The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-02-23
Now Busy Starving the Cuban
Population to Death.
1900 Deaths Through Priva-
tiOn in Matanzas in One Year.
THIS is THE KIND
Of Government. We Bemean
Ourselves to Treat With
AS If 1t Belonged to the Civil
lied Nations.

Santiago de Cube,- Feb. 23.-While the
United States cruiser Montgomery was
at Matanzas Recently a board of Of
ficers was appointed to inquire into the
condition of the people. of that province.
Although the exact terms of the report
are not known it may be said that in
substance it sets forth that there are
900 people absolutely without food
and clothing within the city limits.
About 5000 Of these live in small huts
of palm branches. These huts form
three separate villages beyond the built
up portions of the city. The other
II 900 unfortunates live in the streets of
the city and are absolutely without
homes or shelter.
These IA 900 are of the Iaboring class,
who have been driven into the cities
from their country homes, which have
been destroyed in the war operations.
Most of them are women and children
and they are all emaciated, sick and al
most beyond relief unless they can have
the beneht OF the regular treatment IN
the hospitals. AS it is they are dying
in the streets for want of food
According to statistics gathered from
the best of sources, the number of
deaths in the province of Matanzas
from starvation is SO, 600 and the num-
ber of starving people at present in the
province is estimated at $4,000, out Of a
1897, and the number of starving people
is rapidly increasing.
In the city of Matanzas alone there
have been about IL 900 deaths during
the past year and the number is in
creasing daily. The death rate at pres
ent averages 46 per day as shown by
the reports from the cemetery. The in
crease in the death rate is due to the
fact that the distress is no longer con-
fined to the laboring class, most of
whom have already perished. It is
IA l. /,
fore the war were in moderately COM
Portable circumstances. Those who are
now begging in the streets were in
large part, well-to-do people or the
children of the well-to-do And in ad-
dition, the citizens of Matanzas them
selves are beginning to suffer for the
actual necessities of life, having de-
clined their resources in order to supply
the needs of the labOrtng class, who
have been Quartered upon them.
The citizens of MatanZaS have an or
ganized system of relief for the starv-
ing people, but it is entirely Inadequate
and is daily becoming more gIaringly so
for the resources who were well-to-dO
are rapidly diminishing, while the de-
mand for food is constantly increasing.
At one of the relief stations, the board
of officers found 100 starving people,
this being the actual number of per
sons for whom the citizens had been
able to provide rations there. In a
room across the court yard of the
building there were 100 tin pans and as
many spoons. These pans were filed
with a cooked mess of rice and fish and
were arranged in rows ready for the
distribution among the famishing peo-
pie who were in waiting in another part
of the house.
But as already said, the three relief
places in the city of Matanzas do not
begin to adequately supply food to the
1900 people who are there starving in
the streets for the citizens are only able
to issue food three times q day at each
place and then to only about 100 at a
time. Consequently only about 900 of
the destitute people receive food on a
day.
A number of the citizens of Matanzas
have fed the starving in the streets in
front of their own homes, but the citi-
zens themselves are feeling the pinch,
and pr1Vaton, and unless assistance
soon comes to them, they will be COM
PEELED in self protection to cease the
work of charity in which they are now
engaged and which is seemingly the
only salvation for the starving thous-
ands.
The only other public relief at Ma
children by the management of the en-
ergency hospital which is under the di-
rectiOn of the volunteer fire department
of MatanzaS. There about so child
rem are treated daily and are furnished
with nouriShment under the direction of
the city physician.
These statements are the conclusions
facts and figures arrived at by a board
of United States naval officers. When
the United States naval officers landed
they were constantly followed by clam
and children, who importuned them in
the most heart-renderinS manner for a