Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-08
RURAL CUBA
A Typical Deserted Village Accurate.
ly Described.
like WRITING ABOUT THE DEAD
All Resources Are Said to Be Near
ing Exhaustion.
SCCCOR A GENUINE CHARITY
Copyright, 1885. by Charles ~ P~pp@r.)
Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
UNION Metanzas Proy,,oa


UNION, Metanzas Province.
January g. 1898
'Miseria" is the disease that atiticts rurar
Cuba. The physicians who attend the
dying reconcentradoes I'm the towns coined
the term They had 10 word comprehen-
sifc enough TO describe the loss of lives
from munger, exposure and lack of care: so
they called II 'miseria." A majority of the
puriu certlncates now give this as the
cause OF death 'Miseria' is simply misery.
Ii is misery that has depopulated the con-
centration settlements and IL is misery
.ha' 'hro"s SHADOW over the country dis
trlcts. The country, like its people il
dying from lack OF nourishment
Union, in the old times. was one of the
most attractive of Cuban villages. II
might still be called attractive il there
were inhabitants enough in 1t to give an
appearance of life. The town has not suf-
Tered destruction 1t Is desolate. but the
desolation is not that of ruin The build
ings are not backened walls or grass
grown ash heaps, as in other places. Moth
Ing aiis the place but lonesomeness And
it is not as bad here as elsewhere. for the
fine sugar plantation, ''Conchita," close by.
has some canefields which are not charred,
and the mill is able to do a little grinding.
The streets are clean, many OF the cottages
are pretty and look as though the occu-
pants were once prosperous. Even the re-
concentradoes are housed with something
like comfort in row of huts along the
railroad track. They are few in numbers
Today they hug their hearthstones closely
II bit of burning charcoal can be called
a hearthstone. The children who came
out to beg shiver in their rags. for a cold
wind from the north has brought with IL a
sleety rain, and they are poorly fitted to
stand such exposure. Old clothes from the
United States would not go amiss here
But the reconcentradoes in Union are not
exhibiting their misery and they remain in
their huts. 1 noticed, as in other concen-
tration settlements, that the survivors are
mostly blacks. They have withstood the
policy Of determination better than tho
whites
Club Houses Deserted.
Every Cuban town has its club. called tho
Casino Espanoia or Circulo Espanola. Thfs
might be called Spanish Institution, for
it is the home OF the Spanish classes, usual
ly the merchants, professional men and
officials. 1t is the center of social and po-
litical influence for the neighborhood.
Union has its Spanish Casino roomy quar-
tiers on the main street. The rooms are
tenantless. OF an evening sometimes few
persons gather there, but not enough OF
them to afford one another companionship.
The Chinese Casino, a little distance away,
has life and activity. These Cinnamon are
not concerned with Spain's decay. They
can exist and enjoy themselves in any sur
roundings So their club has animation ana
vivacity, while in somber contrast the
Spanish Casino is lifeless and deserted To
the Chinese it matters little who are mas
tiers of Cuba. To the Spanish in the towns
of the interior it matters everything.
The military is not obtrusive here. A few
struggling soldiers and half a dozen gos-
siping officers are all the evidences OF war
that may be seen in the streets. A negro
brought in by a small squad. with his hands
bound across his chest gives a hint that a
prisoner is being taken to the guard house.
but one insurgent does not make an in
surrection. The church tower, and a fine
old church it is, is occupied by single
sentry. Neither the church nor the rail-
way station at Union is fortified, as in
most other towns. 1t would not do to as
sumo. however. that military protection is
lacking. A strong cavalry force is quar-
tered short distance out in the country,
and there are plenty of troops in the vicin-
ity. Some insurgent bands lie in the
swamps to the southwest. near the coast,
as we'll as in the hills to the north. Union
is well guarded against their raids 1t
ought to show all the signs of a bustling
community at this season of the year
Resources Nearing Exhaustion.
But single sugar plantation which has
green cane and a few score acres of gar
dens constituting the zone of cultivation
cannot give life and activity. Union is like
other towns. 1t had resources enough to
live on itself for while. Those resources
are nearing exhaustion. The country from
which 1t should draw support has nothing
to yield. On one side, toward Havana are
the burned cane lands. In the other direc-
ton, toward Matanzas and Cienfuegos bar
rem fields, with neither cattle nor men, only
the tall palm trees to break the solitude Of
nature Coming in from the latter direc-
tion 1 have been impressed for the hum
dredth time with the absence of even the
signs of life The buzzards have almost
ceased to circle over the fields. Nothing is
left for them Had a few hundred of the
reconcentradoes been put back in the coun-
try, allowed to rebuild their "bohos," or
palm huts, been given seed and encouraged
to exert what strength remained to them
in cultivating the land, the aspect of the
country would have been different This
was not done, anG 1t Is useless to speculate
on what might have been the beneficial re-
suit on the economic conditions of the ISL
and. This phase of the subject has now to
be studied with reference to the town COM
munities. They are reaching the point
where the sterilization of the country
around them is having its natural effect
have taken Union as an illustration because .
the conditions could be shown with less ex-
hibition Of visible and harassing distress
than in most of the other towns visited
/ know a former public man of pron-
ireLce whose official career gave him an
opportunity to understand affairs liz Cuba.
He lived here many years. He had form
ed theory Of causation. To his mind
certain economic causes were working deem
down under the surface. In time, by q
natural process. they would all combine 4
to the benefit of the United States. But
events nCst not be hurried. Neither hu-
nenity nor supposed seIf-interest must
bring about the adoption of q policy which
might be Shaped without proper deffbera-
ton. Five years might be needed for the
theory Of causation to work itself out:
fifty years might be required. but the
United States should be patient These !,
views. perhaps. are on file In the State
Department. They were explained to mo
when Weyler's policy was in relentless
execution. Their author was staggered
for q mcment when he thought of the
wcmen and children dying OF enforced