The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-09
Relations oil Labor and Capital On
the Antilles.
LETHARGY OF CENTURIES
MUST BE sUPPLANTED BY EN-
TERPRISE.
Twenty Million Dollars In Santiago
Alone Awaits Stable Government
and Assurances of Prctection-
Best Place On the Globe For Mar
ried Man With Few Hundred.

Oorrespondence of the Associated Press-)
Santiago de Cuba, Oct. 25.-The main
problems to be faced by the province
of Santiago, in fact, by the entire Is
land of Cuba, in its effort to throw OIL
the lethargy OF centuries, are those
which. to a greater or lesser degree,
af41ict all communities, nancy, c&pitdI
and labor.
with regard to the first there are a
very large number OF people oniy ue-
string an opportunity to invest in the
island as soon as a settled form OF
government is decided upon, but Who'
naturally, under present conditions
knowing nothing regarding the future
safeguards to property or the amount
Of taxes to be levied, or the staDlhty
of the future government, Wnen II IS
formed. hesitate to risk their mOney.
In this province alone it is estimated
that there are fully 2O,O9O,O O9 only
waiting for an assured form of govern
ment to be at once invested in business
enterprises.
A still greater problem to be solved
is the labor question, for even the eN-
listing industries are crippled 1or want
of hands. this particularly applying TO
mines The pay is from 10 cents a
day upward or about the same as IS
paid in the phosphate mines OF Flor
ida. and the mines will board the Ia
borers at % cents day.
1t may be taken as an established
fzct that the present generation OF
| Cubans will never become miners,
They are far too enervated and indo-
| lent, and the negro race here finds the
means of a lazy subsistence too easy
at hand to have any incentive to Ia
! Dor. They may do little light Work
| in the shade; they may make a Jew
cigars, or they may even condescend
/ to do a little Homework, If you do not
| expect too much, in the way of clean
! ing; but what they prefer is to put on
a few stars, huge pair of boots enor-
| nous spurs, and a hat something
wondrous to behold, mount an easy
going Cuban pony and parade the
principal streets. Give this to the Gu
ban, white and colored, and you nave
! him as pleased as a child with new
| toy, as proud as a peacock, and about
as sensible as an ostrich.
In Santiago there is another element
adding to the labor troubles, namely,
! the Jamaica negro, who is one degree
worse than his Cuban brother in the
matter of industry. There are over
1000 of his type here, all wanting jobs
as walters, stewards, Wallets or some
thing equally easy; but as to the real
work of the isIand-the digging, min
ing and labor that will bring the
sweat to a mans brow. the Jamaican
negro wants none Of it. The problem
was long since solved in his own cOun-
try by the importation of the Indian
coolies under contract to work five
years. The mine-owners and other
large employers of labor are consider
ing some plan whereby they can over
come the difficulty of obtaining men
The Spanish-American Iron company
has sent to Spain for 500.
No one can take a three-hour ride
over this part of the island without
being impressed with the fact that the
earth is about the most productive or
the face of the globe. and that a mar
with a family and $500 or $500 is prob
ably better off here than any place il
the world. With very little labor he
gets not only the necessaries of life
but even it's luxuries, and, in addition
can always sell enough TO supply him
self and family with the things he can
not grow. His coffee, sugar. vegetables
fruit, chickens. hogs. goats and tobacco
ne can raise himself. To men whose
ambition it is to lead a quiet, easy
ready-made existence, not anxious tt
shine in politics or in any Of the lead
ing professions, and who have yer!
modest capital, the province of Santf
ago de Cuba offers one of the choices
fields in the world