East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1907-05-31

Cuba is not what the steamship
agents represent it."
That's the view Of Lawyer Ed
ly returned from an extended tour Of
the island. made with party of cap
talists which went there to hunt in
vestments in real estate. They came
back without having purchased a
square foot of Cuban territory.
Having read pack of the litera-
ture publisher by companies operat-
ing steamers to Cuba, I was very
much disappointed in the island"
says Mr.. Mendenhall. 1t is different
from any other place ever visited
but 1t was not what have been led
TO believe it was and l came away
with a feeling of something like dis
gust. While there talked to many
people who had cmigrated from the
United States and were trying to get
along as best they could. All those
with whom talked declared that they
wanted to sell out and get back to
the good old u. 5. a.
During my stay I talked politics
with many Of the Cuhans. Most of
them thought the government of fer
mer President Palma was weak af-
fair and that 1t was a good thing 1t
was brought 20 A sudden close. While
to the United States, did not see
any of them dance with joy when
this country was mentioned. They
would smile when Teddy and his Big
Stick was referred to, then shrug
their shoulders.
"My trip on the island extended
through parts of February and
March. 1t was mighty hot during the
fore part of the day, and the folk of
Havana did nearly all of their ship
ping. walking and driving between
o'clock in the afternoon and 9
o'clock in the morning. It was too
hot Of mornings to do anything with
comfort. But with all this heat. the
people down there seem to have colds
as often and as severely as they do
here, caused by the fact that they
wear very thin clothing, allow lots
of draft in their sleeping apartments
and are continually seeking places to
sit down and cool off where the wind |
is blowing shrill. The nights on the |
island were very delightful, but I |
grew tired of the days after one or
two had passed.
II found In travelling about the
hardwood timber lands were taken |
up when the island was under Span
ish control. There is still great |
deal of mahogany left standing, as
well as many thousands of feet of |
cedar. This timber is in the hands |
Of Cuhans. who use the cedar to
manufacture cigar boxes. A great
deal of this timber is shipped ! to
Florida, where It is also used for ci-
gnr box purposes.
"The country is not as hilly as
expected to find It. A great deal of
the island is no morehilly than land
in Yamhill county and along the rail-
road In Marion county.
"The cattle are old fashioned and
small. just suited to the climate in
which they have to live. There are
latter, save those kept by the rich
for driving, being scrubby looking
beasts. Rarbed wire fences are very
numerous.
"The soil has a reddish caste to 1t |
like the earth found in parts of Ala
hama and Florida and around the |
mines in southern Oregon. Most of |
II has to be fcitilized before it can
lie made productive, while irrigation |
is also needed in many parts of the |
island. ' noted that wherever the |
royal r..'''s 'rrrc growing, there was |
found the bert land. Cuba has fair |
supply of water
Having read columns telling about |
50 much good, cheap land for sale In
Cuha. I was much surprised to find |
that all the real estate worth having
had been gohbled up long ago, some |
NJ it by Cubans and the remainder by |
American corporations. One of these
syndicates is the Swedish Colonial
ton society with headquarters in
MINI. This company
cwns 5000 acres of semi-good land
near Santiago, which 1t holds at from
S22 to S25 an acre. Many Swedes
are moving in, then wishing they
could move out again.
wages paid on the island would
not make a Portland workman want
tc quit his job and go down there, al
#, e.