroes and white Americans
are not welcome in most places, though
nothing like open animosity is shown In
going about among the retail shops which
are the habitations of the volunteers L
have seen no sign of hostility. They take the
strangers money and ask him to return
for future purchases.
A better test is found in the cafes. Sew
eral evenings i have dropped into two of
these which are most frequented by the
Spanish classes. 1t was in one of these
the night following the Maine disaster that
Chicken a la Maine" was placed on the
bill of fare. The other has nightly gath
ering of amateur artists, whose views on
current events are reflected in pencil draw
ings on the marble-top tables. For a fort
night these drawings have been OF ships
Sometimes simply wreck of one. A rude
attempt at caricature the other night rep
resented Uncle Sam with pig under his
arm, one foot in Cuba, the other in Key
West, and the wrecks of two ships / do
not know whether the artist had notion
of blowing up another American ship or
not. That was the impression the picture
gave.
Artists Sometimes ScowI.
In these two cafes I have found a little
more scowling than usual, but have met
with no comment even when stopping to
examine the drawings.
An explani ton of the lack of anti-Amer-
lean demonstrations may perhaps be found
in the feeling of satisfaction which the
Vizcaya and the Oquendo cause to the
Spanish classes They feel that Spain as
a naval power must be superior to the
United States. Among the ignorant people
1t is natural that glimpse of Havana har-
Dor should cause this impression. The Viz
caya and the oquendo make fine show
posing. Some transport ships are there
along with the torpedo boats which have
been doing coast patrol duty which have
tecn lying idle in the navy yard, and it
happens that the wreck of the Maine is
the most effective representation of the
American navy. The Mangrove and the
Fern. like all these. tenders ana coast sur
vey boats arc not understood by the pop
uiace "See these little American boats
ard see our fine ships" was the comment
of one enthusiastic Spaniard as he stood
on the wharf.
did you hear how the vizcaya scared
away the American ships I'm New York
when she fired at them7v asked another.
That could not be-" was the reply.
1T Is true; one of the vizcaya crew told
me 60" was the rejoinder.
Result OF Harnless Dragging.
Probably the vixcaya crew had done
some harmless Dragging which had been
taken seriously. II only two people on the
uvaf fhaf