New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-02-05
RrRAL CUBA AT PEACE.
.or AFFECTED BY THE POLITICS OF
THE HAVANA CAFES.
.as5RvAr1oNs ALONG THE CALzADA-COM-
. MIJN1TIEs SLOWLY RECOVERING fHo"
THE Ruin OF THE WAR.

\
,,-S1T1Es SLOWLY RECOVERING FROM
THE RUIN OF THE WAR.
,r,ov A SPECIAL CoRREsroNpENT or THE TRIBUNE
INV San Jose de las Lajas.
Havana Province. January ".
Pural Cuba is seen better by travelling aiohs
no main roads than by viewing II from the
,,do,vs OF the railway cars. The trouble Is
w. ..or, 10 60 few Of these highways. Only
,,,ds ont from the city OF Havana 10 the
-.,.reostern part Of the province 1t runs
,,..,e hevond the town Of Guines, the total dis
80 ho,ne less than fifty miles This village is
.,rertv-fve miles from Havana The railroad
,os not come within reaching distance Of ii.
Tho only way Of access is by means OF the cal
.oao or paved highway. 1t was formerly pros
o~ous place Of FIVE thousand Inhabitants. NO"
:, has possby half that number. II Is the cen
,re OF rich agricultural region, which contains
oro hundred and sixty small farms, varying
from half caballerla, or sixteen acres upward
FAINT SIGNS OF REVIVAL
The road runs part Of the way along a ridge
-, Hills Near Havana the soil is poor and
-, axcont a Few tracts in the lower lands
which are utilized for garden farming IL III
,roves further back in the country. FOR so'ie
d,s,ance there are neither sugar nor TOBACCO
-,o,,e.,ons Instead Of tobacco-dryng ware
houses or "centroles or sugar mills are archeo
entrances and shaded avenues OF various
o,a,roros The "patrero' IN Cuba is something
between a stock farm and an ordinary farm
r,s owner might be called a gentleman farmer
TIRE land IS good for grazing Some or the
o,a,reros' have been reopened and occupied by
,be,- owners. but they have not yet been able 10
eecu~a live stock Horses and cattle are sun
scarce In a few places the grass which serves
.o~ grazing has been cut and stacked II an
srers for food for the hardy animals OF the
country. but Il is not such hay as Is had from
the meadows IN the States.
The villages along the route are emerging from
,he depression and suffering OF the last three
,ea-s slowly san Francisco De Paula is yet in
,,~atchedness The buildings destroyed by the
insurgents during a raid have not been rebuilt
Their ruins are tenanted 10y bats and rats. The
naople are without the means Of helping them
selves Army rations viii bc issued TO 'hem I'LL
tho present period Is tided over. Catarro. an
Other village is In better condition. with por-
ZION - lis people filling the fields. though the
struggle FOR food IS hard one. san Jose IS
making a heroic effort 20 support itself from the
soil but rations will have 20 be supplied to part
~ rs population for some time 20 come. Ragged
and enaciated children pluck the garments OF
the stranger IN mute appeals for aid. and these
are no., the appeals OF heggars. When the bat
-aloos ~ the Illinois and the Louisiana regi-
rnents came through the towns on their practice
marches they distributed most Of their own ra-
tons and all OF their small coins
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
These communities have managed to maintain
q form Of local municipal government which has
rridred over period that came dangerously
close 10 anarchy The testimony Is quite general
that the insurgent troops have behaved well and
have performed the duties Of rural police with
fidelity They are stationed everywhere along
Tho road All they know % American authority
So far is that when General Fitzhugh Lee made
the Journey the other day they were Instructed
10 salute him as the Military Governor Of the
province Among these insurgent soldiers little
~ the excitement that perVades the cafes OF
Havana Is encountered. They live in a different
and more heathful atmosphere They are main
tanning their organization because General Max
iro Gomez has told them 70 hold together until
some arrangement is made for paying them
Pending this there is occasional spell or rest
lessness but in this part OF the island II has not
taken the form OF hostility 10 American author
ill., They profess their willingness TO 60 back 10
their homes in the country as soon as a
small cash advance is made 10 them ana
they are told 10 disband. II is evident
that large number OF them expect places
on the rural police force when Il IS organ
ized and some Of them will necessarily be dis
appointed The barracks Of the Guarda CiVlles,
who formed the Spanish country police, are seen
a. various points along the road and the insur-
gent soldiers would Ike 20 occupy these as com
panies u regiment. Much rivalry exists
among the officers. but II is usually FOR prefer
ence In the good graces Of the American author
ties This is the exact situation among the IN
surgent soldiers in this part OF the province. II
Is worth knowing because the Cuban politicians
in Havana seem likely 70 have periodic spells OF
excitement and 10 imagine that everybody
shares their excitement. The truth Is that II is
spent before reaching the country districts.
LACK OF MUNICIPAL RESOURCES.
The town governments consist chiefly Of the
alcaldes Some Of them have Boards OF Alder
men but the real work devoves upon the al
caldes These officials are Cubans. and they are
acting as al interim Mayors. In most places
the people have already agreed on acaldes. vii
,age aldermen and magistrates whom they VIII
recommend - General Lee for appointment.
He has indicated that his purpose Is 10 respect
these recommendations. Where the community
Is divided into factions he Is insisting that they
get tcgc Their" and in most instances II VIII
BE- done In this way the framework OF local
administrative machinery will be set up us
present draw back is the lack OF municipal re-
sources Every municipality is bankrupt. and
there is little from which local taxation can be
drawn. Under the Spanish rule the slaughter
house tax chief means or revenue. not
many beeves are now killed, because the popu-
.otiOn has not the means OF buying meat Inc
tax on killing animals has been OF necessity re-
duced. The lack Of resources for the nuhlcl-
psltles Is the strongest argument that can De
made for distributing the customs coHectlons az
Havana and other ports proportlohatcIl
throughout the island This is the Only means
by which these village municipalities can pe
carried on until the farming districts OF whlch
hey are the centres are again uhoer cui'N"
t0n.