Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-08

starvation, but he did not come in personal
contact with the suffering and he quickly
returned to his philosophy. Causation has
worked much more rapidly than he antici-
pated The country has been depleted of
its natural labor to a degree that he never
conceived. and the problems of the future
government of the island have had new
complications added to them. Causation
may be correct as a theory. but in practice
1t lacks something L have digressed
from my text because some people in the
United States still seem to be of the be-
lief that natural causes will settle the
Cuban question. If they could spend a
single day in the country here OF in any
of the other provinces they would change
their minds.
Like Writing of the Dead.
Writing of the country people is as if
writing of the dead. 1t is not to my lk-
ing. yet there seems to- be a desire for
further information concerning them. The
American public cannot exactly under
stand things that have happened in Cuba,
and this is not surprising. 1t is possible
to ina CINE some untoward circumstance
which would surround several thousand
persons, say in one OF the western states,
with a ditch, a barb wire fence and gar
rison of troops. That might happen in a
single night. When the men discovered
that they were shut up there in order
that they and their wives and children
might be starved to death no American, or
European for that matter. would need to
exercise his imagination to guess what
would happen. If the troops were numer-
Gus enough and the ammunition was suIn-
Client the massacre of the imprisoned COM
munity might take place in single hour
instead of being extended over weeks ana
months. but even then 1t could not happen
without a reckoning that no military
power could withstand. Nothing of this
sort has happened in Cuba because the
people who were made the victims OF Wey-
ler's decree of determination are APPLY de-
scribed by their name. They are pacih-
Goes" Their natures are passive and spirit
less.
In Honolulu last fall a Frenchman who
had been reading newspaper dispatches
which gave an outline of the concentration
policy asked me how the authorities found
troops enough to suppress the bread
riots" He could not conceive of the con-
ditionS described without the whole coun-
try population engaging in a continuous
and bloody revolt for food.
In all the Incidents of Recommendation L
have card of just one that approached a
bread riot 1t occurred in Matanzas few
weeks ago. Temporary work had been
found for two three hundred women II
filling. a morass with broken stone and
81 avel. They received a few cents daily in
they went to the alcalde, or mayor, to ask
what they should do In sheer despair he
said: why don't you go to the market
and get what food you want?' The advice
may no. nave Deel meant SeTlOuSiy IHC
poor women took il in earnest. They went
to the public market In body and seized
whatever they could find The marketmen
were too much surprised to resist and the
stalls were soon bare. At one time 14.OoO
reconcentradoes have been gathered around
MatanZas, but in the worst period of star
walton no thought came to them to take
whatever was to be had. Probably In no
forbea1 ance be found. 1t the fore
bearance of ignorance and gentleness. 1t
Illustrates again Why the country people
are called ''pacidcoes."
A Genuine Charity.
The United States in succoring such a
class of the population can understand
why the succor is a genuine charity, for 1t
helps those vho are unable to help them
selves. The survivors, who have so far
withstoc0 the regimen Of starvation, have
sensibilities enough to be grateful, though
their appreciation Of their own condition is
dull.
One morning on the hill of Cascoro girl
of nine or ten years stood in the door of
one OF the huts. Her appearance, as her
great black eyes stared at the strangers,
caused the party to stop. She looked va
cantly at the coins which were pressed
upon her A skinny arm with skeleton
fingers shot past the child and seized the
money. Then the gaunt face of a woman
appe@red in the doorway, half shamed.
She does not know 1t means food said
the woman, apologetically. tapping her
bead and pointing to the child. Were there
many such? Yes, senior; a good many"
They are taken care of by their own, but
the care will be easier when food enough
comes from the United States to keep
them from starving to DEATH
1t may be stated that American aid can
not entirely relieve this "miseria' which
Is the pail spreading over Cuba. yet if
kept up it will lessen the suffering and
bring comfort to many thousand poor crea-
lures, who must otherwise perish. If the
Madrid dispatches are correct in saving
that peace breathes in the air. the rem
nant may be SSyed.to be put back in their
homes in the country and perform their
share in developing the riches of the soil
Not enough of them, however, will sur
vlve to solve the economic problem which
the demand for=-labor will present. The
depletion has been too complete. Ultimate
~ the country population of Cuba must
De renewed from outside sources from
immigration. Weyler had his plans
After the determination of the Cuban
Stock ne would have replaced it by emil
grafton from the provinces of SPAIN But
though the uproOting of the rural popua-
ZION was going forward successfully, ii was
not accompanied by the ending of the in
surrection which had been its ayowed
aim and its Justification as a military
measure From the present outlook the
Void in the rural population of Cuba will
have to oe filled by immigration from else
where than Spain a few thousand of the
country people, who had small means sue
ceeded in getting away to Mexico. While
no exact record has been kept / was told
at the offices of the teamsnip companies
in Havana that the number probably
reached five thousand. They took their
flight as noiselessly as 1ock of wounded
birds Their only thought was to get away
Most of them left whatever property they
Possessed If these Immigrants to Mexico
would come back in body it would be a
material help in the recuperation OF the
G1E ~ I-~r se y
Return The need is. therefore all the
greater to sUccor and sustain the remnant
OF the population that yet exists, and the
only means Of doing this is through the
aiA 1T.