The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1898-12-17
GOOD ROADS FOR CUBA.
THE ISLAND IS A NATURAL PARADISE
FOR WHEELMEN.

THE ISLAND Is A NATURAL PARADISE
FOR WHEELMEN.
The Picturesqus Beauty Of the Scener
Is Sure to Attract the Attention of tn,
American Cyclist-The Militant Apostl.
Of Better Highways Is General Stone
1t might seem trifle premature t,
consider Cuba as favorite resort fo
wheelmen. The island is not nov
blessed with many roads available TO
anything more than mule trains. bu
the militant apostle of good roads
General Roy Stone, has shown il
Porto Rico what little Yankee ener
gy can do fcr the improvement o
highways and, of course, the same
can be done in Cuba, and doubles.
will be done now that the island hat
ceased to be colony of Spain. Fol
one thing, the picturesque beauty Of
the island, enhanced by the charm o.
its semi-tropical verdure, is sure te
attract the attention of American
wheelmen, and when wheeimen gel
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 80 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. We're the pa
tient native mule endowed with speech
like his kinsman of the BALKAN story,
he would undoubtedly cry out against
what passes for street in a typical
Spanish town. 1t will sound q 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 a 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 long
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-
ightful 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, inst 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
fully neglected by Spain. But to re-
vert to our first thought, Cuba is a
paradise for the wheelman.
and when he finds it out he is going
to see that good roads are built.
New York Tribune.