Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-03-23
CUBA'S PRESENT STATE.
Condition Of Affairs in the c Oy
Districts.

Must Have Horses and Farm Imple-
ments, Reports an Omcer Who Has
Just Returned From a Trip Into All
Provinces Enst of Havana.
A strong light has been thrown on
the present condition of affairs in Cuba
and particularly those Of the country
districts in a report submitted to the
adjutant general Of the department Of
Matanzas and Santa Clara by an Off
Ger Just returned from a trip into all
the provinces east of Havana, says
the New York Sun. The trip was TAX
en- with the object Of inspecting the ac-
counts of the civil officers Of the is
land and consumed all of November,
December and January. 1t afforded
an excellent opportunity Of studying
the habits and customs Of the people
and present conditions of the country.
The examinations Of the accounts Of
the civil officers showed that in the
smaller towns the public records had
been kept with great accuracy and
care. and in no case were any evil
dences of fraud or culpable negligence
discovered. The only errors found,
the report states, were the results of
conflicting instructions and the com
plicated system of bookkeeping. The
showing is the more remarkable be-
cause Of cumbersome, complicated and
ha
attitude Of the people toward Amerl-
can institutions was evidenced every
where in their cheerful readiness to
adopt simpler methods and to comply
with instructions. The report sug-
gests a change in the present system Of
administration Of civil affairs because
1t requires a large force of clerks and
the renting of considerable private
property, which could be avoided.
The country people, the report
states, show little interest in political
questions, most of their attention be-
ing devoted to their work. Men, wo-
men and children are found at work i'm
the fields before daylight and often
after dark. In the tobacco districts
the poorer farmers is proceeding slow
ly because of the scarcity of work ami.
mails and tools and the condition of
the roads and trails, which in many
districts are impossible The poorer
classes are obliged TO carry the prod.
uts of their farms on their shoulders
to the nearest towns, in some cases
diCfonan Of In Of 81
difficulties, however. the officer be-
lieveS that with proper assistance the
country Cubans will be self support
ing inside of year. 1t is the officers
belief that nothing short of actual
force could now divert the country Gu
bans from their peaceful pursuits. On
all sides 1t is apparent that the atten-
ton of these classes is devoted to the
needs Of their families and the recu-
peration Of their fortunes. In one dis
trict in the mountains 20S families
have only two yoke OF oxen. One fam
lily has a farm of over 5000 acres, but
possesses no working animals and only
few tools. Nevertheless they are
working cheerfully. The statements
that have been made representing the
Cuban character as irredeemably bad,
the writer Of this report says, are alb
solutely untrue.
In Puerto Principe, where cattle
raising is the principal industry, the
conditions are worse than In the to-
bacco raising district because, while
there Is arabic land, the people have
been bred to the care Of stock and are
not farmers. Some plan, 1t is sug-
gested, should be devised by which
they could purchase on credit a few
head Of cattle. This, it is added,
would result in the rapid recovery of
their fortunes.
In the sugar raising country the sal
walton Of the poorer classes depends,
the report says, upon the people oh
tanning small farms. The starvation
during the war has weakened these
people to such an extent that 1t Is i'm
possible for them to labor In the cane
fields as they used to do. To enable
them to perform regular work good
food and medicine will be required for
a number of months.
1t is difficult to understand, says the
report, how surplus money could be
better invested than in buying farms
for the country Cubans, as the future
OF the island appears to be largely de-
pendent upon the success of this class.