Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-20
WOODS GOOD WORK
He Has Already Accomplished Much
in Santiago,
CLEANING OUT TIE AUGRAN STABLES
Tribute From the Leader of the
Christian endeavorers.
RIGHT MAN FOR THE PLACE

Rev, Francis E, Clark in the Christian Enlca,or
Not the least OF the recent blessings for
which the American people have to thank
an overruling Providence and the common
sense of the administration has been the
fact that strong. good. brave men have been
raised 10 power since the late war by the
force of circumstances and their own In
herent worth. Men who otherwise would
perhaps have remained comparatively I'M
known throughout their whole lives their
Splendid administrative capacities unievel-
oped and unrecognizod. have been forced to
the front; and the very stress Of great cir
cumstances has crowded mean and little
men out Of the way to make room for the
moral athletes who had been I'm secret and
unconscious training for these important
posts.
An interesting story might be written OF
Gen. Brooke, courtly and courteous a. Cow
ernOr Of Porto. Rico and more lately Of Gu
ha; of Gen. Ettzhugh Lee. the Idol of the
people of Havana, who eNCites more en-
thusiasm when he appears in public than is
aroused by Gomez himself. Of Gen. Henry,
the popular and conscientious governor OF
Porto Rico, and of Gen. Leonard Wood. who
has undertaken the herculean task Of
cleansing the Augean stables Of Santiago,
and has already wellnigh succeeded in do
ing 1t.
IL is Of this Iast-named hero in sanitation
and good government, as well as in war,
that L Will now write.
Reasons for Hope.
ut would be a shame il we did not sue
coed here in Cuba" was one Of the first
things that earnest man with a serious.
care-worn face said TO me as l called upon
him few weeks go In the administrators,
building at Santiago de Cuba. 1T Will be
no mo NO 10 at har In
Every thing is in our favor. The people
want nothing they have had In the past,
and are in favor Of everything new. They
ready and anxious to adopt American
methods of life and government The APP
pointment of corrupt politicians at home
can alone bring failure. Let the military
have control for a year OF Two, thus max
ing sure that the civil power is sustained
kindly but firmly. using no buster, but Sc
curing an honest administration and all
will be we'll"
The man who uttered these words was
Brig. Gen. Leonard Wood, late colonel Of
the Rough Riders, and now governor OF the
eastern province of Cuba.
When remember for a moment the
conditions which he found IN Santiago, and
the stupendous reforms which he has al
It ady wrought, his words will have stih
more weight. He found Santiago probably
the dirtieSt city In the western continent,
dirty physically and dirty morally, and
with 20 ambition on the part OF the people
either to cleanse their streets or to purify
their politics. Reforms are already begun
which will probably In time make Santiago
ole Of the cleaneSt and most reputable
cities OF the western world. II Is already
one of the most picturesque. For genera
lions the moral and material NTH Of the
city has been accommodating. You could
smell Santiago ten miles off the coast,
says an old sailor.
But Santiago fell. Cervera sailed out to
his own destruction. As Mr.. Dooey says:
TIL Spanish admiral concluded I wud be
better FIR him 20 be destroyed on tn ragin'
sea. him bein a sailor, thin TO have hts
fleet captured by caV'lry. Anyhow. he was
willin' to take a chance, an he says TO his
sailors. Spanyards, he says. Castles hs
says, We have ct tn las bed tick he says,
an If We stay here much longer he says,
II have to have a steak off tn armOr plate
fried fr ye. he says. Lave US 20 out
where We can have a r-run f'r our money
he says. An away they whit"
Tremendous Task.
Cervera went out, and Sampson went in,
and then came General Woods great on
portuuty and his tremendous task But he
was not dismayed. The colonel Of the
Rough Riders who captured San Juan HIN
was willing to tackle the tougher task Of
the regeneration Of Santiago He found
the city not only greatly in need hut IN
the actual throes Of starvation. The first
meal which he ate i'm Santiago cost him
$l4 in gold. and il is said that for tn, meat
course he was indebted to a cab horse that
had outlived his usefulness between tns
shafts
Scarcely nine months had passed from
that eveutful day when | reached SaDriar,,
and already marvellous changes could bs
seen. Several Of the principal streets had
been repaved, and would be a credit 10 anv
American or EUruDean CITY ..N-b{t. an
gels of health with their broOms and offal
carts were busy in an parts Of the city
sweeping the chief streets every day ana
Keeping them sweet and wholesome Hum
IIeuS OF busN laborerS were employed ON
the streets and lanes, In the uNarkst pro-
visions were plenty and cheap. and very
for $50 day
Dredging machines were busy in the h3r-
Dor. making that as wholesome as the ,.itv
at whose feet ii lay: good roads were being
constructed TO III taney, TO San Juan and
in other directions. An absolutely honest
government had been established under m.
protection Of American military allt hnrft,-
and the face Of Santiago had been turned
from the setting sun Of decay corrlIption
and misrule toward the eastern skies of a
bright and hpLest future, All this had
been accomplished by that quiet serious
careworu man to whom l have already in
troduced you, and by those TO whom he had
committed the subordinate trusts
Want Better Things.
After a pleasant greeting and assurances
on the part of General Wood Of his interest
in the Christian EndeavOr Society. and
some "reminiscences of the California con-
vention, which had occurred when he was
stationed on the coast. he uttered that
characteristic sentence which / have al
ready quoted, 1T would be a shame If we
did not succeed here in Cuba"
The Cubans under Spanish rule could
nave no idea of pure government" he went
on 10 say, and if their cheaper politicians
unite with the bAser elements from our
own country II will be the greatest scan
dal of the century.
when / first came here" ne continued
'all bills for the government wers rem
dered at double the value received; but,
when the Cubans saw that every one was
oisallowed unless ii was an honest bill. that
all were paid by checks, every bill audited
and everything accounted for they soon
changed their tactics, and now they know
better than to render a dishonest bill to
the government. At the first public din
ner attended, he continued. Il was OPEN
ly offered stock in railway scheme if /
would promote ii. All this was simply the
habit of the centuries. Dishonesty was in
grained in the official life but as soon as
the people see what straightforward and
honest dealing really is and the advantages .
of it to all concerned, their better nature .
will assert itself, and they, too can be
trusted"
Rlt wis cha