The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-12-23
REJrTENATEDS SANTIAGO
Special Commissioner Porter Re-
ports on Reforms in Cuba.
FILTH OF AGES CLEARED AWAY,


Citizens ofsuntiago. Heretofore Unac-
customcd to Cleanliness, Have Made
n Complete surrender to the sanitary
Authorities.
Washington, Dec. 23.--Robert 7. Por-
ter, special commissioner for the Uni
ted States to Cuba and Porto Rico.
has returned from Santiago and has
submitted his report to the secretary
of the treasury. While in Porto Rico
Mr.. Porter held public hearings. and
all persons Interested in the welfare
of the island were invited to submit
statements and give oral testimony.
The disagreeable smells Of the typical
Cuban city. his report says, are less
pronounced in Santiago, while white
wash limewash fresh paint and all
sorts of disinfectants have deodorized
the surrounding atmosphere and made
the old town quite habitable. The
streets are no longer used as sewers,
and the unhappy individual who vio-
lates the law and escapes the lash Of
the sanitary commissioners whip Is
! compelled to work on the streets for
80 days This official, Major Barbour
EDOlleSS
and 32 United States mule teams and
carts having dug out from the streets
of Santiago the filth of ages, is now
able to keep them absolutely clean.
Every day by the aid of petroleum,
the garbage Of the city is burned.
The work Of sanitation is not con-
fined to the streets. but extends to the
dwelling houses, shops and buildings
nf all No 1ieh
ever, the doors of houses had to be
smashed in and people making sewers
of the thoroughfares were publicly
| horsewhipped in the streets. Eminently
| respectable citizens were forcibly
! brought before the commanding gen
! eral and sentenced to aid in cleaning
the streets they were in the habit of
! defiling. The campaign has ended in
| a complete surrender to the sanitary
authorities, and the inhabitants of San
! tiago, regardless of class, have had
! their first object lesson on the new
! order Of things inaugurated by the war.
Several important streets have been
! repaved, and all the public buildings
have been thoroughly cleaned, the work
extending to the Opera House. The
law courts, which were abolished when
! General Shafter took the city, have
been reorGanized. The supreme court,
! the report continues, is COMPOSED OF
carefully selected Cuban judges, the
appointees nominated wholly on ac-
count Of legal attainments, the Bar
| association of the province having beer
consulted as to the character and quail.
ifications OF the new Judges. In the
same manner local government ha!
been restored and native mayors anC
officials appointed, the only require
ment being that persons accepting sucl
offices shall take the oath recognizing
the military occupation of the islanC
by the United States but in no way
! committing them to any future form OF
| government.
The Spanish, when In possession OF
Cuba, not only assumed absolute con-
troll of the judiciary, but of the munich
pal government, the larger portion OF
the taxes raised for municipal pur-
poses being diverted, with the other
revenues. i'm channels which. says the
report, either went to Spain or in Span
| ish pockets. Mr.. Porter advises that
these taxes hereafter must be used eX-
| Clusively for local purposes, and as far
| as may be deemed practicable that
they be collected and disbursed by
properly constituted local authorities.
The rural districts Of Santiago have
been so depleted that II would be Inn
possible to collect taxes over and above
those needed for the bare necessities
OF schools for the poor, and possibly
small sums to improve sanitary CON
ditions The dawn Of prosperity how.
ever. should be the signal for inaugu,
rating systematic work on the countr!
| roads.
Mr.. Porter recommends that an i'm
mediate scheme be prepared for levy
ing and collecting internal revenue 70
the entire island. The question of sepa
rating these taxes from purely munici
pal taxes should also be considered
The large amount of delinquencies dur
ing the least three years, whicl
amounted to about S6,0O0,000 was o
course due to the war In normal time
we have here 100000 or $1,000 900 o
revenue that must not be overlooked
}, revenue which, if properly and econom
" ically employed, would aid in the in
dustrial rehabilitation Of Cuba. Som
,, of the more onerous eXactions how
l. ever. should be abolished.