Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-29

! summer that those who survive have been
| the gamers, since they have been able TO
secure credit
The Commercial Situation.
Yet the situation is not so full OF en-
couragement as the planters would like to
| think They can get along for another
period, but they never will have full con-
fdence and full credit until their sugars
| receive a concession in the markets of the
United States. The British minister Mr.
Cardan, holds out false hopes to them of
possible market in the united kingdom for
the lowest grade of unrefned sugars, and
says that having got through so many
crises without help from the United States
the Cuban planters are better off without it,
He does not tell them of the government
alu in the British colonies in the West In
dies and the artificial means which the
colonial office has taken to revive the sugar
cane industry.
The general trade prospect unquestionably
| improves the probabilities of a large
| sugar crop this year come nearer to GER
| tainty, for the mere handling of the crop
| gives employment to large number OF
persons and insures a fair amount of in
| dustrial activity; but the railways, whose
revenues come from carrying cane and
sugar, recover very slowly from the heavy
shrinkage in the value of their stocks. The
| drop swift and steady; the rise is
| irregular. p
The sugar statisticians now place this
years crop at not less than $4,000 tons.
Some of them even go beyond that and
guess at 100000 tons. 1t will be two weeks
yet before an accurate estimate can be
made, as the reports received during the
first week in December are usually the
most trustworthy ones.
Leaving politics and trade, the moral
health of the community is good. Beneath
the surface some of the most interesting
features of the experiment of Cuban gov
eminent are now being tried. One thing
which surprises and gratifies Americans Is
the moral backbone of Cuban officials.
| They get much of this from President Pal
ma himself. but it is to their credit that
they are willing to follow his example.
The Lidias de Gallos.
There has been the matter Of the lidias
| de gallos, or cockfghts. This Is the sport
of the country people. and some of us who
! were here at the time thought 1t mistake
I of the American military officials to put
| the ban on this amusement by military de-
| cree This view came to be quite generally
taken by the army officers themselves, who
were willing to revoke the decree and per-
NIT the sport on holidays and Sundays
| which are holidays. They did not do So
chiefly for fear of criticism in the United
States, and not from any moral scruples on
their own part.
When the Cuban government came in an
agitation was started to have the sport of
the country people restored to them. It
even was given something OF a political
cast. L saw what was advertised to be an
imposing demonstration demanding the res
toration of the lidias de gallos. l met the
procession as 1t was passing through Obspo
street to the palace. When the procession
| reached the palace the president Of the re-
public calmly caused its leaders to be in
formed that he would receive committee
of five and no more. The procession went
away in huff to the senate and house of
representatives. where its petitioners were
received with scant courtesy. Then it came
back uptown and dissolved. My own guess
would have been that all told 800 persons
took part in it. The local newspapers,
there were 500. They also said that most
of the participants were negroes. This
did not seem fair to the negroes. I saw
more whites than blacks.
AS political movement the demOnstra-
ton was admitted to be a failure. But
the incident had real significance. A local
society and literary journal. Ell Figaro.
sought the opinion of its readers on this
Maxine Gomez down, the sport was de-
nounced, and the authorities were urged to
keep it under the ban. 1 also noted that
among the letters on the subject in the
daily papers were many from Cuban school
masters protesting against going back into
barbarism by recognizing the cockfghts as
Cuban amusement.
Now it should not be understood from
this that the sport had disappeared from
Cuba. 1t still exists in the rural districts,
though 1t Is not much more prevalent than
during the American military control.
Not having much faith myself in govern
ment suppression a means Of roofing out
an amusement which the people seem to
want, asked a Cuban official If it would
not be better to tolerate and regulate that
which could not be prevented. mo" he
replied. Some kind of vices, of course, the
state must recognize. because they are uni
versal, but vicious amusement, like the
lidias de gallos does not come within that
class. We know the country people like
them to some extent, but 1t Is a vicious and
degrading amusement, and by keeping 1t
prohibited you will find that in many COM
munities it will gradually disappear These
cockhghts would be reflection on the cul-
ture and civilization of the Cuban people
II they were approved by the government.
We are trying to spread the schools out
through the country, and it would half
undo our work If along with them we let
these lidias de gallos flourish
M pEDDUD