Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-05

/ nois The speakers who came from Ha-
vana were escorted from the railway sta
ton In carriages. and there was guard
/ or 1inetes or horsemen. There was also
chorus of little girls dressed I'm white,
who sang what seemed to be an anthem Of
welcome
The meeting was held in the plaza, or
| public square. The stand was decorated
| with the Cuban flag, and there were a
| great many bouquets. Some small boys who
| seemed to belong to the opposition ho9tcd
| at the speakers a little. and a ripe mango
was thrown at the platform. The audi
ence was wildly enthusiastic, and the
every sentence OF the speakers. This hap
pened to be rally of the republicans ard
the orators pitched into the nationals for
asking the American officials TO supervise
the election In the village OF Guira This
| seemed to be the only local issue and most
OF the speech-making was on general lines
Inc orators said and proved that the lib
| critics OF Cuba were safe only in the keep
| ing OF the republicans. They were very
| nerce against the nationals, and were
! rather sarcastic about the conservatives
or union democrats. who seemed to pe the
third party. All told. Il was a pretty fair
rally until the rain Interrupted. The af-
fair was little different from similar po-
! litical functions in the United States IN
that there a breakfast or banquet,
before the meeting. and bale" or dance
afterward. This Is the custom In Cuba,
and is not bad custom. for between the
banquet and the dance the ill-feeling which
may be created by partisan appeals is dis
sipated
One incident OF this local campaign had
been parade of the nationals. with BAN
ners containing notices derogatory to the
dignity OF the republicans. and there had
been cries OF death to the repuhl Leans"
But this cry is not so blood-thirsty as it
seems. 1t Is a common way OF the Latin
people to express their disapprobatIon OF
public men or of government policies by
crying death to them when there is no pur-
pose of infiicting death In these local rail-
lies where the chief municipal issue was
whether the alcalde who was In should
stay in or give way to some one of the OPP
posite faction. the rallying cry OF the ma.
tionals. instead of meaning real death TO
the republicans. only meant that the ma
tionals did not like the republicans at all,
and wanted them to transfer themselves to
some other part OF the island.
The Country Vote.
The gua1iro as yet hardly conceiyes that
under universal suffrage he is part of all
this business OF public meetings and parades
and voting. He has not shown much dis
position to go into the villages TO the rail-
lies, nor have the politicians shown great
anxiety over his convictions as to who shall
be alcalde or even whether the Plat amend
ment should or should not have been ac-
oepted. The reason is that the politicians
have enough to do trying to control the var
ious groups In the towns and villages which,
for the present, are the only scenes of po-
litical activity and ferment. After two or
three campaigns they Will learn what the
country vote means and then the guajiro
for the first time will know his own import
ance. He will side with the conservative
elements, for all his tendencies are conser-
vative.
l had heard some fears expressed in Ha-
vana lest the rural guard should become
mixed up in the island politics and thereby
impair its usefulness. This rural guard Is
now a very fair body of LOO men. organ
lied on military lines. with General Alejar-
dro Rodriguez as its chief. The officers are
mostly young Cubans OF social standing. Ii
is promising indication that few COM
plants have been made OF their taking part
in these local contests. or of their abusing
their position. AS the rural guard is CEN
tralized organization under the direct au-
thority OF the island officials at Havana,
its members are not so likely to become
identified with local or neighborhood con-
tests. They take the proper view OF their
own functions and leave the local squabbles
to the village policemen or constables
The American Hobo.
Some things American which would not
be looked for are now met with In rural
Cuba. One of these is the American tramp.
1t is natural enough to see him in iaNana,
but 1 was surprised to find one trudgins It
along out this way, just as impudent and
independent as IL he were at home. An
American who has to do with private in
stitution, which, a mark OF patriotism,
flies the American flag, told me that the
tramp was going TO become the worst NUS.
ance on the island. Its ideal climate has
attracted the hobo. At this Institution
number OF this class had appeared, claim
ing the hospitality and protection or me
flag They knew enough to avoid the mill
tary posts but they managed to locate
Americans who had settled out In the coun-
try and were trying to farm. They nave
learned to ask at the fondas or Inns, ana
the bodesas or country stores, for cane
rum. That Is the way the Cubans ana
Spaniards would know them II their ap-
pearance was not sufficient to Indicate TO
NJ
longed. One bodega keeper showed me the
motto which he applied to these American
tramps. 1t Ats them ALL for they all want
free drinks. Hoy Sc fla; manana si-no
credit today; tomorrow sure
not uncommon sign in the states Is
Free beer tomorrow" or something OF
that sort l know a town IN which pres
idential candidate lived, where the saloon
near the railroad station has this sign
painted IN big, blaring letters, and so1ne-
times quoted It as an Illustration OF Amer
lean humor, but IT is not American humor,
for the bodega keeper, who showed his
sign in Spanish to me, said It was a com
NOR thing in Spain. and had been for SO
long that nobody claimed that his great
grandfather was the first one to perpettate
the joke.
Spanish scholars would not perceive the
humor OF the meth, but the bodega keepers
have managed to make them understand II
by means of the sign Language, which Is
universal. What shall be done with the
American tramp Of the future Ia one OF the
questions that the Cuban government or
the Cuban municipalities should be al.
lowed to settle without the fear OF inter-
national complications The tramp nuisance
from time immemorial gave the govern
ment of Spain serious trouble / found one
day In the laws of the Indies what seems
to be the first anti-tramp statute 1t was an
ordinance bearing date of 1885. 1t recited
how his royal majesty, the King OF spain
and of the Indies. and the lord Of the
oceans was deeply grieved at the harm
wrought among his loyal subjects In Cuba
and especially among the native race OF
Indians by certain class Of peregrlnating
persons, who travelled about with fixed
occupation, and who refused to contribute
to their own livelihood by filling the soil
or by performing their share Of other labor,
Their example, the royal decree said. was
demoralizing In that Ii caused the native
Indian race also to want to live without
labor.
In consequence OF this decentralization his
royal majesty's viceroys and other SER
wants were instructed to make It their spe-
cial care that this class Of peregrir ating
persons be forced to labor, and were au-
thorized to adopt such measures as In their
judgment the emergency might require.
Other statutes were passed with the same