Evening star., 1898-12-16

tions are redeveloped the existing railway
lines will be able to handle their products
1t is not likely that the resources of the
railroads will be severely taxed in meeting
the needs of 100000 or 100000 people
when formerly they were able to provide
for 10000. Until census is taken
under the American military author
tiles the present number of inhabitants can
not be stated with exactness, but there is
a general agreement that in the last four
years not less than 100000 have perished.
Whoever studies the existing conditions in
Cuba cannot overlook fact. Its re-
building must come from the cultivation of
the soil. Agriculture is the basis of its
prosperity. Agriculture has been suspended
during the period of war. but the soil has
lost none of its fertility. The remaining in
habitants are not forced to seek new fields.
This is q broad economic fact which must
be taken into account in every scheme of
industrial reconstruction. 1t also has a di-
rect bearing the political conditions
which lead to tranquility.
The proposed backbone railroad leads
through an uninhabited country. Labor for
Its building would have to be brought from
other parts of the island. 1t is a common
nisconception that the surviving reconcen-
tradoeS could be employed in this work.
The Judgment of the physicians should be
taken on this point. The men among these
surviving reconcentradoes are not numer-
GUS They will never be able to perform the
amount of labor that might have been had
from them four years ago. Their physical
strength is limited. The best that can be
hoped is to get them back in the country
on little farms of their own the plan
tations There they can do some work in
the felds-enough to sustain themselves and
their families. To talk of gathering them
up in a body. transporting them away from
their neighborhood surroundings and con-
verting them into gangs of railroad labor
erS is to talk of an impracticabie undertake
ing.
Condition of Insurgent Troops.
The insurgent troops have suffered con-
siderably from the fevers this fall. They
nave a large percentage of men who will
not he capable of physical labor for long
time to come. Yet If it We're necessity to
construct railroad, some thousands of
them could be had for the purpose. The
same objection however wonld lie tn en-
ploying them that holds with reference to
the reconcentradoes. 1t would simply Gre
ate an artificial situation, and would take
Them away from the plantations and the
small farms. separating those who have
families from their families. At present
the efforts of the American officials are be-
ing directed with fair degree of success
to getting the Cubans back to their homes
IN the country. The importance of this
course in both the industrial and the polti-
cal sense has been recognized in Washing
ton, and wise steps have been taken to
carry 1t out 1t is inconceivable that when
progress is being made the policy should be
reversed under plea of finding work for men
LOT whose labor there is already employ
ment in the fields
1t seems not TO be fully understood in the
United States that following the military
occupation there is reasonably certain to
DC work enough for all the able-bodied in
napltants now OF the island. Capitalists
VINO are here loe king into the future devel-
opment know this and they are studying
the problem of immigration. which is going
10 be an important one. The sugar planters
nave already formed society to promote
immigration. With one-third of the former
lhdustrlal population gone they know the
sugar plantations cannot get back to the
OIu prOuuctiOn without bringing N lah
Ihey are not going to reach the former pro-
ducton at jump, so the question is not
a pressing one. The actual situation is that
the plantations which have cane standing
and which are beginning to grind find
neither a surplus nor deficiency of labor
Where they can borrow money to set their
Plantations working they find hands enough
with no excess. That promises to be the
condltIon until the season for grinding ends
in April.
Sanitary improvements Needed
l know that the EMPLOYMENT which the
United States is giving the Cubans in pre-
pairing its camp sites and barracks is tenn
porary. When this work is done there will
be more in carrying on the sanitary i'm
proVements which will be Indispensable
All the surplus labor which stays in the
towns will be needed in cleaning the cities
and keeping them clean. If it comes to a
question whether the American government
'ii'Ii SPciiu Sfy,VpFV III DullQlnS rallrOaGS
in Cuba in sanitary improvements every
instinct of national self-preservation would
call for the sanitation. That point has not
yet been reached. The question for some
months to come will be as to the best
means of placing the people of Cuba in a
position where they will be able to save
themselves from starvation. The subject
has many aspects, and | shall return to it
in the future. At present a general state
ment may be made. Sugar tobacco and
the minor products of the soil will be In the
future, as in the past, the chief means of
sustenance for the inhabitants of Cuba
Sugar and tobacco will not be brought back
to the old basis of production by the United
States building railroads to open up the
mineral and forest resources of eastern
Cuba Nor will it be a practicable means
of giving employment to the nhabitants of
the island. Its tendency would be to with
draw them from employments In which
their labor is of greater use in the recuper-
alton of agriculture
CHARLES NJ. PEPPER.