The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-26


| Few instances subsequently arose in which SUE
I enforce ncnt was necessary. After the Amercdi,
occupation, a mulatto chief Of the insurrecuon
was refused entertainment in n cafe keptby Amer
leans. The Spanish code Of civil rights vas
thcreupon invoked and was enforced. Noi'hcr
| has any discrimination been permitted ON ac-
count Of color In Tie privileges Of railroad travel
| From the outset. the american military authorl.
tics have shown Gcrupulous regard for the civi'
rights Of tho black. So far as their Official acu'
/ have gone. they have stidiously ignored 'he
color line, and discouraged rncc prejudice. Iheii
example, however, has not been always ioio"ed
by their civilian counrymcn
What is the proportion Of whites and oil coiorcd
! persons in the Cuban population The former
statistics on this subject have been denounced
| as untrustworthy, but, accepting them for Tho
| moment We arrive at an unexpected result In
| 1925 the whites in Cuba constituted 20 per cent
| and the blacks, 81 per cent, NJ the population
In 1864, the proportions were whites. AZ per cent
and blacks, rs per cent. According TO the census
! Of 1907, however, which was taken a twclvemonth
before the outbreak Of the ten years war; and before
! the gradual emancp patton Of the slaves began.
the percentage Of whites had risen to little more
than IS per cent. while that of tho blacks had
dropped to li,el less than a. per cent ltsfurther
10 be noted that by this census, the Chinese were
10000 Asiatics be excluded on the one hand. and
8,4O0 white foreigners on the other. we find that
the whites contributed ca per cent, and the blacks
IS per cent, 10 the population The last regu-
lar census was taken in 1857 II assigned TO tho
whites co 40 pcr cent and 10 the blacks 30 3D.
per cent Although these figures show puz-
zling decrease in tho volume Of the colorcd Gle
ment. MIR Pepper In inclined TO credit them Al
the same time, he expects that the pTcsen, census
will show larger percentage Of negroes and mulat-
tocs, due TO artificial CAUSES Every frst-hnnd
observer during the period Of recommendation
noticed we are told that tho black victims Of Wcy-
lcr's policy bore hardslips and priva'ions better
than did the whites The blacks formed larger
element of the surviving country population
In our authors opinion. however this Is only
a temporary state Of things Unless ARTIFICIAL
conditions supcryene. tho history Of the last nifty
years seems TO show that Cuba Is in no danger
OF becoming ncgroid population, by which term
Is implied preponderanco Of persons Of color
The possibility however Of an artificial
inflow Of negroes cannot be denied For
quarter Of century, there has been
much freedom Of movement on the part
Of the blacks throughout tho West Indies
Negroes could come 10 Cuba from Jamaica. from
Hnyufrom Santo Domingo and from the bahamas
This freedom Of movement will doubtless con
unuc. though. after the American occupation.
II was temporarily checked by 'he apphcauon
OF the Immigration laws oi inc 'hi'eu o'a'ea
On the whole. Mr. Pepper can sec no reason
for believing that the FREQ movement OF the
West Indian population will have greater
influence in the future than In the past heindus
tral conditions may call Tor harder Work out
the knowledge OF that fact will not invite heavy
immigration TO Cuba from the other isands
A 10, a. Al, ~ lal in Tnh
our author suggests that full justice has not been
done TO II. II is best suited TO the sugar planta-
tons. The black does no, do we'll AT fruit raising.
and the intricacy Of tobacco cultivation Is too
great for him TO become successful be0oero,
or tobacco farmer. IL In estimated. on the other
hand, that fully one-hnlf OF the lahorers in the
cane fields are black. Tho negro field hand IL
not always willing 10 work six days out OF tho
seven. though the oxen which may he his own.
and the cart which is his would lend thoir aid
TO continuous productiveness. His disposition in
this respect not dssimiar to that OF the negro in
our Southern States, and Of the white iaborer
everywhere under the sun OF the tropics Under
sympathetic management however the colofed
race Is fairly industrious. In the Cuban negro
the instinct OF land ownership Is marked. IL Is
one OF the common complaints oil tho sugar plant
ers that he elings TO his cabin and his patch OF
ground to the dethmcnt OF successful cane raising
He does not like 10 be swallowed up in big plan
tauon, and, usually. his wish for bohio. or palm
hut OF his own. in preference 20 quarters in tho
plantation barracks. has To DO grhthed MI
Pepper suggests nevertheless. that the drawback
may be easily overcome. The obvious mode oil
doing so would be 10 increase the neRro's wants
by educating him up to high standard oil con-
sumption. Then he will exert his strength moro
In order to meet that standard. 1t Is pointed
out that already IN Cuba the negro supports his
family. Tho negro women do not work on tho
roads and in tie fields as In Jamaica. The men
perform that labor the women care Tor the chi.
dren II appears that in the industrial lie oil
towns and cities, the Cuban negro Is decidedly
on higher plane than Is his brother In the United
States In such light manufactures as the island
has, the negro works side by SIDE Win the white
man The cigar factories oil Havana attest tho
inct Between 70 and 20 per cent oil the cigar
makers are blacks They work at the same !,
bench with the whites. receive the same pay and
have the same vote and influence IN the labor
union. In the shoe shops there Is like equality
Negroes arc 'ound IN the 'annenes and in tho