The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-06-11

rises before 10 o'clock and, after the arduous
task OF treakfastlnE. he spends two or three
hours In resting. When he returns from the
Office at 3 O'Clock he retires again. This siesta
is followed ty dinner. after which he attends
the opera q dance or spends the evening
al his club. Formerly much time was devoted
10 gambling. but since the American officials
have been In control Of affairs they have in
terfered quite seriously with this form OF
amusement Dueling has also been dlscour-
aged and the authorities have taken such a
firm stand In regard to these matters that
their orders have been pretty generally obeyed
although /; is of courte. absolutely impos-
sible to prohibit gambling in private. What
has been accomplished however. is remark
able in view Of the fact that 1t was not many
months ago that fortunes changed hands over
( the cards every night amounts ranging from
SOS 900 to 100000 having frequently been won
and lost at the clubs.
~
! Tho Cuban spirit Of gambling was former
ly shown everywhere. even at the baseball
games. where the bookmakers walked about
laying odds against the probability of the
neat batter reaching first base. There Is
nothing of this sort now and the professional
cuellist such as Augustn Cervantes. who
holds tho record Of seven encounters in five
DAYS, finds himself in position whore he
must either restrain his bloodthirsty propen-
stiles or else run the chances of being ar
rested and perhaps hanged as common muir
derer.
OF course there are men who rebel at the
new condition Of affairs. They have livet
so long under a rule In which wealth ant
position was sufficient excuse for any crime
thai they object to this new iron-handei
method OF restricting their privileges as citi
zens. A short time ago colonel In tn
Cul<Tn army, a man OF some wealth and goo
social standing. was arrested for robbing Al
engsne on which about 5000 was being car
sted to troops in the interior. At ence hi
friends demanded his release on the groun
that he was a great patriot" and a gen
/ tleman." General Wood however. refused t
. meet their demand and calmly stated that n
the man had been caught in a grave Grim
e he should be treated like any other ermina
I and. II found guilty. hanged.
b The excitement that this arrest caused ha
= not abated and the papers are filled with ed
c toriol TRADES against the American officer
9 who could be so blind as to overlook sue
noble characteristics" In hero Of sue
a stupendous valor " I'VE have sold ourselves,
= they say. "for handful of American go
S and arc miserable creatures. still slaves in OF
u msfcrtunes."
o Fortunately however. these sentiments
n not those OF the mass Of Cuban people. Bus
e ness men Of standing and solid citizens wi
Is desire to sec the country redeemed from {
II wreckage into which 1t has fallen repudia
'r these outhu,sts of indignation from the ha'
Id Of elegant loaiers who would ike nothl
70 letter IL an q have Cuba turned over to the
e. mercy. The better class has been quick
1s realize that what the American officers ma
,e done has been the very best thing that cou
e. have tcep done and they are aiding them
~ every possible way.
I'd There is liable "a be some trouble nelo
as Icug however. for the lawless element
re very strone ard all it needs is ieauer
is brior about a riot. The military foree
be ,hs island is strong enough to meet any su
Id un,isipr and ali acton OF this nature wo'
be probably result in the speedy EXTERN lna''
n Of the antl-law- and-order men. a eonui,'on
affairs that might be of consiaeraole pen'
% tie cause of re, obstruction.
Il. ~ George Alfred Edwards