Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-10
VIEWS OF MIR. j. E. SMITH

If possible. He has the instinct of the
trained soldier, and prefers to be on the
battlefield rather than in the wilds of Cuba
trying to restore order after a long and
bloody warfare between the natives and
Spain, followed by the war between this
country and Spain.
He served some time in the regular arnv
as a private and corporal, being attached
to the 9Th United States Cavalry. and was
with the regiment in some hard campaigns
against the Indians on the frontier When
the war with Spain broke out he re-enlisted
in the 9th Cavalry and was sent to the
Island of Cuba. He was in the charge up
San Juan hill, and many of the other hat
ties and skirnishes of the Santiago cam
paign. After the signing of the protocol he
received his discharge. He was offered and
accepted a position in the quartermaster's
department, and was stationed at Hunts
vile, Ala. He resigned this position to ac-
cept employment in the Cuban postal sery-
ice. leaving this country for the island last
December.
Work Of Establishing Offices.
The only American post office on the ISL
and at that time was at Santiago, to which
place he was ordered From there he was
sent to the interior of Cuba and began the
work of establishing post Offices
The work of establishing Offices in q
wild and isolated country is not an easv
TASK, said he, for at times one is com
Peiled TO ride hundreds of miles on horse
oack over the rough mountain trail. The
only means of transporting postal supnIies
stamps, paper, pens, ink and such other
materials as are required in a first-ciass
post once Is by the use of pack mules"
During his seven months stay there Mr.
odnlln Travelled from one end to the other
OF Cuba, and on one of his trips rode horse
PACK from Santiago to Havana visiting
loIty Jour or the largest towns on the trip
Mr smith was appointed postmaster at a
town called Mayari pronounced as though
spelied My-a-re, with accent on last syl-
iaoie): When he arrived there he found
that the Spaniards had left NOT :, sinpia
scrap of the old post Office They had
taken everything away with them He Sc
cured building for the post office at a
rental of $16 per month. literally turned it
inside out and buried the conta gion on the
inside with a heavy coat of whiteWash
lhls done he was ready for business The
place having no railroad facilities star
route was established. Two men were ap-
pointed to carry the mail overland to San
Luis, about seventy-five miles distant the
nearest railroad town. Two. weeks after
the opening Of the office the bandits killed
one OF the mail carriers and robbed the
mail. Another man was appointed to the
place. ~
1t was ascertained that steamers touched
at Nipe bay. about twenty. miles from
Mayari, and that they ,coald be reached by
small craft over the Mayari river. The
Herrera line and the Ward line of steam
ers agreed to carry the mail, free of
charge until June, 1900. Two weeks later
via the north coast. Within ten weeks the
service had increased from one. mail a
mouth to five a week. The money order
system and the registry business were in
troduced, something entirely unknown in
the interior towns of Cuba 1t seemed
that the Spaniards only paid attention to
seacoast towns for this work of the post
office department.
The improvements.
Last January Mr.. E. G. Rathbone was
appointed director general of the Cuban
postal service said Mr.. Smith, speaking
of the improvement in the postal service of
the island, land he established his head
quarters in Havana. At that time there
were not more than half dozen offices on
the whole island, not even traces of the old
Spanish post offices remaining. The Span
iards when leaving the island, took with
them everything movable. Since the Amer
leans have taken control of the service it
has steadily increased In volume and eff
ficfency. Today 100 employees are in the
service and more than $50 offices are in
hrst-class running order. Branches of the
railway mail service exist in every prov
lnce, and steamships carry the mails on
both the north and south coasts. Star
routes have been established and the free
delivery system been introduced in the
larger towns. For the first time in the
history of the island the inhabitants get
their letters and papers regularly.
The department at Washington, in max
ing appointments, selected only those men
who had long experience in the mail
vice, and with such men as Mr.. Rathbone,
director general; p. H. Br.stoe. assistant
director general: c. H. Reeves, auditor and
Special Agent Maynard al its head the rea-
son why the Cuban postal service is nearly
equal to that of the United States is ex-
planned.
The hope of Cuba becoming a republic
is fast dying out" said Mr.. Smith, in
Spouse to a query as to the ability of the
a tn tnnr, 1Nrac
bans realize themselves that they cannot
form stable government. They not only
acknowledge it to be true, but they also
know that it requires a strong nation to
govern them. AS for the annexation ques
ton, that is settled without doubt in every
city and town. Even in the country dis
tricts the people want to become annexed
to the United States.
hut One Class Opposed.
only one class of Cubans is to be found
opposing this, and they are known as the
cafe politicians The politician Of this
sort disappointed at not receiving some
high office, is bound to- make trouble, but
under a good form of governtnent his agi
tation will amount to but little. On the
other hand if Cuba is turned over to the
natives, revolution after revolution will
follow Split up into four factions. how can
the Cubans ever establish what the island
needs, and that very badly stable gov
eminent?
First come the whites of the island, who
constitute the better class and form the
strongest party. Second, comes the black
faction, the members of which are deadly
opposed to the whites. The mulattoes form
the third faction. and that has an ugly
hate for the blacks. Tie fourth faction is
composed of the mambis, who are the genu-
inc, typical Cubans, and who have always
been strong aggressorsnagaffst the Span
ish yoke During the resurrection they did
all of the fighting, and, for their services
they demand recognition in the government
of the island But the mambis are mostly
blacks, and the whites aver that they will
never be governed by this class This de-
cision will perhaps leave the native CubanS
out of the question entirely The mulat-
toes will probably join forces with the
whites, and the blacks and mamb!s will
probably amalgamate, leaving but two par
ties to fight out the matter of government.
With such members of the white party as
Generals Gomez, Sanguilly, Batencourt and
Colonel Luis Marti az possibilities to, oc-
cupy the presidential chair, the whites are
certain of winning. In that event look out
for tBoub,e on the island.
Wonderful Change Noted.
Cuba has in the PAST year witnessed
wonderful change. The Cubans are no lon
ger armed with guns and niaehetes watch