The St. Louis Republic., 1900-06-26
NOTHING TO SHOW FOR
THE MISSING MILLIONS.
Money Squandered in the Ruling of Havana
With ProdigaI Hands.
Administration Making Frantic Efforts to Conceal What Has
Happened Until After the November Election
Worse Than Weyier's Regime.

be Reelected, a change may be !naugurated,
but 1t will he too late to benefit the island.
The country Will have become fixed in its
evil ways and the administration will not be
able TO force a lever huge enough to dislodge
II from the slough into which Il will have
been dropped.
Annexation Plan.
Everything will be CLOSED over until after
November. in the hope that. political re-
strictions being removed by then, IL will be
possible to devote some time to governing
the island and directing IL into the channel
of annexation.
This is the ultimate object of the admin
fstration. No one here at all well informed
as TO the projects of the trust controlled
clique at Washington places the slightest
faith In the pretenticns that the island is n
any time 10 be given Its independence with
the consent of any of the present admins
tration at Washington. The opportunities
for rich pickings are too great down here
and there are a thousand signs pointing to
the certainty that Mckinley and his aids
IL reelected. will begin to coeree Cuba into
annexation.
The present unenviable condition in Cuba
Is thus seen To be directly the black spawn
of politics. No decent desire for the i'm
provement or development OF the island has
entered into the making OF any OF the plans
that have brought about the present CON-
dition here. 1t has been makeshift gov
eminent. pieced and patched SO as to hold
together until such time az the folk at
Washington might have leisure to attend
to il.
Two Efficient OmciaIs.
OF the American officials now holding
prominent positions in Cuba. two stand
forth as really representative of the class
who wish to See the island well started on
Its way toward a peaceful and happy pros
perity. They are. Colonel Bliss, Collector
of Customs for the entire island and Quar-
termaster General Humphries. These men
and the work they have done give a stard-
ard by which the other weak inefficient
and Incompetent members Of the American
Government may be judged. The strictest
Investigation of the office of Colonel Bliss
Will reveal nothing but what will tend TO
increase the pride of American in his
own land. General Humphries's work will
bear the keenest scrutiny. and there can
be no legitimate criticism OF his office or its
methods
These two men are a source Of constant
embarrassment to the other officials in Gu
ba. They demonstrate clearly the alb
surilty of the statement that Officials IN
Cuba must have salaries as large as the
pay Of the Ambassador at the Court Of ST.
James In order TO maintain the dignity of
their positions" Bliss has no extra allow
ence. he needs none. He has no quarters
furnished him, but lives quietly at the Ho-
tel TELEGRAPH. spending from twelve TO ff-
teen hours daily at his Office. General
Humphries also lives quietly and without
ostentation and Is n constant reminder TO
the Cubans that a member Of the American
Government does not necessarily need $l0-
000 a year in Cuba to maintain a bare ex-
istence.
Personal Extravaganza.
The Wild riot OF personal extravasancs
that has debauched the other American
officials In Cuba calls for the severest crit
icism. Under the preteXt that the expenses
If.-tv, IN hos tn, tNtrho fhcr TN fha
United States extra allowances are made
from the Cuban treasury to oe boarded by
the areful ones or lavishly squandered by
the less economical. more absurd claim
was never made.
Ludlow, Rathbone, Davis and others Of
this ilk set the pace for extravaganza and
ii has been kept up by those who have fol-
lowed. Lately fear of a wholesale investi-
CATION has caused for the first time a slight
check to the carnival OF high living that
prevailed in Havana. Last summer Is now
referred to In terms of regret. as having
been time when everybody had money
and spent 1t a light opera comedian
sIuanders the green paper OF the stage.
The effect CT this layishness upon the
Cubans has been TO thoroughly disgust
them with the Americans and TO reduce
materially the small trace of regard for
them that existed when ths American flag
was first hoisted over Havana
They are spending our money! say the
Cubans. land they are doing It in a way
TO insult US. because of our poverty and in
ability to keep in the race with them. They
faunt their riches in our faces like pork
packing parvenues. and do not seem to con-
slider for a moment that il is our money"
Official ExtravaKance.
Persona! ex,ravagance was the smaller
of spending money easily Is acquired with
out difficulty IL the money can be obtained,
Every effort seemed to be made to spend
every cent that Collector Bliss could take
In at the Custom -house. and day by day
the allowances for certain works grew IN
size.
The waste Of Cuban funds can never be
traced, as the system OF bookkeeping was
OF such character as to prevent discov-
cry. Thousands and perhaps hundreds OF
thousands of dollars have been stolen or
diverted. aside from that secured by Naely
while inscriptions American officials have
destroyed all faith In American honor and
honesty by taking and even demanding
bribes.
The condition here is ono that has grown
and developed so insidiously that IT'S infa-
nous character Is not apparent to the Of
ficials responsible for IT, and they seek TO
excuse and palliate offenseS that must be
without excuse or defense. Instead of a be-
lated investigation OF the affairs of the
post Office there should be a general inves-
tigati"n Of the entire island administra-
ton a compission composed of members
Ell before the adjournment of Congress 10
come here and closely examine into the
way IN which the United States have be-
trayed their trust In Cuba
Fourteen Millions Wasted.
The abuses referred TO generally vtI, bs
taken up in proper cis ssification ami deal,
with singly. The orgy of extrayagnnce
and reign OF fncompetency and inetfi.iency
that has existed here for so long calls for
a careful and close Investigation. and the
results of such investigation will he SAT
forth in detail, The attempt will be made
10 show that the expenditure of sl4000,Oo
during last year out of revenue arnountirr
to slightly more than SIS 900. 900 was rossibis
only through lavish waste and reckless in
difference.
II out of this sum wasted the island ad
ministration can point to any permanent
results-sewer systems installed or even cro-
vided for. streets paved. a harbor cleaned
a good postal service or even the basis OF |
a permanent government established-it |
can be forgiven many things, but for th, |
expenditure of $4,000 900 Il can only
show pigeonholes filed with juggled ac-
counts and dissatisfied people paying the |
freight and groanfng as they groaned under |
Weyler. /
LUDLOW DEFENDS HIMSELF. /
Iura