Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-14
Repels Reflections Upon His Admin
istration In Havana.
The OFFICERS UNDER Elm
Good Work Accomplished by Maj.
Davis and Col. Black.
DECREASE OF DEATH RATE

| mentS renectlng on MS administration III
Havana, contained in letter published IN
| the Indianapolis News OF the nth instant.
Gen. Ludlow introduces his memorandum
by saying that the letter in question is a
tissue of base and malicious ISLANDERS. desti-
tute of nationality or even plausibility."
| and continues in the following forcible man.
| ner:
| IF newspaper libelers, in the existing
| conditions of society in the United States.
were practically punishable by law the
| writer would serve a term In the peniten-
| tiary.
1.-The streets and cafes Of Havana are
| chronically rife with the viest gossip on
| the part of those native and imported
| with personal other grievances against
| Americans and each other. and this oral
| garbage has been gathered mp AMI spread
| broadcast through the American press, III
| the form of irresponsible allegations of
| gross forms of dishonesty the part of
| officers of the army, who have established
| their honorable records in the service, and
| We're intrusted with the gravcst adminstra-
| tive duties and responsibilities in Cuba.
Should Be a Source of Pride.
"These officers have been engaged since
| January l. 1889, in arduous labors of the
| utmost Importance, the prosecution of
which involved daily perils greater than
those of battle, and have achieved results
| that have commanded universal admiration
| and should be the legitimate cause of pride
| and congratulation to every patriotic Amer
| lean. Their work in great part accom-
| plished. they now find themselves pacard-
| ed as cheap and vulgar swindlers and black
| maiers
| THE conduct Of affairs in the city and
| department of Havana since the American
| occupation has no dark corners or conceal
| ments, and has nothing to fear from the
| most searching investigation. For every
dollar of expenditure there are estimates.
| vouchers, accounts and reports of record,
| showing clearly their purpose their valid
| ity and their value. AS the responsible ad-
| ministrator in both the department and the
| city until May l. 1900. l do not propose
| that the officers who have performed such
hazardous and distinguished service under
| my direction shall be publicly maligned be-
| hind their backs without my protest.
| General Chaffee and Major I-add were
| attached to the insular government and
| not under my authority. They are abund-
| antly able to defend themselves. and their
| repute, personal and official, is beyond the
| reach of an anonymous and scurrilous de.
| famer.
Maj. Davis Work Commended.
1.-The letter in question endeavors in par
| ticular to throw suspicion upon the sani-
tary and engineering work done in the city
| of Havana, and the conduct of the officers
| in charge of those services.
Brigade Surgeon Major Davis is now in
| the Philippines engaged in work there SIM
| liar to that which he so faithfully and sue
cessfully performed in Havana. l have al
ready taken occasion, in my letter of June
6 to the adjutant general. officially and
publicly to defend him from these cowardly
| and irresponsible SANDERS His work was
| characterized throughout by fearlesSness,
| interchangeable industry, and conscientious
| fidelity, and its nature brought him into
direct conflict with those whose ignorance
| of sanitary matters and rooted aversion to
spending money for sanitary purposes made
| his work obnoxious to them. Numerous
| complaints of arbitrary and unnecessary
procedures were made, but in no case could
any misdoing on his part be shown.
THE of the cow stables was fully
| investigated. with clear proof of the fact
that basis for scandal existed in or
about DR.. Davis office.
II was also entirely familiar with the
case of the hotel and the adjacent stable
owner. 1t n ncighbors quarrel, and
repeated Inspections showed that the sta-
BILE more cleanly and in better sanitary
condition than the back premises Of the
| hotel. DIR. Davis lived with his family in
| quarters. as did the other officers. and nor
at the hotel. No charge of bride taking
was ever made against him, and the pres
ent accusation is ridiculous and contempti-
BILE. and the accuser or his responsible sup,
porters should be prosecuted and be made
to prove their statements or go to jail.
Col. Blacks Notable Achievement.
Colonel Black, In charge of the engi.
neering of Havana and its vicinity. needa
no defense from me. He Is widely known
as one of the abiest and most distinguished
officers of the corps Of engineers. and his
organization Of the municipal service of Has |
vana and the work accomplished thereby
under his direction constitute one Of the !,
most notable chapters In American hist ,
tory.
The task in hand was to take over q
city wholly disorganized and in the physt7 |!
cal and sanitary conditions OF tho middle
ages, saturated with centuries OF filth, DOM
mated by disease, and a terror not only to .
the coasts of the United States, but to al .
civilized countries with which 1t was in .
communications: to reorgcntze its entire mu !
nicipal machinery, and convert 1t into O
So lubrious. safe and attractive metropolis.
Reference is made to the considerable =
sums of money expended monthly FOR these :
purposes and the declaration printed that !
It would be difficult to find results at oil :
proportionate thereto. Nevertheless the re-
suits are of the most obvious nature. the
redemption of Havana has been enected in /
the course Of s.gle year, and the city
made cleaner than Washington or any other
that know. The future interests Of Ha-
yana and the Island Of Cuba generally
have thereby been profoundly modified,
since it has been established that the con-
d.tions of living in Cuba can be made as
safe and satisfactory as those on our own
I'm addition, the United States has been
freed from the peril of frequent epldemics.
which, when they occurred. cost fifteen or
twenty millions in loss of life and paraly-
sis of business.
Reduction of Death Rate.
1.-The deaths in 1885, In Havana, num-
bered 81 252 among population estimated
at 100000 The corresponding rate Of NOR
tally was SIS per thousand. In the first
month of the American occupation. Janu'
airy, 1899, this was reduced to 67, and by
December 1899, to q per thousand. The
decrease continued until for April, 1900. 1t
was less than "a per thousand.
1.-THE reduction Of 40 per GOO in a single
year represents among population of over
24OO 600 a saving of nearly 10000 lives, and
the work is still in progress >.
I'm addition to this general result there
has been effected practically complete re-
moval of the dread of yellow fever as an
obscure and uncomfortable epidemic dis
ease, since 1t has been demonstrated by the
work done in Havana that 1t can be en-
tirely eradicated by sanitation as an cpl
demic fatality.
at is but rarely in century that the op-
portunity offers for the accomplishment OF
such conspicuous and indisputably valuable
results and it is almost incredible. in the
light of these facts. that Americans should
be found willing to prostitute their Journal
istIc privileges and responsibilities by seek.
ing to convert an honorable chapter of
American history into dsgraceful and
scandalous record, the falsity Of which Is