Spain's Lost Jewels: Cuba and Mexico - Livres de poche

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: The Second Letter. AMERICAN OCCUPATION. The American occupation was the best thing that ever happened to Havana, and the Island of Cuba in general, and it would be a splendid thing if just such an experience could come to every American city about every so often. The American occupation was practically placing this country in the hands of a receiver, just as a railroad of the United States is placed in the hands of a receiver by the process of a United States court. In this instance General Wood acted as the receiver, representing the United States government just the same as any other receiver represents the district court of the United States in straightening out the affairs of a railroad company. When a railroad company becomes overburdened by watered stocks, excessive bonds, inefficient and extravagant management and generalgrafting to such an extent that its outgo is so much in excess of its income that it cannot continue in business, then on the petition of some one the United States court steps in, takes possession of the property, appoints a receiver, whose authority is supreme, and who is answerable only to the judge of the court, who appointed him. Then there is something doing. The grafters and plunderers are heaved overboard, stocks are wiped out, bonds and securities scaled down, the income of the road is used to operate the road, and to improve its physical condition; new machinery is purchased, new rails are laid, new rules are made, and when the general housecleaning is completed, the road is frequently turned back to the same or another gang of plunderers and the same original story is repeated. So Cuba, that had been robbed and plundered with great regularity ever since its discovery by Columbus in 1492, found itself, by the fortunes of war...