The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-10
RAINY SEASON IN CUBA
ITS HORRORS DEPICTED BY AN
AMERICAN
Exposure to the Elements Means Al
most Certain Death to the North
erner--Trave ell a II I'm possibility
irresponsible Nature of the Men
Who Would BE the Rulers of the
Island in Case of Independence.
st. Paul Globe.

Special to The st. Paul Globe.
WASHINGTON, April 9.-The COM
ing of the rainy season in Cuba is the
prospect which has most worried the
advocates Of hasty action. The terrors
to Northern people of a Cuban rainy
season have never been half told.
An American, who has spent many
years on the island, and whose trust
worthiness cannot be questioned, thus
describes them: The mud is some
thing that we know nothing Of; if you
attempt to ride horseback on any Of
the roads outside the city, the first
thing you know your horse will sink
down into hole SO that his legs will
disappear completely from view. Moth
ing short of a yoke Of oxen can get
the horse out, and it requires dexterous
mana cement so to locate the oxen that
by the time the horse is raised to the
surface they will not be out of sight
in their turn. In short, travelling Is
practically out of the question during
the rainy season. But these lncon-
veniences of getting about are not the
worst part of it. The rainfall each day
is almost torrential, and the North
erner who once gets thoroughly wet is
sure to come down with yellow fever.
Hot and Muggy.
"Why could not our soldiers protect
themselves against getting wet by rub
Der clothing?" he was asked.
when the sun comes out between
the showers" he answered, 1.-The Their
Of
giness is beyond description. The rains
are almost doWnfalls Of warm water,
and rubber garments in these clrcum-
stances would be very oppressive. IL
will be almost impossible for Northern
soldiery to escape yellow fever, ana
the percentage of deaths could not out
be enormous 1t is a disease that must
he taken in the first twenty-four hours,
or the case is hopeless. Our boys Woulu
drop down like sheep, and the prospeo-
is horrible to contemplate.
The great mortality Of the Spanish
troops has not been due to the arms OF
the insurgents, but to the raVages OIL
the fever. Comparatively Few span
iar1s have been wounded by the REP
ais This is proved by the fact that
Snain has continued to kill as bandits
ali insurgents whom she has captured
under arms. This policy would not
have been possible had the insurgents
been capturing any Spanlards' 700, lol
the killing Of prisoners Oh war ai"a
stops when it becomes two-sloeo' IN
Havana and the fortified towns, our.
;no The rainv season, the mud is or
co1,rse not so disturbing an element
Inf the filth is something awful 10 pc
hold and for purposes OF heaitn Ioi
eien soldiers might just as wen ne -,
the country districts as In the Clues
The wisdom of the good old precept
of International law, aside from us
obvious necessity, that each hal
should attend to it's own internal a
fairs is made increasingly evident IN
+baso davs nv the vague and contra
dictorv reports received here concern,
inp Cuban conditions. In spite OF an
the returned travellers. senator's JUL
nalists. and relief distrlbutore' tneie
is a. notable lack of authentlc iiiioi
nation. Not to know CONDITIONS Is 10
misunderstood them. The North ana
the South today cannot understand
eocb other on the negro question, or
on universal suffrage. The reason is
that since one section has the coloreu
voter in large numbers, while the otner
has not they cannot look upon the
situation from the same point OF view.
TT is obvious that the American people
do not understand the Cuban SITUATION.
They have a very mistaken estlmate
ing for, and what turning the Island
over to their control would mean.
Consuls' Stories Differ.
Our consuls on the island ought to
be a source of trustworthy informa-
ton at this juncture, but. for some
reason, their reports have not been
given to congress or the public. 1t Is
known. however, that their accounts
do not agree in certain substantial par
ticulars.
Consul McGarr, at Cienfuegos. takes
such a Spanish view of the general
situation that the aggressive Cuban
element here have been storming the
administration for his removal. Mr..
McGarr. too, desired to be relieved
of the duties of his office, and so an
other man has been appointed in his
place who has not yet assumed the
duties of the office. But the United
States cannot wholly ignore the testi-
mony of Mr.. McGarr There are no
more reasons for imputing improper
motives to him than to those observers
who have taken extreme positions on
the other side.
Of our senatorial visitors, the only