The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1901-07-31
TRUTH ABOUT CUBA.
What Csn. Wood Thinks of the
Island and Its Pscpis.
SOME INTERESTING FACTS.
He Says tho Cubans Are Like
Most o,hsr People, No
6,tter. Nor Any Worse
Than Others,

Than Others,
The current number CT The Outlook
contains an interview with Gen. Leon
ard Wood, governor general Of Cuba,
which is very interesting. 1t was re
ported for that journal by Elwsrd
MsTshall, the American war CORES
pondent who was so badly wounded in
the battle of Las Guasimas, and was
transcribed for Gen. Wood and sp
proved by him before publication. Gen.
Wood begins by declaring that "Ameri-
can writer's have written as if we plant
ed brains in virgin soil when we enter
cd into Cuba, ss if the frst bright
hlcker of honesty had Lighted up the is
land whom our flag went up, as if intelli
gence had been unknown there before
we bought it with us. All this is
wrong" Please observe that it is the
presidents very close friend, the head
OF the American administration in
Cuba, who says this. Surely he has
no incentive to make a statement min
im'ziug the influence Of his own lebors.
Gen. Wood continues:
After the war vas over Cuba was of
course practically 10 a sthte of chsos.
a man may be i'll without being an idiot
and when he is i'll he requires tho ser
vices of physician, aud perhaps of
nurses he may evon become helpless
for time without refectipg on his
Crmal ability to care for himself and
work for others. So it was with Cuba.
Torn and racked by war, disorganizad,
dismayed, disheartened by years of
oonflict-she was i'll when by the act of
the American occupation we came to
help her. 1t would be folly to say that
she is wholly recovered. There are many
lingering effects of the trouble through
which she had passed, but with her in
oreas ing health she will throw them off
as easily as we threw off those which fol
lowed our War of the Rebellion.
feel no more concern about the fu
ture of this island than | feel about the
future of my native State. Its resources
are 50 vast and splendid that pros.
perity is sure to come. Its merchants
and plan sers are intelligent and ener-
getic, aud under the conditions of
peace and industry which have come
to them since the close of the war they
will hasten the advance Of that pros
perity,
This is well said, and it is true. Cuba
was crippled because Of the wounds.
not the vices, Of her people.
Gen. Wood declined to discuss the
politics of Cuba, saying that there was
good and bad in Cuban politics" as
there was good and bad in the poll
tics of any country. When people cry
out that there are dishonest men in
politics in Cuba, he added, Il wonder
If they ever recall to mind the fact
that there have been dishonest men in
politics at houe." A home thrut, in.
deed, but it has been made before with
out closing the mouths Of Cuba's eager
censors. Gen. Wood gave this attrac-
tive summary of the natural resources
OF Cuba, resources certain to induce a
great immigration, great Investment
of capital and great prosperity:
No house will stand without founds-
tions, no countay can be prosperous
unless that prosperity is built upon the
God given resources of fertility and
ric lness In the actual earth which
forms 1T. Take Cuba, province by
province. What State In cur own land
shows greater variety or q greater
wealth OF possibilities.
Santiago province perhaps offers the
greatest opportunity II development in
mines, in coffee, in cacao. In this one
province alone there ere immense un-
developed areas of the finest sugar
land and euongh magnificent land un.
planted 10 equal the present total out
put Of the island. Fine forests of val
liable timber, consisting largely of
splendid native hard woods, including
much mahogany, have never known
tho sx and are only waiting foi de-
velopment to become great source of
weslth. But Ssntiago's greatest riches
are mineral; its vast deposits of oxide
of mangancese and high grade iron ore
are ss rich as any in the world. There
are mountains almost made cf iron
which will run 90 per cent. to the ton
when semelted. Less is known about
copper In the province, but | known
enough to freely state that enormous
deposits exist there. Besides this,
Santiago province in general is good
farming land and offers magnificent
agricultural opportunities to settlers,
1t cannot he said that any part of Cuba
has been throughly developed; indeed
the island may be called brand. ne v
country. OF all the provinces Santiago
probably holds the most of the unde
yeloped wealth, its greatest resources
being mineral.
Puerto Principe is good cattle c oun-
try. There is also much ine timber
standing In its southern part, and
much entirely uudeveloped wealth in
the way of copper and iron ores. As
phalt Is another source of riches in this
province. Much of this asphalt is so
foe that it is used not for paying but
for the manufacture of varnishes. The
asphalt has not yet been tried for paw
ing, but will be in Habsna. Tremen-
dous deposits of asphalt, indeed, exist
In many parts of the island, and there
are probably many which have not
been discovered. There are parts of
Cuba, smsll as the island is, which
have not even been prospectod. As
a matter of facts there is actually room
on this island for the explorer, and
many surprises lie in wal. for coming
generations.
The eastern end Of Santa Clara prov
ince is made up of rich tobacco, coffee.
and grazing country. The middle of
the province and its western end con-
sist of fine sugar lands. Much Of this
province is entirely undeveloped.
MataDzSs and Habana provinces sre
sugar lands with splendid tobacco plan
tations In western HSbanA. | need