Conservative. 9
cause ho accepted the conditions and
brought his command into Havana and
disbanded it ; his successful laying of the
foundation for that work which has
since been accomplished under the ad
ministration of his able successor , Major
General Wood , U. S. V. , cannot bo
over-estimated. It is probable that ho
will never receive full credit for what
was accomplished. The difficulties
which wore met by him required un
usual ability and strength of character ,
united to an oven temperament , good
judgment , and a disposition to carefully
weigh and examine matters in all their
bearings , making decisions that would
be recognised as just and equitable by
all.
His successor , General Wood , not only
possesses a strong character , but unusual
physical strength ; only an iron consti
tution , such as ho possesses , could carry
the present military governor through
the largo amount of work which he
daily accomplishes , and which never
ends.
The American people owe to these of
ficers a debt far beyond the commenda
tion of their superiors , which each has
received. The war department itself
has had to act upon questions never be
fore coming to our government. The
relations of the United States to Cuba
are unique and unprecedented in our
history ; we are governing a foreign
country ; not that of an enemy , but of a
friend , by military occupation ; it has
no government of its own with which to
deal ; its relations to other countries and
to ourselves under existing conditions
have given rise to unheard-of and un
foreseen questions of law and govern
ment. That these have been met satis
factorily has been due largely to the
wise and conservative policy of the war
department , which is fortunate in hav
ing at its head a lawyer of recogui/ed
ability , clear-headed , ready and able to
direct in cases of complication or
dotibt.
Nebraska's Part in the Work.
It may be well to recall , in connection
with this article , that Nebraska has
taken no small part in the work of re
construction of Cuba. Hon. Geo. D.
Meiklejohn , as assistant secretary of
war , was in immediate charge of insu
lar affairs , and had as his legal adviser
Hon. 0. E , Magoon , of Lincoln , who is
still at the head of the legal work of
that division. Mr. Gumaer , formerly of
Nebraska , with several other Nebras-
kaus , including E. R. Sizer , of Lincoln ,
have served in the Cuban customs de
partments , whilst there are a number of
others now employed in other branches
of the government. The chief sanitary
officer of the city of-Havana undjer Gen
eral Ludlow , who acted under his per
sonal direction and instructions , and so
thoroughly cleaned Havana , was Dr. J.
G. Davis , formerly of Beatrice and Liu-
coin , who had entered the service from
Chicago , 111. , as major and surgeon of
volunteers.
The university has been , and now is ,
strongly represented in the engineering
department of the island under military
government , and a graduate , Mr. Sar
gent , of Lincoln , has been in charge of
the surveys of the forts and Spanish , do-
fences of Havana. Ho has with him
several others whoso positions have boon
secured through him on recommenda
tion of Professor Stout , of the univer
sity.
The Future.
Whilst Cuban politicians have been
debating questions of their political fu
ture , and as to the acceptance of the
Platt amendment and the future control
of government , the material prosperity
of the island has been , and is steadily
advancing under the present govern
ment. A gentleman who came to Cuba
some weeks ago to look up the title to
certain lands in Santiago province , said
upon his return to Havana , that he had
travelled 300 miles on horse-back and
had taken occasion wherever he stopped
to e.nquire into the sentiments of the
people and as to what they thought of
the Cuban constitutional convention
then in session. Ho said that they took
about as much interest in that conven
tion as we would take in a meeting in
South Africa ; that they were just get
ting their farms into shape , and said
that if they could only be let alone for
three or four years they would then be
ready to talk about a form of govern
ment.
It is believed to be a fact that Cuba
has benofitted more by two and one-half
years of American military occupation
than they could possibly have hoped for
from fifty years of Spanish rule , judg
ing from the past , or even from many
years of self-government ; for , in the
latter case , revenues now used for pur
poses of general welfare and the im
provement of the conditions of affairs
in the island ; the construction of good
roads mid bridges ; building of light
houses and other works of internal im
provement ; the cleansing of cities ; re
pairs of streets , construction of sewers
and other sanitary measures , would
have been diverted to the payment of
expenses not now necessary because at
present , having no governing power or
legislature of its own , much of the
civil work is done by United States
army officers , and with no president or
legislative bodies to provide for and no
army or navy to support for its self-pro
tection , such expenses of government
are now at their minimum and funds
are available for public use. .
Moreover , no power outside that of
arbitrary military authority could have
given to Havana , Santiago , Matanzas ,
and other cities the cleansing they have
received. No other power than the
military could have entered house after
house , every building in fact , through
evoiy street of the city of Havana with
its corps of sanitary workmen removing
the accumulated filth and rubbish of
years , washing out living rooms with
disinfectants and free xisoof eleotrozone.
Such work was to bo seen in operation
day after day during the first year of oc
cupation , and is still maintained when
necessary , under she supervision of
Major Gorgas , surgeon United States
army , the present sanitary officer acting
under the immediate orders of General
Wood.
Havana never had , and never will
have , such another cleansing as it got
under the direction of General Ludlow
and his successors ; no Spanish or Cuban f
official could have succeeded in doing
what he accomplished with his sanitary
and engineering departments during the
year 1899.
Political agitation and uncertainty as
to the future government is the only
draw-back to the prosperity of the
island at this time. The people , as a
whole , have been more prosperous and
better satisfied under the military gov
ernment of the past two and one-half
years than they have ever been before ,
or , possibly , will be for years under any
government of their own , for political
divisions and the increased expenses of
government are liable to make them less
content.
Cuba is a fertile country ; its climate
is good , it only lacks the complete con
quest of yellow fever germs and a prop
erly settled stable government to be
come what it is often called , "The Pearl
of the Antilles. "
Havana , Cuba , June 20 , 1901.
DOWN TO HARD PAN.
A Chicago merchant , many times a
millionaire , is erecting a large addition
to liis business building , and in laying
the fcmudations has gone down through
various strata of soil , sand , gravel and
clay almost one hundred feet to the
"hard pan. " In the foundation work
of life surely one ought to be as care
ful to get down to the "hard pan" of
facts , and in no school of our knowl
edge is this done more thoroughly than
in the Gem City Business College of
Quinoy , Ills. , owned and directed by
Mr. D. L. Musselmau , assisted by a
largo corps of most competent instruct
ors. Thousands of men and women are
in positions of great usefulness today ,
who , but for the development given
their uatiiral abilities in this school ,
would be unknown outside a small cir
cle of personal acquaintance. We wish
to call the attention of the young read
ers of our paper to the ad of this
excellent school , appearing else where in
this issue. Road it and write today to
D. L. Musselmau , Quinoy , Ills. , for his
large illustrated catalogue which he
will gladly send you free. Adv.
