The Red Cloud chief., 1904-06-10
Belize. British Honduras, May 26.

derful place fer a Ncbrasksn to be-
hold. Situated In the tropics, on low
ground, and surrounded by all the lux
uriant tropical vegetation, its climate
Is tempered by n steady breeze from
the Caribbean sea, making it one of
the healthiest Of Central American
towns. 1t contains about 5000 inhab-
itants, three-fourths of whom are col
ored.
Belize was the principal port for the
cutters of logwood, mahogany and 9TH
er valuable woods a hundred years
ago, and was an important shipping
point for the English trade. Still ear
lier II was a rendezvous Of the buccan-
GERS and pirates that infested the Cen
trail American coasts. and 1t is said
many Of the pirates settled here when
their business was broken up and that
they eventually became good citizens
and left many descendants of various
colors. 1t is now a quiet, law-abiding
place, and II the restless blood of the
piratical ancestors affects the present
population there is sufficient diversion
in the handling of the hundreds Of
boats which carry the coast and river
trade.
The English have made Belize the
most progressive and best of the Cen
trail American cities. and 1t is prob
able that they have only been pre-
vented by the Monroe Doctrine from
civilizing other parts of the country.
One can not but think that the cele-
brated doctrine Is wrong IL its pur-
pose is simply to prevent progress in
this part OF the world. II the idea is
to sometime Americanize the whole
continent. then the doctrine is right,
Lut the progress is long delayed.
Here there are good stores. and pref
ty homes. The harbor is full of ships
and small craft and the river is crowd
ed with boats. There Is a hustle ap-
parent everywhere, and an evidence of
constant contact with the outside
world. There are five Protestant
churches, and on Sundays the build
ings are crowded with the Sunday
school pupils reciting the lessons and
singing the songs that are familiar
in the United States.
In the matter of trade there is a
closer observance Of Sunday here than
I have ever seen. The business houses
are all closed except the restaurants,
and the latter sell only ice cream. They
would no. sell lemonade, gum or cam
dy. Ice cream is termed a necessary
article" and small cakes are served
with 1t. The inhabitants will sell moth
ing at their homes except strictly eat
ables. All efforts to buy cocoanuts or
fruit which hung in abundance in every
yard were unavailing. They all said:
I'VE sell nothing today. Come tomor-
row."
There is a wonderful public garden
here, where all the tropical plants and
fruits are grown, and it is probably
one of the most complete gardens in
the world. 1t Is cared for by colored
gardeners, and is guarded by colored
police.
One notices here that the colored
people who have grown up under the
English rule are different from those
in the United states. They are more
quiet and business-like. They have no
recollections of slavery days" and
therefore do not find it necessary to
go to any extreme to "show that they
are free" Many here are from Jamai-
ca and the Barbados, also English
colonies. Most OF them are able to
read and write. They find it easy to
make a living, and they dress mostly
in white clothes, which are especially
fresh and clean on Sundays. We see
Just enough "greasers" or MeXicans
here to see how superior to them are
the English speaking colored people.
1t becomes plain to a visitor that there
Is plenty Of room in Central America
for all the colored people in America,
that in any of these republics they
would enjoy more social and political
equality han they o do in the Unit
ed States; that they could make a liv-
ing with one-half the work and worry,
and that they would be a civilizing in
fuence in any part of the rural coun-
try from the Rio Grande to Panama.
Wholesale emigration south would
solve the NEGRO problem"
The money question which is such
a mathematical study and constant
worry in all the Spanish American
republics, Is no worry here. British
Honduras silver stamped on one side
as 1t is with the profile either OF Queen
Victoria or King Edward, passes for
it's face value in gold, and American
money circulates freely on h same
basis. And in the surrounding repub-
lies with their deprecated silver and
hopeless fiat paper money, the money
of both the United States and British
Honduras is called gold" and a sill
yer dollar will buy two dollars and a
half stamped by the other countries.
Near here Is a large coral reef, and
boat loads of the coral are brought TO
the city to be broken up for ballast
on the swamp roads and streets. When
broken up the coral looks like chips
of porous marble. In the large round
chunks in it's natural state 1t would
sell for a hundred dollars a barrel In
the United States as curios, as most
of 1t Is of very beautiful pattern.
From here it is n days trip to
Porto Cortez, in Spanish Honduras,
, the great banana port and the natural
entrance to the country which is soon
est to feel the civiliZing influence OF