Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-11-26
EXPERT HUM BUGS
How American Occupation of Cuba
Has Been Delayed.
CAMP SITES IGNORANTLY SELECTED
Commissions Have Been Having a
Very Good Time.
S 0 NJ E g r Il G l S NJ s
copyright, 1898. by Charles II. Pepper.]

copyright, 1898. by Charles II. Pepperl
From STAFF Correspondent.
HAVANA, November 81, 1895
| Cuba is ready for American military con-
! troll. How soon the troops are coming i
do not know, but IT cannot be long time
now till the impatience of the people is
satisfied. With the military occupancy will
come responsibilities. some OF which seem
| to be imperfectly understood. For that
reason l write of them, with proper apollo
gies in advance to the various individuals
| who may not like it. A dyspeptic or a sour
man could write a disagreeable letter on
the first Impressions of temporary American
sovereignty. But these November days are
! as soft and mild June days in the north
and nobody ought to get il-humored. II
some historian were looking up material for
| a chapter on humbugs he might follow the
various commissions and expert boards that
| have been sent from the United States to
study and report on various things in Cuba
| A simple record would form the chapter.
| Or II testimony Were needed the historian
| might jot down what the commissions think
| and say of one another
| The Evacuation Commission.
| / would not be understood as including
| the evacuation commission, which arrived
! in September, in this category. Its MEM
| bers have been FESTIVE and sensitive. They
| have wondered why there was so little criti-
cism in the American newspapers when 50
much might have seemed open to criticism.
Probably the situation was better appre-
| ciated in the offices of the newspapers than
IL was by the commissioners, for in the
| United States It was understood that get
ting the Spanish troops out Of Cuba was
one of several subjects which had to be
settled il Paris and Washington. Natur-
ally here in Havana only one thing was
| thought of, and that was the making ready
| for American control. And It Is just to say
| that if the commission has made ready
| slowly this was because of the policy which
was enforced by circumstances. Whatever
| differences of opinion the members may
| have had among themselves have not in
| terfered with their official functions
The machinery placed at their disposal for
| transacting business has been ample be-
yond their widest dreams. When affairs
| with Spain are wound up they could outfit
| the Car of Russia with an experienced
| force large enough to do all the work nee
| essary in carrying out his project of uni
| versal disarmament. The American govern
| ment has been 50 munificent in this matter
| Of aids. secretaries. special counsel, clerks.
! stenographers, typewriters, interpreters,
couriers messengers, translat tors and other
, functionaries. 1T is proper to say, fur
thermore, that a large amount of this
! help was furnished without being asked.
Having said this much about the encourage
of the commission of commissions, | re-
turn TO the general subject of military
and civil commissions, experts special and
| experts particular, and their belongings.
Having a Good Time.
Are the official representatives of the gov
eminent and their subordinates in this BUSH
| ness Of reconstructing Cuba having good
| time? Yes, they are having good time.
! The advcrb which is sometimes weakening
| to the substantive might in this case be
| preiixed without violating the canons of
| grammar and the statement be made that
| they are having d very good time better
time than many of them have ever had
before, a better time than they will have
| again. BY good time do not mean any
| thing discredtable to individuals or to the
government, for nothing of that kind is go
| ing on. 1t is simply pleasant existence.
with the means for gratifying the thirst for
knowledge, the taste for travel, the within
for fresh experiences, the caprices of the
! hour, when the paucity OF duties to per-
form threatens ennui under the trappings
of official authority and Uncle Sam to pay
the bills. The experience is really an en-
yiable one, except during the periods when
everybody is in a funk over the yellow
fever.
Some experts have come from the United
States in q funk about the yellow fever
and have not gotten over it until after their
return. Those who remain right along
gradually become more courageous. All of
them will go back in time with tales of
their own heroism, and perhaps will be ask
ing pensions for the shock their constitu-
tons were subjected 10 in the performance
of duty. Now / know it takes more bray
cry to face death in lurking disease than il
does to face the grapeshot of the enemy.
would not decry those who have come to
Cuba in the performance Of duty, for there
are greater peIils to health than in remain
Ing at home. These perils will continue this
year and other years. They will be shared
equally by the humbest soldier and the
highest officer But there is limit to the
self-advertised martyrdom that has been
going on, and the limit has been reached.
Nobody need walk into yellow fever hos
pital and nobody except an expert need
walk into an offal dump and pick il out as
healthy camp site for American soldiers.
l do not know how far the scientific plans
had gone. but they must have been pretty
well advanced, because the discovery that
the troops We're to be camped where the
city dumped its garbage and other refuse
was not made until the railway manager
as invited out to arrange the details for
transporting the troops. Then he made some
observations not complimentary to commits
sion experts, and the location was changed.
Perhaps this story of the garbage camp
site is not known in the United States. If
SOP shall not tell tales out of school;
neither will the experts.
American Officers Not LiOnixed.
About the general question Of military
occupancy some misconceptions have arisen.
The troops are not coming down to a
strange land. among barbarians, who need
to be impressed with their Importance. The
people are passably intelligent. Some
thousands of them have been away from
home. So far every uniform which has ar
rived in Havana has been surprised that
its appearance did not cause a sensation.
Its wearer seemed to expect that the gap
ing populace would crowd the streets and
that the Spanish troops would be attention,
while Captain General Blanco would call TO
pay respects. Instead, the city has plodded
along as though nothing unusual had hap
pened The lottery vendors and the profess
sional beggars are the only ones to take
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