The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1898-12-27
lIAvANNA BEGINNING TO
FEEL AMERICAN GOVERNMENT.
Appropriation for Public Sanitation Male
by tho Department at Washington
Mail Service 10 DO improved.

NEW YORK. Dec. "A dispatch 10 the
Tribune from Havana says;
| Cuba n feeling the b,noiiln Of prospcc.
/ tive and of actual American adminintri-
iion. sOms ot the streets are rally clean
Ocncrai IT, v Greene had t50O0 Tor put
llo sanitation authorized by tho depart
mont al waAhingion. bu, Spanish SOW
erugny had 20 DO respected although
Il was unable 90 remove tho garbage
from n single alley Tho Havana al
juamicnto. OF common council had tot
a dollar 90 vncHd 50. by permission Of
tho Spanish authorities. the United staicr
took hold of the work
Roluca do Essaban tho aicade. or may
OF of tho city. had proelnmatlons posted
Ia which tho Inhabitants of the streets
cleaned were told that II was done BY the
American government and tNoy were eH-
hor,cd 20 second tbo efforts OF tho United
slatca military authorities.
THIS removal OF tho Accommodations OF
garbage does tot solve tho sanitary proc
lon o. Havana. however. II shows that
tho strrota can DO kept fairly clean and
tho city 10 made hAbltab,r. wnilo the
changes that mus, DO made In the sewer.
aEo aystnm anc other hygvnic improve
men,a arr carried out.
f1yo yearL may DO necessary before the
plans which George y, warlng prepared
can DO made effective This will not pre-.
ven, Havana from being kept clean for
the neat Ave months. which In the period
IN which 4 ia important TO forrstall dis
cAAo among the American troops, Gen
ord Ludlow will probably DO appalled,
by tho task before him AZ military and
civil governor OF Havana city. Every
American commander, whom no faces his
responsibility. probably has that feeling,
hut there Is usually somo simple point
at which a beginning eau be made. In
Havana II Ia clean strcots.
Americans who ara In Cuba engaged in
business are chiefly concerned In an i'm.
pfovtmcn, In tho mail service, both DO
nestle and foreign. II would not be fair
20 judge spanish administration by the
complete Generalization which has APP
pcarcd IN tho postofiioo Arrangements In
tho last few weeks. Some Disturbances
was Inevitable. The knowledge OF the
employees tllat they would receive none OF
tho back pay increased their Indifference.
Most of them will necessarily bc kept
for a time and they know they will re-
ccivo their wages, That and the desire
TO please tho American officials will spur
thom along to d better performance OF
Though the service II nearly dluorgan-
ICED. the methods OF administration are
simple and they are easily adjusted 10
tho change, This is shown In the case
with which tho military postofiices for
tho American troops has been put in OPP
Grafton
Under tho Spanish rule the government
owned tho telegraph lines and operated
them In connection with the postotiice de-
partmentA The railroads were not per-
mllted to uso lines OF their own. Their
ordinary and neoss,ry business was
transacted under voXatiouS restrictions.
Tho ofiioial regulations were as volumln-
ouy and as intricate as tho code Of civil
law
1t cannot be said that the system, under
Spanish methods. at least, offers encour-
agemcnt to those who favor Il govern
mont postal telegraph, The United States
will not have to meet chat question now
because OF tho practical difficulties In the
way OF administering the telcBNphi1 tys-
tenn as part OF tho postotiice system.
Under tho military rule which Is to be
established for tho entire island, the tele-
graph lines win bo military ones, The
signal service corps win have charge OF
that, These lines are In bad condition,
10 repair them and get the system In
working order viii require several
weeks. Whom this Is done, In addition to
tho use Of the army, the lines will afford
ample facilities for tho transaction OF
private business. The volume of COM
morclal messages Ia not likely to be large
for year or more
Some of the Havana merchants do not
have a clear idea OF what the American
military control means, They do not
understand why Colonel Bliss an army
officer should be named for collector OF
customs, or why similar positions are 70
be under. military. control, They have
been mlsled into believing that all civil
omployments are to be turned over TO the
military arm. A little experience under
actual admInlstration will remove their
mlsgivngs, Military responsibilities will
exist In all administration and for that
reason army officers viii bo at the head
of all important departments, but there is
no intention. OF having soldiers to DIS
charge the duties which can only be salts
factorily performed by civilians
Many of the Spanish employees, In both
military and civil whose functions will