Evening star., 1898-10-31
The Conditions in the Rural Dis
tricts of Cuba.
TRYING TO BLOT OUT THE PAST
Gen. Lorente Talks of the Feelings
of the Army
A n n E Y A T ION TALK


for the quickest. That is why 1 came ont
to the town of Pinar del Rio. l am not
going to write at present of what may be
seen in the seven hours railroad Journey
hither We are trying to blot out the past,
in the hope that is held out for the future.
The desert that war has created cannot be
made to bloom as a garden in a day. An
other season or two must pass before the
face of all this richest of lands smiles once
more with cultivation. The most that can
be looked for now is to find the oaseS, and
see if their borders are spreading.
Coming west from Havana there is a ray
of sunlight streaming across the village OF
Guira de Melena, which is in Havana prov
ince. The American tobacco firm which
has its warehouses and planta tions there
did not lose an hour after the protocol was
signed It's representatives We're promptly
on the ground. They pushed the planting
of their own lands. They encouraged and
helped the 'vequeros'' or small tobacco
farmers. They managed to find oxen. The
outcome will be that while full crop is
not expected, their warehouses viii! be
partly filled, where others must remain
empty for this season.
A Sign of Cultivation.
Beyond Guira, through ArtemiSa, Cande
laria and places which were once railroad
tivatton pushing out timdly little fur
ther beyond the limits of the village than
a year ago. The evidences Of devastation
are not so marked. for the charred fields
and ruins of buildings are covered with
green vegetation. ii is weeds and grass,
yet these are better than ashes. In other
respects the aspect of the country I'M
presses me as more lonesome than during
former trips This is natural. There are
fewer men, women and children and oxen
than year ago. At San Cristobol and
Paso Real the number of skeleton frames
who came to the railway station to beg
aims was almost a reminder of reconcen-
tration times, but these were only places
where they appeared in force. l am quite
ready to believe that the distress among
the remnant of the population Is still preg-
nant yet its cravings are less keen, and
as the cultivation of the lands close to the
towns il creases the means of relief grow.
shall look into these matters later
For the present it may be assumed that
the journey to Piuar del Rio was not over
the railroad, but was like the birds flight,
without coming too close to earth. The
town is a pleasing one, as Cuban towns
GO II Is the capital of the province, and
its normal population of 1000 has not been
materially decreased by the lnsurrectoh'
Nor was it swollen abnormally by the re-
concentration. The country people were
driven in other directions, and a few nun
dred only were concentrated mere Where
thousands were penned III at smaller towns
in the eastern part of the province
loyal Spaniard told me there had been no
''misera" at any period. This was un-
true There was misery and death. Even
now sCme of the families, whom the
Cubans point out with the succinct remark,
effect of the reconcentrauon' 90 not
need further description.
Not In HapIess Condition.
But in the industrial and economic sense
hos 10
surrounding the town of Pnar del Rio in
hanIess condition There are people left to
cultivate the fields. and fields exist on
which the cultivation will not have to be
begun as though the soil had never been
worked. They are not a jungle which must
be cleared afresh. The tobacco crop VIII
not be a large one this year, possibly not
as large as last season; but there will be
crop If the political uncertainty had not
been so great more planting would nave
been done, though the delay in American
occupation is not responsible Tor the rams
which have continued later than usual, and
which threaten to destroy the seed that
was planted. l was told that many fine
hot house beds were liable to destruction
before the tobacco plants can be trans
planted. There are oxen enough in this
section. ard the land for several leagues
around has been fairly well titled. The
people in the town. also, seem to have en-
ployment. Shoemaking is the chief indus
machinery has not yet been introduced
One-fourth of the population appears to
be engaged in making shoes.
ride out into the country along the
COloma highway gave me an opportunity
to know its possibilities. My purpose was
to visit the headquarters Of the insurgent
general, Juan LOrente, but this did not in
terferc with other Investigations. Coloma
is part of Pinar del Rio and is fifteen miles
distant. a good road leads to it. An in
telfSent Cuban, who was along, told me
that when the Americans came in they
would build railroad through the hills to
Eahia Honda, on the north coast. The
hills he said We're full of magnesia and
other minerals, while the forests of cedar
were Of great extent. He said there was
also mahogany. | do not know what the
" ealth of those hills may be. That the
ccdars are valuable is probable. The pines,
from which the province takes its name,
are of several varieties.
1t was the confidence in what the Ameri-
cans will do that impressed me. They are
looked upon the men of new enterprises,
who are to develop the wealth of soil and
forest that is untouched. The English
company which owns the railroad running
from Havana to Pinar del Rio is planning
to extend the line further west into the to-
bacco lands, but all the new projects are
left TO the Americans. A small field of
yucca along the road attracted my atten-
tion, and on asking what It was my COM
panion replied: All there is the chance
for some American to build q starch fac
tory. They tried to raise yucca in Florida
and have factory there, but it didn't sue
ceed. Here is the place for it." Yucca is a
fbrous root which contains tapfoca and
other starchy matter. The bushes in ap-
pearance are like the alder berries of the
states. Several times l have heard the sug-
Sestion about starch factory to utilize the
product. Probably some one of the enter
prising Americans who is in the starch
business can tell whether the suggestion is
practical one.
Attitude of Cuban Soldiers
These matters of industrial resources
may be left in allegiance for while, be-
cause there are other subjects which are
also important The attitude of the Cuban
soldiers is one of them. | thought better
idea of their real feelings would be had
away from Havana, where the influence of
the agitatOrs would be less felt. The insur-
gents of Pinar del Rio were geogra phically
isolated from those in the other parts of the
island, Many of them came from Santiago
province with Maceo in the invasion. They
took part in the big fight on the hill of
Cairainas The hill was pointed out to me
by one of their officers, who was in the
combat, which was one of the few real bat
ties. 1t enabled Gomez, who planned the
invasion, to declare truthfuly that the
revolution had been natlonalized because
the insurgents had marched triumphantly
from tnr to th.l