THE CUBA REVIEW. 



15 



ba in commerce, since any such ■discrimina- 

 tion would inure equally to Spain, and, un- 

 der the "most favored nation clause" of 

 various treaties, would virtually make Cuba 

 a highway to evade American duties for all 

 nations in the world. Not until this un- 

 natural condition ends, and Cuba can re- 

 ceive the preferential discrimination to which 

 she is entitled by her relations with the 

 United States, when Cuban commerce can 

 be regulated as a thing apart, independent 

 of any other country, will the economic 

 crisis be ended, cost of living reduced, and 

 industrial prosperity restored to Cuba. 



The peon finding conditions hard, and not 

 understanding why, has made a discontented 

 class in Cuba, from which demagogues and 

 revolutionary leaders have been able to re- 

 cruit their supporters. Hence it will be seen 

 that the recent revolution was at the bottom 

 based on economic conditions, not political 

 ones; and one of the things necessary to 

 prevent recurrence of such revolutions is re- 

 adjustment of commercial relations on a 

 preferential basis between Cuba and the 

 United States as soon as this can be done 

 independently. 



In the meantime, it is necessary to amelio- 

 rate living conditions for the peon class ; 

 and the best way to do so has appeared to be 

 by providing for him plenty of work at liv- 

 ing wages, at the same time devoting his 

 labor to the creation of permanent and in- 

 dispensable public improvements. The great 

 highway spoken of above is one of these en- 

 terprises. It benefits everybody, looks far 

 into the future both from a military and an 

 economic standpoint, and may be classed 

 as one of the most important events in Cu- 

 ban history. By the end of the present 

 intervention it will be so nearly completed 

 that the fulfillment of then existing contracts 

 and labor will bring it to a successful con- 

 clusion. Its temporary object, the ameliora- 

 tion of temporary conditions for thousands 

 .of peons, will have been then accomplished. 

 Its permanent benefits will but begin to be 

 realized. 



But this great work is only one. There 

 are many others. Some may be cited : In 

 the eastern part of Matanzas Province and 

 western part of Santa Clara there is a great 

 tract of low-lying land, as rich, as fertile as 

 the Nile valley, subject to periodic inunda- 

 tions in the rainy season which not only 

 destroy its agricultural value, but also en- 

 tail great suffering, breed all kinds of mala- 

 rial fevers, and have heretofore made that 

 part of the island extremely unhealthy. In 

 this section the government has undertaken 

 a drainage problem on a large scale, under 

 the great engineer. Menocal. formerly of 

 the Nicaraguan Canal Commission. At an 

 approximate expense of a few million dol- 

 lars, and in an approximate period of two or 

 three years, it is hoped that a large area of 

 potentially valuable, fertile land may be re- 

 claimed, the health conditions of the prov- 



inces permanently improved, and this great 

 work brought to a satisfactory conclusion. 

 That such an engineer as Menocal has the 

 subject in hand guarantees practical plans 

 for this work, which might properly be 

 classed in importance with the arid land 

 reclamation of the United States, or the 

 drainage of the Pontine marshes in Italy. 

 While this project is still in the stage of 

 engineering study, the mere fact that such 

 a study has begun, taken in connection with 

 the great importance of the work, virtually 

 insures ultimate success. 



Other works of a national character and 

 scope, such as a national department of sani- 

 tation, through whose efforts yellow fever 

 has already been again wiped out in Cuba, 

 malarial fevers much reduced as a result 

 of the war against mosquitos and improv- 

 ing drainage of towns, have already been 

 consummated. There can be no doubt that 

 this time the yellow fever is wiped out 

 finally ; for the nationalization of this work 

 provides adequate funds and competent su- 

 pervision, conditions which did not exist 

 under the former regime, in which this work 

 was left to the separate towns. If the pres- 

 ent intervention had accomplished nothing 

 more than above enumerated, it would be 

 abundantly justified; but it has also given a 

 tremendous impulse to all sorts of desirable 

 works conducted under local authorities, of 

 wlhich a better understanding can be had by 

 the following examples : 



The Palma administration had appropri- 

 ated some $80,000 for the relief of flood suf- 

 ferers in the inundated districts above re- 

 ferred to, of which some $26,000 remained 

 unexpended at the time the revolution of 

 '06 put an end to further distribution. Gov- 

 ernor Lecuona, of Matanzas Province, who 

 had charge of this money, quietly put it 

 away in the bank until such time as its 

 expenditure could be made to the best ad- 

 vantage, and asked that an American army 

 officer be assigned to inspect the accounts, 

 recommend further allotments of this mon- 

 ey, and supervise the execution of such 

 works as might be authorized. The writer 

 was designated to perform these duties. 



A single town may also be cited as an 

 example. In company with the GoA^ernor, 

 a visit was made early in March, 1907, to 

 Colon, the largest interior city in the prov- 

 ince (and island), and one reported to have 

 the highest death rate, highest sick rate and 

 poorest sanitary conditions in Cuba. A pub- 

 lic meeting was called, largely attended, and 

 suggestions as to future work invited. 



it was found that the city was subject 

 to inundations in the rainy season; that it 

 had almost no passable streets at that time 

 of the year; that there was no adequate 

 force for street cleaning; that the low- 

 lying parts were mere swamps, breeding 

 flies and mosauitos by the million ; and that 

 the local health authorities fully sustained 

 the bad reports previously received as to the 

 sick rate and death rate. 



