Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-30
CHANGES OF YEARS
Cuba in 1897 Compared With
the Island Today.
DISSIPATION OF GLOOM
CLEANLINESS REPLACES THE
FILTH OF FORMER DAYS.
Havana Streets Remind One of the
Boulevards of Paris-the March &c
Improvement Everywhere Seen.

SHdTleS w. russell, special assistant at
torney general. has returned from OIL
cial trip to Havana. He is in charge of all
cases of foreign nature that come before
the Department of Justice. and has had a
wonderful experience In that line. He was
the official sent to Paris to investigate the
Panama canal titles and to Panama to look
into affairs there. He went to Cuba on a
diplomatic mission before the breaking out
of the war with Spain. When asked today
about his trip and observations. he said:
The object of my visit to Cuba was to
secure evidence in the case of the Countess
of Buena Vista against Gen. john r.
Brooke, growing out of his order as mill
tary governor aholishing her slaughter
house monopoly. | think I accomplished
something. but l shall not discuss that now
" on can have no idea what a pleasure 1t
was to me to see Havana as it now is and
to recall what it was in 1891 -9S. when | was
thefe before. At that time filth-the ven
cradle NTH of standardization, from the
presence of relentless war between :1,0O0
spanish troops, unpaid, half cared for and
badly commanded. and insurgents IN the
woods and tall grass, burning plantations
and wrecking bridges-and starvation of
penned-up women and children and old
men, YOU remember l told you and Mr..
Wilbur of the Associated Press. and Mr.
Clark OF the Sun Press Association ard
others all about this in the middle of Jam
uary, 1888, some two weeks before the
Maine went TO Havana and before Spanish
Minister De Lomes letter to Senior Canal
eJas came to light. Nearly every paper In
the country had an editorial on my rerort
and appeal for food for the starving PIE
vious to that people doubted the stories Of
suffering in Cuba, and sneered at the vel
low journals in which they had been APP
pearing.
Scenes in Havana
THE people of Havana are now CAV and
well dressed and prosperous. In fact the
streets and plazas in the evening remind
one of the Paris boulevards. The beauty
of the ladies is very notable and their cos
tunes are Partisan, with touch. l think,
OF Madrid. The Italian opera was in pro-
gress and l had a good chance to see them
IN their glory there. and in the parks and
driving on the Prado.
Bands play in the evening at the sea
end of the Prado, the principal street, or
In the Central Park, but, unfortunately
they do not play Spanish music-that is I'M
popular and l could not get to hear any.
noticed, also, that they no longer speak
the Spanish language, but 'Castelano.'
There is no lack of bitterness against
Spain, but the Spaniards living there are
outwardly on friendly terms with the Gu
pans ana the republic. The Cuban Fourth
of July-May 20-occurred while 1 was
there, and the papers were filled with ac-
counts of the Cuban martyrs shot in Gu
banas fortress and elsewhere. or imprisoned
in Africa and Spain. One of my acquaint-
ances was in seven prisons.
AS for the Americans, / did not find II
true that their help in liberating Cuba is
urappreciated, as some people here be-
lieve. The Cuban is human. He thinks he
did the chief work in freeing Cuba. When
he refers to the war and you imagine lie
means our war against Spain he smilingy
explains that the war with them is Cuba
war against Spain 1t is but the old
story of 1776-S1 with us. We do not say
that powerful rival, nation of 3O.oo0,0JO,
equal to England. threw her weight into
the scale behalf of 2.500,000 colonists
here and forced England to set them free,
but rather that Lafayette, Rochambeau
and some other French gentlemen happen
ed TO be present when We whipped the Brit
ish. On the other hand, in the Louvre they
have picture of Rochambeau and Wash
ington, in which Washington is very much
in the background. l heard many Cubans
on the street and elsewhere saying to each
other-perhaps for my American ears TO
Catch-that il was the Americans who had
freed Cuba.
Cubans and Americans.
The Cubans are no. ungrateful, but the
Havana papers and people there frequently
speak of the lack of complete sympathy be-
tween Cubans and ourselves, supposed to
be caused by the difference of race. have
given you my opinion before that the diff
ference between Latin and an American
is per cent and the resemblance 9S per
cent. Difference OF language is the bar
rier between US, and the only serious one.
There was 4 moment In the real history,
which never gets written, when persons of
great influence in this country would have
had our government disregard the promise
to give Cuba to Cubans. My small influ-
ence was cast the other way, for l felt
that there could be nothing more glorious
for my country than TO set altogether free
oppressed people merely an act of
justice and generosity. To seize province
and add ii to nation g territory is to DO
an act too familiar to be worth record
ing. To do what we did for Cuba in the
way We have done IT is to do an act with
which history will ring for ages and ages
The streets of Havana are well paved
and absolutely clean now and the city is
as healthy be found anywhere in
the world. was told that the death rate
is but nine in 1000. but whether this is
so or not. l saw no signs of sickness and
many indications OF general good health.
The suburban town of Vedado is grow
ing wonderfully and It's houses and gar
dens are not surpassed by anything l have
seen in my travels. l think it is about
twice as large IN 1897. There is the
Hotel Trocha, which was General Brookes
headquarters when he was first made gov
ernor. 1t is surrounded by the bright,
lite resort of Americans. 1 dined there
out-of-doors under an arbor, well called the
Comedor Ideal.
Progress of Improvements.
THE old street cars l remember were
moved by mules small horses-now ex-
cellently managed electric cars go in many
directions, and one line ciings to the sea
shore to reach Vedado. Notwithstanding
this, the cab is everywhere in service, at
about 10 cents American money for the
course but an economical person must be-
ware of waits and night driving for
pleasure.
"A visit to the Carcel, the prison at the
end of the Prado, was very interesting 1t
is in admirable condition and in great con-
trast with the prisons L visited in 1897.
There are 1.00o prisoners. Among them
twelve in a room toget her. waiting to
be garroted One had cut the heart out of
a child year and half old for some dia-
bolical purpose. Several of the others COM
bined to rob house where a dance was in
progress and committed murder. / care
fully examined the garrote. 1t incloses the