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HISTORY OF THE CUBAN REPUBLIC

CHAPTER I

THE PEARL OF THE ANTILLES

JUST off the coast of Florida, about a hundred miles from Key West, lies the island republic of Cuba, the "Pearl of the Antilles." Reasons without number have combined to make this an attractive spot, but to the people of the United States the course of affairs in Cuba has come to possess an especially vital interest. The very nearness of this island to the Atlantic shores of the northern republic has been an important factor in the relations of the two countries. Cuba controls the Caribbean Sea, and so commands not only the approaches to Panamá but also a great part of the two American continents. In consequence a very close and peculiar political connection between the United States and Cuba has developed. Cuba has a guarantee of American protection, but must keep her house in order or be liable to an intervention of the United States. The possibility of such an intervention has in recent years been brought unpleasantly to the fore by political happenings in the island republic. There are many angles other than the political that attract the attention of Americans. Cuba is extraordinarily rich, the real "gold mine" of Hispanic America, though the "gold" comes indirectly through agriculture and commerce. American investment and trade in Cuba are phenomenal in amount, while other countries share in Cuban economic activities in only

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a somewhat lesser degree. Socially, too, Americans and Cubans mingle more freely than most other peoples of different lands. Thousands of tourists from the United States enjoy the delights of Cuba in the winter, and in the summer there are other thousands of Cubans who visit the United States. Young men and young women of Cuba frequently enroll in American schools. In fine, the relations of the two countries are about as close as they can be without having the same flag. It is probable that there are many regions within American political boundaries that do not have such an intimate connection with the country of which they form a part as does the rich Caribbean isle.

Cuba is long and narrow, seven hundred and sixty miles in length from east to west, and some twenty-five to a hundred and twenty-five miles in width, with an area about the same as that of Pennsylvania. Short stretches of water separate it from Florida to the northwest and Haiti to the east, and through these passes the greater part of the traffic of the Caribbean Sea. Most of the island is comparatively level, but there are some mountains in the province of Pinar del Río in the extreme west, and the easternmost province, Oriente, is quite rugged in parts. The other four provinces are not so completely flattened out as popularly supposed. Mount Tarquino on the southern coast, not far from Santiago (the capital of Oriente), rises sheer up from the sea to an altitude of some eight thousand four hundred feet. Not only is Cuba the "Pearl of the Antilles," but it is also the "Isle of a Hundred Harbors." There are over thirteen hundred long islets, or "keys," off shore, and these form a bulwark for the numerous mainland ports along the two thousand miles of coast. Nature has been unusually kind to this tropical isle. It has a remarkable wealth in fruits, flowers, plants, and trees. On the other hand, animal life is limited. There

are a great number and variety of birds, and plenty of serpents and insects. The island derives its principal wealth from the fertility of the soil. Cuba is by far the greatest sugar-producing country in the world, and most of the sugar consumed in the United States comes from Cuba. Tobacco is also an important crop, and Cuban tobacco is usually reputed to be the best in the world. Delicious fruits, though less important as an item of export, are raised in considerable quantities for local consumption.

An idea has developed outside of Cuba that the climate is good only from January to the end of March. But in point of fact, though south of the Tropic of Cancer, Cuba can hardly be said to have a tropical climate at all. The temperature in the eastern states of the United States is often higher than that of Cuba. The highest ever recorded at Havana was 98°, in August 1899, and the lowest was 47° in January 1901. The normal extremes in that city are from 60° to 92°, and the average temperature in the four hot months, June to September, is about 80°. The climate of the island as a whole has been described as "remarkably moderate and uniform, due to the influence of the prevailing winds, the equalizing effect of the surrounding ocean, and to the fact that the long axis of the island extends east and west." The ocean breezes as a rule are indeed quite moderate, but in the fall of the year there is sometimes a moment of anxiety over the possible danger from cyclones in the Caribbean. Cuba has a dry season from December to April, and rains from May to November. Despite a rainfall of from fifty to sixty inches a year, the island is often troubled from a scarcity of water, as it runs too quickly into the sea. But the engineering problems involved in overcoming this situation are by no means insuperable. Cuban health records make an even better showing than the climate. On the basis

of the death rate, Cuba has ranked as high as second in the world, with a little over twelve deaths to the thousand. Australia alone has had a better mark. The normal rate in the United States is over fifteen. Cuba's standing in this particular is a recent development. Prior to the twentieth century the death rate was very high, due primarily to the ravages of yellow fever and malaria, but these diseases were stamped out during the American occupation of the island from 1898 to 1902. There has been some falling off in recent years from normal healthfulness, because of governmental laxity in matters of sanitation, but it would seem that the patient is too strong to be very seriously affected.

The population of the island, over three millions, is far greater in proportion to area than that of most Hispanic American republics. And yet it is remarkably lacking in density when one considers Cuba's extraordinary wealth. It is about sixty-five to the square mile. England has a rate approximately six times as much, and Belgium about nine times. The normal development of the republic, with a growing economic variety, should eventually permit of a much greater population,-possibly as many as fifteen millions. There are many negroes in Cuba, but fewer than is usually supposed by foreigners. It is said that less than thirty per cent are colored. There may be some "optimism" in this estimate, but it cannot be far from the truth. At any rate, the white population is gaining rapidly through immigration, for Cuba is one of the most favored lands among European peoples, especially Spaniards, who are in search of New World homes. Climate and economic productivity are not the only attractions Cuba has for the foreign visitor or home-seeker. It is a country with a highly developed civilization. The island is extraordinarily well equipped with railways built by private capital. Ordinary roads, however,