Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-29

ening. The busiest part of Chicago is peace
full as regards noise, in comparison. The
best and cheapest thing in the city Is the
cab service. You can ride to any point In the
city in the most comfortable cabs l ever
saw for 20 cents Spanish, or about 16 cents
American money.
Now prepare yourself for a startling
statement Havana is today, the 9Th day of
November, 1899, the best governed city in
the western hemisphere. Although there are
1000 policemen on the rolls, 100 could keep
the peace l have not seen single disturb
ance of even the most trivial character This
is remarkable when you remember that
four-ffths of the male population spend their
evenings in the cafes. The city is thoroughly
cleaned every morning by gangs OF Cuban
workmen. Every street is swept thoroughly
and all the surface cesspools and mudholes
cleaned out. One hundred thousand gallons
of 'electrOzone' disinfectant manufactured
from sea water, are used every day in flush
ing the cutters, washing streets, flushing
cesspools and mudholes and sewers,
Sanitary Condition of the Capital.
"Of course 1t is impossible to thoroughly
clean the city without a sewer system, but
everything has been done to clean 1t that
can be done. Some idea of the sanitary
conditions which confront the engineer may
be gained from this: few days ago FL
Heraldo had n badly written story about
murder that had occurred in the city
couple of years ago, the victims being two
wealthy old men. The Heraldo went on to
say that considerable money had been found
about the house since the crime and that
recently the occupants of the premises had
come to the conclusion that it would pay
to clean out the cesspools for the gold that
might be In 1t. The cesspool is big hole
located beneath the marble, tiled or stone
floor OF every Havana house. Into 1t goes
all the refuse from the house, from the
kitchen, the closets, etc. The Heraldo
stated that already seventy five carloads
had been removed and that it was estimated
that 1875 carloads remained. When l assure
you that one Havana cart, drawn by one of
these beautiful Spanish mules, will haul
more to a load than any two-horse team you
ever saw in the states, you may form some
conception of the condition Of the soil under
the city The Heraldo also said that the
cess-pool had not been cleaned for thirty
five years.
Havana is to Cuba what Paris is to
France. Bear that in mind when you are
trying to gain clear idea of the conditions
politically in the island.
There are two important classes in Ha-
vana-the Spaniards and the Cubans. To
the former class belong practically all the
merchants and professional men. That Is to
say the wealth. culture and brains OF Ha-
yana are Spanish. The Cubans are, however,
in the majority in the island, in the proper
tion Of about ten to one. In Havana the
difference Is not so great, and the Spaniards,
by reason of their superiority in wealth and
enterprise, are really the more powerful
politically.
"The spaniard, when he bathes regularly,
is not such a bad fellow, and he sees what
American rule has done for his island. He
enjoys the clean streets, he reioices at the
improved sanitary conditions, he observes
that there has been far less yellow fever
than ever before, he sees that the American
has the power and the will to protect his
property rights as we'll as his personal
rights 1t requires only the minimum of
reasoning power for him to see that his
salvation rests with the United States. He