Little Falls herald., 1900-02-02
.,f men, as we'll as s{he saving Of large
pYI1aIiSps tO tht, erovorD mont t

s. men, as veil as Is The saving Of large
expenses to the government. 555 52s 81
e''Some Of these policies are likely to.
lessen Woods popularity in some quar-
ters, but nothing could exceed thee
$thusiasm with which he was received
by the people. including the most
prominent Cuhans: on his arrival. The
mOdesty of the man was shown by his
attempting to avoid the demonstra-
ttons prepared for him at the landing.
] It was 4To''clock in the morning, Off the
coast, When we were boarded by some
representatives Of tie Cuban Veteran
association asking the general to re-
ceive their public welcome. After some
demurring; he agreed to do SO. and
then. a fter being advised by his friends.
reluctantly went below to his cabin
and exchanged the citizens clothes ho
had worn during the voyage for his
officers uniform: Then, about 6 o'clock
when we had anchored up in the har-
Dor, a tugboat came alongside. bring
ing Colonel Richards. representing
General Brooke; Colonel Scott. repre-
senting General Ludlow, and other off
GERS, who asked General Wood to come
. ashore with them and participate in
the ceremonies which had been ar
ranged: for his official welcome to the
island Here was a quandary, but Gen
eral Wood took the bull by the horns
and declined TO accompany them, on
the ground that. he had already given
bis promise to the Cuban Veteran asso-
ciation: This gained the hearts Of ali
the Cubans in the city at the very
start, who saw his career as command
er begin by allying himself on the side
of the :Cubans, rather than with the
military officials:
! AT the banquet given in the Tacon
theater few days later on Dec %, in
honor of Senior Rubens,. attorney for
the Cuban junta, every mention OF Cen
cral Wood was received with the wild
est cheers lssat in one Of the boxes
and was never SO moved in my life as
at hearing the addresses made by some
Of those grizzled old Cuban veterans.
expressing their Joy at the final sue
cess Of their long cherished ambitions
now. that man whom they trust has
come to take command of tie island
and prepare the way for final hand
Ing over OF the sovereign power to the
Cubans themselves. :. Il;
ITO go back to the day of our land
ing, General Wood was installed at
high noon as governor general Of Cuba.
and at 6 O'Clock that night he had ar
rested eight custom house officers and
put them in jail for embezzling the
funds and robbing the government Of
revenues. That is the sort of man
General Wood is. and he will keep the
: dry bones rattling in Havana until
things are of a different complexion all
around the island.
"1f were a young man looking for a
place to settle and make money" con-
. tinued Mr.. Hibbard. II would 20 with
out delay to Havana, which seems to
me to be fairly bristling with opportu-
mites. The Cubans are extending the
most cordial welcome to Americans,
whom they seem to admire and regard
as superior order. Of beings and whose
habits and customs they are ready to
adopt for themselves. A Cuban COM
mission merchant told me that in the
30 years he had been in business in
Havana he had. known no failures In
his line OF business. =. AL accounts are
squared up once a week. every Satur-
day. =.
"Fine profits. with small chance of
loss, are obtained by lending money to.
the planters, taking as security not
only mortgage on the land. but an ad-
ditional lien on the crop. When the
cane is brought to the mill to be ground.
1ts> amount is carefully registered. so:
there is no chance for the planter to
avoid payment and claim he had no
crop. The young American men, In
Guiding many college graduates, whom,
| saw in Havana all agreed that it is q
fine field and were so advising their
friends.
AT my request General Wood is 60
ing to select some. promising young Gu
bans. perhaps the sons Of some of the
old generals, and send them up to Mas
sachusetts to- be educated at my :ex-
pense. They are. very bright fellows
and only need little training in Amer
lean. ways to become the best and most
enthusiastic of American citizens.
Then. returning to their own people.
they will act as missionaries Of Yankee
civilization and form the beginnins"of
a strong bond OF union between Cuba
and the United States" J.