Evening star., 1898-10-18
Some Interesting Types Of Our Coun-
trymen in Havana,
TIE RIGHT SORT AND WRONG SORT
Openings for Capitalists and En-
terprising Business Men.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Copyright 1898, by Chas. NJ. Pepper)
Special From STAFF Correspondent.

Special From Staff Correspondent.
HAVANA, October 10 1S9S
He is coming up Obispo street His
slouch hat is tilted SO as to give him a
mixture of the rakish cowboy and the
Broadway swell in his appearance His
looks are seedy. He takes the whole of the
narrow f1agstone ledge which on this IA
nous thoroughfare is called the sidewalk
The Spaniard whom he crowds off smiles
and passes along. The Cuban scowls and
mutters something about Eel Americana"
The next man shoulders him off into the
gutter. Instead of resenting it he intro
duces himself and opens up a conversation,
Tor he has recognized fellow countryman.
tie may elbow the Spaniard and irritate
the Cuban, but he won't try it with any
one from the states.
Bin in Kewby before?' he begins. af-
fably. Then without waiting for a reply,
Good country, but I've got no use for
these people. They're all gringoes. Poor
cusses. l guess they mean well enough but
Wen have to run the place for em. Don't
have nothing to eat. I've been a week try
ing to get an American beefsteak."
He can get an American beefSteak at the
French restaurant in the street with the
Irish name, which is called De O'Reilly,
put 1t Will cost 81. That amount is $3.75
beyond the capacity of his purse so the
lean beefsteak during his stay in "Kewby"
can't get nothing to drink. either" he
continues. Not place in town where
you can find real whisky. They said that
barkeeper could mix American drinks
Huh! He mixes nothing but dishwater"
Nhle he may not be able to command
the capital sufficient to buy a beefsteak
ne Will always have the price of a drink
ABOUT MIN. His comment on this subject
may be accepted as authoritative. Ameri-
cans who are going to be on the island for
any length Of time will be no worse off
tor their inability to procure American
drinks drinks me interesting parsonage who de-
plores the lack in this respect dwelis on
1t feelingly, and it is some time before he
drifts to other subjects These he discusses
Volubiy and to his own satisfaction.
In Cuba "On Business.
He is here. he says, Ion business, and
II is easy to see that the business is i'm
portant. 1t may be to combine the rail-
roads, to form syndicate to work the
sugar plantations to introduce a new
brand of soft soap. Whatever it Is, his op-
eratons will be conducted on a grand scale.
DAY after tomorrow he will be around try
ing to have a check for $50 on INV bank
cashed. His bank Is likely TO be at some
crossroads in Indiana or North Dakota
Inc check won't be cashed and then he
Will disappear from view
A friend who has lived long in South
american countries tells me that this kind
OF citizen from the states must be horne
with for awhile, because he Is certain to be
mere IN large numbers. He used to ap-
pear regularly, says my informant lat
Valparaiso, at Lima, at Buenos Ayres and
at other places Usually he had been in
mexico and had picked up a smatterine of
spanish That was his excuse for coming
@ nur.ner south; lie was always seedy, al
ways desplsed the country to which he
came, always had a big scheme on hand
and always went broke when his check
wasn't cashed He will overrun Cuba, but
while he will be a nuisance no one bara
need be taken in. It's the peonle In the
states who want to look out for hin, and
let his schemes alone"
The Right Sort.
AFTER listening for half an hour to the
adFenturer' 1t was refreshing to hear the
cheery hello of a young fellow from t1e
southwest Been some time since I saw
you he said, as though it were only YES
terday. The time was eighteen months
ago. 1t was the period when VIEWERS
sway was at its height and the future of
una @ was was black as night, Yet this young
man mad persuaded the firm which en-
pioyed him-"the house, as he called IL
10 send him to the island to look into the
chance OF increasing it's business The
ne ueadauarters' I thlnk, were at Galveston.
ne had gone out into thu country at some
peril to himself and in the face of many
eulIncuitles; After he came back and Just
oelore sailing, he told me the result Of his
observations. He was not a keen poIiti,aI
observer and he did not know whetber
Spain would re-estabIish her authority or
not But he knew peace must come some
Gay 10 the island, and he knew also that
the trade between the United States and
cuba was going to be increased immense
~ What was more, he had found wnere
the house would have the prospect of
opening up new markets. So he was going
PACK TO make his report and wait
came nearly month ago" he said in
answer to my question. I've been out in
the country three four times I tell YOU
II looks bad-worse than it did the other
time But they know it's all over now and
everybody wants to be doing something I
expect to be taking orders all over the is
land by spring, This winter we won't be
able to do much, except here in Havana,
and we won't ship anything till those Span
lards are showed out of the custom house
These Havana merchants have lots Of mon
ey and they want our goods. The house is
soing to do big Cuban business" It is q
rough guess of mine. but in a few years
the house" will have new partner or else
an enterprising young American will be
managing Cuban business Of his own
Cynical OId-Timer.
The Philadelphia coal merchant is an old
stager. He has been selling coal In Ha-
vana for dozen years The insurrectton
did not entirely interrupt his trade Being
well established he is not an enthusiast on
new enterprises. His &C mment on the new
comers is a trifie cynical They want to
rush Into everything" he says. land think
they'll have it all their own way, but they
won't. They don't seem to understand that
other people have be en doing business he
for long while. Some of them imagine
that they'll come down with a few thous-
and dollars in October and go back in Nav
with million. I hope they all have re-
turn tickets"
But while the Philadelphia coal merchant
is cynical in speaking Of his fellow country
men, or of some of them he does not deny
that there are many opportunities for the
employment of American capital His
warning against expecting to realize a for
tune Immediately is sound. His talk was
listened to by one of the American sugar
planters, who has clung desperately to a
plantation through three years of wreck
and ruin. Yes said this sugar planter
some swill get their fingers burned and
some will have their palms scorched What
of it? That happens at home. And you
wont find them raking the hot chestnuts
out of the fire for somebody else the second
time. tell them all to come and take
their chances"
As proof that there are chances. even
now, the experience Of a capitalist from
one of the southern states was related to
me. II wanted a cigar factory" he said