The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1898-03-16
PROSPERITY
FOR CUBA.
What Will Follow the Res
tOratiOn OF
Peace.
"A ROSY VISION OF THE FUTURE.
President Feels Relieved by the Ac-
ton Of Congress Secretary
AIger And The
KIondike Relief ExpeditIon-Story Of
a Parvenu Congress-

Will happen IN CuDa IN case the rule OF
Spain in that island comes to an end or
the power Of the United States Is thrown
over the colony In such way as to assure
permanency Of peace. Men who know
| Cuba from one end to the other tell me In
their opinion the island will enjoy period
| of prosperity such as Il never saw before.
The rehabilitation viii be among the mar
| wells Of the world for swiftness and oom-
pleteness. 1t is well known that Cuba Is
rich In soil and resources. All the world
stands ready TO buy her tobacco and her
sugar, her coffee and her woods. Given
an enlightened and settled government,
given security for capital and business,
and Cuba would attract the enterprising
and speculative young men from all over
the world. Property now worthless OF
nearly so, because overrun with weeds In
that luxuriant semitropical CLINE, with Its
buildings In ruin and its people scattered
| or dead, would be made TO blossom as the
rose. Many thousands Of men would 20
out from the United States to take share
In the work of rehabilitation, to invest
their capital, to give the island the bless
ing Of American thrift and practically.
There is hope for the Cubans who yet live,
as they appear to be upon the dawn Of bet
ter times.
Presidents Interest In Cuba.
President Mckinley, says a member Of
the cabinet who knows whereof he speaks,
has not gone to bed one night In the last
three or four months without taking the
question Of Cuba along with him. IL is
the one question which has absorbed his
energies and his thought. After the wreck
Of the Maine the president was for oou-
pie OF weeks unable to sleep we'll. The re-
sponsibllity resting upon him worried him
and led him to fight 1t all out on. his pill
low. His health did not suffer seriously,
but he became noticeably paler and more
nervous. The strain, the long hours dur
Ing which 1t was impossible to shake of
thought and speculation and that weigh
ing OF every circumstance and considera-
tion which q conscientious man finds un-
avoidable under such conditions, had their
natural effect. But this has now TO
large extent worn away. Since the presi-
dent perceived the splendid manner In
which the American people were standing
by him, without dissenting voice in con
gress, and with jingoism and conservatism
all coming TO the same level of patriotism,
he has slept better and felt more confidence
In the future and in himself.
Compared with the conscientiousness
and hard work OF the president of the
United States want to point out to you
an instance Of another sort. - 1t Is not Of
much Importance, and under the oiroum-
stances do not feel at liberty to give the
gentleman's name, though am strongly
tempted to do SO. He is a represen tative
In congress from a northern state. He
was appointed by Speaker Reed member
Of one Of the most important committees
Of the house. This committee has been at
work nearly all winter upon a scheme of
legislation which the country evinced
great interest In and which would have
been OF vital consequence TO the nation had
not the foreign complications collapsed 1t.
Yet the committee has never once been
able TO secure the attendance Of this mem
Der. He has been sent for a dozen times
and has been urged to take his place, but
has never appeared. His fellow commit
teemen do not know what his views are
they do not know him by sight, some Of
them. The man spends most OF his time
playing poker and carousing around and
he doesn't care a rap whether there is any
legislation or not. Indeed 1t takes all
kinds OF men to make up world.
KlOndike Relief Expedition.
Some OF the newspapers have tried to
oritioise Secretary Alger for plunging into
the Klondike relief expedition and spend
ing so much Of the public money therein.
But these criticisms are In very poor taste.
II Is true that at the time the secretary
asked congress for the appropriation and
gave the orders for buying the reindeer In
Norway there were many we'll Informed
men " ho thought relief was not needed BY
the miners and that they could take care
OF themselves. IL will be remembered
that took the same view In these dis
patches, after a careful study Of the situa-
ton. But there was no certainty that this
view was correct. Ii might turn out, aft
or all, that thousands of miners would
starve II relief were not sent In by the
government Secretary Alger simply act
cd upon the theory that as long as doubt
remained It would DO almost criminal OF
the government to neglect every possible
precaution. He acted wisely and humane!
~, and criticism OF him In this connection
Is very farfetched indeed. The public,
which believes the American government |
should stand by American citizens, wher1
ever they are, whether in q foreign land
or faraway Alaska, will praise rather than
condemn the secretary for his foresight
Besides, tits likely TO turn out good |
Investment. mot much money has actual
~ been lost. The herd Of 500 reindeer i'm
ported from. Lapland BY special steamer
are worth every cent they cost. Alaska
needs reindeer, and the more Of them there
the better. The day viii come when they
may DO worth their weight In gold In saw
ing human life. Moreover, the 800 ami
mails could now be sold al about what ID
cost the government to place them In low
or Alaska. The war department. has an
offer OF ei00 Apiece for herd Of 300, and
che cost was between ESQ and 600 each, ev-
erything reokoned In.
rszt Door 20 Vanderbilt.
have heard funny story OF q rich
western congressman. He has q LOT OF
money. charming family, and he wanted
10 eut dash In Washington. So he hit
upon the expedlent Of renting handsome
Furnished hOuao next door 10 the house