The Washington herald., 1910-07-03
THE RICHEST SPOT IN CUBA

I dealing with a Castilian people: he was
Castilian himself He loved a cock
fight himself, just as every one OF his
true compatriots did So while Zayas
in Havana was trying 70 convince his
countrymen that they should abolish
cock fighting. Gomez, In Pinal del Rio,
was personally attending the Easter Sun
day amounting of Vuelta Abajo tobacco
lands; and Gomez was elected Pres
ident of the Cuban republic
But Cuba is only one-half tobacco.
The other half is sugar, with a dash Of
bacardi This half stretches from Guam
tanamo TO the Bay of Nepi and disgorges
its sweet substance through the harbors
| of Cienfuegos and Santiago. A trip to
/ Cuba would not be complete without q
visit TO a sugar refinery. and that is
comparatively~easy for an American, for
four-fifths of them are either Ownedi or
managed by Americans and their coun-
tTymen are always welcome visitors
There you can see the sugar cane
hoisted from the fat cars at one end OF
the refinery and, following it down he
! course OF its journey TO the other end.
you discover strange carnations into the
various watts. Into the first pours a syrup
as thick and almost as black as crude
I
very finest syrup OF all. a yellow stream
as thin as the sap from a maple tree IN
spring. From the black stream is crys-
tallized the lowest grade of brown sugar,
from the light yellow stream the highest
grade of cube sugar.
las you leave the sugar refinery you
viii pass through miles of sugar cane.
and II you are there late in the season
you will at convenient intervals come
upon treacherous looking fellow carry
ing a rifle in the hollow of his arm. He
scans you closely and viii be quite sure
of your pacific identity before you will
be allowed TO pass on. He is guarding
the sugar plantation. All over the island
those guards are as numerous almost
as the workers.
Right here. IN this sugar guard. you
can study quickly and finally all the COM
plieated, melodramatic politics OF the
island. Why should he guard sugar
cane? Because in the heart OF the sugar
cane lies all the infiammable spirit OF
revolution. Around this sugar cane re-
wolves world politics. for it is the twin
backbone of Cuban industry and there.
on a par with tobacco. is guiding the
finances of the realm; and. as every one
knows, high finance is to-day the soul OF
politics. indeed, Of statecraft.
IF any Cuban workman becomes dis
affected for any cause whatever or for
no cause he may light a cigarette, stroll
into the sugar cane, flip his partially
consumed weed into the field and pass
on. In less than an hour that entire
plantation viii be in ashes and thousands
upon thousands OF dollars will have gone
UP In smoke. And who will deeipaar the
origin? No one, unless the ever vigilant
guard prevents the tossing of the cigar
cite, and then there will be no fire.
But great number of tourists never
see the sugar fields. never see the totac-
co lands. Those who are wealthy spend
their time motoring along the beautiful
roads which surround Havana and
stretch even as far as Santa Clara, q
third OF the way across the island. TIE
others stick 10 the hotels, see an ocea-
sional cock fight. visit the jai slai courts
or dance the pleasant svai,ss away
under the senli-tropie meoz-S