Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-17
NEGRO QUARTERS AT RIO GRANDE.

waite boarding houses, or private messes
but more often Judging by the answers
of those whom l questioned. at the gov
eminent canteens or notes. Wnere lte
meal costs 80 cents to each employe. Inls
3O-cent meal struck me as being as SooH
a meal get in the United states al
the ordinary hotel n which oo,ceht
meal is provided Three-fourths OF the
men whom / questioned stated that the
meals furnished at these government no
tells were good, the remaining one-Iourth
that they were not good. L myself TOOK
dinner at the La Boca government norel,
no warning whatever having been given
of my coming. There were two rooms,
as generally in these hotels. In one the
employees were allowed to dine without
their coats. while in the other they had to
put them on. The 30-cent meal included
soup, native beef (Which was good,
mashed potatoes, peas, beets, chill con
carne plum pudding, tea, Coffee lc1
man having much of each dish as he
desired. On the table there was bottle
of liquid quinine tonic, which two-thirds
of the guests, as was informed use
every day. There were neat tableclothG
and napkins. The men who were taking
the meal at or about the same time IN
cluded railroad men, machfnists, ship
wrights and members of the office force.
The rooms were clean, comfortable and
airy, with mosquito screens around the
outer piazza. l was informed by some of
those present that this hotel, and also
the other similar hotels, were every Sat
urday night turned into clubhouses.
where the American officials, the sc1ool
teachers and various employees appeared,
bringing their wives, there being dane
ing and singing. There was piano in
the room, which l was informed was used
for the music on these occasions. Ny
meal was excellent, and two newspaper
correspondents who had been on the
iSthmus several days informed me that Il
was precisely like the meals they n1d
been getting elsewhere at other COVE m
ment hotels. One of the employees was
cousin of one of the secret service men
who was with me, and he stated that the
meals had always been good, but that
after a time he grew tired of them be-
cause they seemed SO much alike.
No Cause for Complaint About Food.
l came to the conclusion that, speaking
generally, there was no warrant for COM
plant about the food. Doubtless it grows
| monotonous afler awhile Any man ac-
customed to handling large masses of men
knows that some of them, even though
otherwise very good men, sure to
grumbe about something, and usually
about their food. School boys, college boys
and boarders in boarding houses make
similar complaints; so do soldiers and sail
ors. On this very trip on one of the
warShps, seaman came to complain TO
the second watch officer about the quality
of the at the seamen's mess, saying
ed out to him that there was sugar on the
table and he could always put it in, to
which he responded that that was the
cooks business and not his! 1 think that
the complaint as to the food on the isthmus
has but little more foundation than that
of the sailor in question. Moreover, l
was given to understand that one real
cause OF complaint was. that at the gov
eminent hotels no liquor Is served. and
snmA Of the drinking men, therefore. re-