Arizona republican., 1899-02-15
WHAT WOODS DOING
Vast Improvement in Con-
 ditiOnS at Santiago.
Special CommiS SiOneT PoTfer Talks in An Optimistic Strain on inc Future of Cuba-CaR Be nade Very Rich.


 of the treasury has received an in structive and valuable report upon the commercial and industrial outlook in
 Cuba from Special Commissioner Rob- e1t P. Porter, who has been almost continuously in the island in an official capacity since hos,iIitie3 were srs- pended.
 MT. Porter says that a visit to San tiago should give relief tc those suffer ing f-cm ''the craven fear of being great" for there may be found much that is encouraging. In this province Of Cuba nay be seen in full operation the work which the government of the United States has been impelled to un- de-take. Here, too, may be studied the character of the forces upon which the people of the United States must rely in the work of recon struction now iD progress
 The disagreeable smells of the tyri- cal Cuban city are less pronounced in Santiago, while whitewash, limewash fresh paint and all sorts of diainfect- ants have deodorized the surrounding atmosphere and made tho old town habitable. The streets are no longer used as sewers, and the unhappy in diyidual who violates the law and es- capes the lash of the sanitarian's whip is compelled to work on the streets for thirty days. This official. Major George NJ. Barbour, with 1G6 men dressed in spotles3 white and thirty tive good United States mule teams and carts, having dug out from the streets of Santiago the filth of ages, is now able to keep them absolutely clean. Every clay. by the aid of that great disinfectant, petroleum, the garbage of the city is burned.
 The work Of sanitation is not con fined to the streets, but extends to the dwelling houses, shops and buildings Of all kinds. The d0ors of houses had to be smashed in; people making sew CTS of the thOroughfaTes were publicly hoTsewhipped in the streets of San ti2gO; eminently respectable citizens were forcibly brought before the con- handing general and sentenced to aid ir cleaning the streets they were in the habit of defling. The campaign end ed in complete surrender to the sani- tary authorities, and the Inhabitants of Santiago, regardless of class, have had their first object lesson in the new order of things int oduced by the war.
 Under MajCr- General Wood, in ad- d.tion to the inlp~ove5 sanitary condi- tiuns, several important thoroughfarce have been repaved. All of the public buildings have been thoroughly cleaned and put in good order, the work even extending to the large cp- era house. The law courts, which were abolished, have been reorgarizad. The court is composed of carefully se- lected Cuban judges, tha apQointees nominated wholly on account of legal the bar associations Of the province having been consulted as to the character anf qualifications of the new judges. Local governments has been restored, native mayors and officials have been appointed, the only requirement. being that persons ac- cepting such offices should take the cath recognizing tae military occu- pancy of the island by &hc United States but in no way commi55ing them to any future form of government. The wisdom of this action cannol. be doubted, and the moral effec. ur0n the i people of Cuba will be far reaching.
 The Spanish, when in possession of l nina ohcOIT7tn only of the judiciary, but also of the | government, the larger DOT ion of Ghe taxes raised fer municipal | purposes being diverted, with che other revenues, either to Spain O: into | spanish pockets. in MT. Porter's | opinion there could he nc wiser ex 1onditure Of local revenues for seyer2I 7ears than upon the streets ana sewers )f the cities and towns Of Cuba.
 The dawn of prosperity shou1I he he signal for beginning systematic yo1k on the pubiic roads. The prov nee Of Santiago dc Cuba is similar in and geological structure 70 the island of Jamaica, where the 5ccd main and parochiaI roads have )cen the principal stay of the popu- ation. Jamaica has upward of two housard miles of good roads upon which the British administration penda cn all average annually atout 900, ,009. Without undereso omating che inD0I tance of a central ailIoad from cast to west in Cuba, the return5 to Cho popJla-1cl 'f good roads SoulI Le far il excess of he more pretertIous enterprise. The honey thus expended. whether from he local funds of the island or from he local Budgets, would come back a and make Santiago ono if the richest sugar, coffee and f.uit | rowing districts rf the West Indies. I Santiago province should be a profit { ib1d nrCducino country f0r bananas !