THE SUGAR RIOT.
After the middle of January and the beginning of the allotment of the
land, the population of La Gloria began to "pick up" somewhat. Colonists
who had been lingering at Nuevitas, and some new ones who had come down
from the States by the Munson line, would straggle in from time to time.
People were coming and going almost every day, but the balance was in
favor of the colony and the population slowly but surely increased.
Among the new arrivals were quite a number of women and children. About
January 20 the advance guard of the colonists who had come on the second
excursion of the _Yarmouth_ made its appearance. On this trip the
_Yarmouth_ brought about sixty passengers, the majority of whom finally
got up to La Gloria. More would have come if Nuevitas at that time had
not been a hotbed of misrepresentation regarding conditions in the new
colony. All the unfavorable features were grossly and ridiculously
exaggerated, while stories of starvation, sickness, and death were
poured into the ears of new arrivals until many an intending colonist
became convinced that it would be taking his life in his hand for him to
make even the briefest visit to La Gloria. Such is the tendency of human
nature to exaggerate, and to build a big sensation out of a small
nucleus.
People who had never seen La Gloria were the ones whose representations
seemed to be most credited in the States and by the new arrivals
therefrom. I saw a letter received by one of the company's officials at
La Gloria from a woman in Asbury Park, N. J., who was nearly crazed by
anxiety for her youngest son, who was then in the colony. She had heard
frequently from her oldest son, who had been in La Gloria with the
survey corps for several months, and he had always written very
favorably of the place, so she said, but she had lately seen an Asbury
Park man who had returned from Nuevitas and he had told a terrible story
of suffering and danger in the colony. The woman's letter showed clearly
that she discredited the accounts of her son and accepted those of the
man who had brought back a harrowing tale. Why she credited the story of
a man who never got further than Nuevitas in preference to that of her
own son, who had been at La Gloria for months, I never could understand,
especially as the latter was an intelligent and apparently perfectly
reliable young man. Doubtless mortals are predisposed to believe the
worst. I looked up the woman's youngest son, and found him well and
happy, and ready to join with his brother in speaking favorably of La
Gloria.
[Illustration: LA GLORIA, CUBA, LOOKING NORTH.
_Photograph by V. K. Van De Venter, Jan. 23, 1900._]
Meanwhile, we were living contentedly in La Gloria, enjoying excellent
health and suffering no serious discomfort, and laughing in uproarious
glee over the sensational articles which appeared in many of the
newspapers of the States. With no little surprise we learned from the
great newspapers of the United States that we were "marooned in a Cuban
swamp," suffering from "malaria and starvation," and "dying of yellow
fever and smallpox." As a matter of fact, at that time there had not
been a single death or one case of serious sickness. The health of the
colonists remained good through the winter, the spring, and even the
following summer.
Indeed, the colonists had but few grievances, so few that they would
sometimes manufacture them out of trifles. Of such was the "sugar riot"
with its laughable and harmonious ending. One day in the latter part of
January, when the arrival of provisions was barely keeping pace with the
arrival of colonists, a small invoice of sugar was brought into La
Gloria over the bad road from the port. Scarcely had it been unloaded at
the commissary when the head of the engineer corps took possession of
about half of it for the surveyors and the boarders at their table, and
gave orders that the other half should be turned over to the Cuban
workmen of the company. The carrying out of this order aroused great
indignation among the colonists who were boarding themselves and had run
out of sugar, as most of them had. This action of the amateur "sugar
trust" caused certain of the colonists to sour, so to speak, on all of
the officers and chief employés of the company, for the time being, at
least, and mutterings, "not loud but deep," were heard all about the
camp. Not that there was danger of a sanguinary conflict, but a war of
words seemed imminent. The "era of good feeling" was threatened.
A day or two later, on the evening of Saturday, January 27, a meeting of
the colonists was held preparatory to the organization of a pioneer
association, and it was arranged among some of the leading spirits in
the sugar agitation that at the close of this session the saccharine
grievance should be publicly aired. The gathering was held around a
camp-fire in the open air, in front of headquarters tent. The regularly
called meeting adjourned early, with a feeling of excited expectancy in
the air. Something was about to happen. The officers of the company on
the ground, it was understood, were to be raked over the coals for
favoring the Cubans and thus perpetrating an outrage on the colonists.
The colonists whose tempers had been kept sweet by a sufficiency of
sugar lingered around in the pleasant anticipation of witnessing an
_opera bouffe_.
But it was the unexpected that happened. Just as the sugar orators were
preparing to orate, a man with muddy boots pushed through the crowd and
entered headquarters tent. A moment later the stalwart form of Colonel
Maginniss emerged from the tent, and in his hand he bore a slip of
paper. It was a cablegram from New York, which had just been brought in
from Nuevitas, announcing the election of General Van der Voort as
president of the Cuban Land and Steamship Company. When the dispatch
had been read to the crowd, there was silence for an instant, and then
the air was rent with cheers. There had never been any question about
General Van der Voort's popularity. The colonists had full faith in his
honesty and devotion to the colony, and hence looked upon his election
to the presidency of the company as the best possible security for the
success of the enterprise. They had been distrustful of the management
of the company; the choice for the new president inspired them with
renewed hope and confidence. It was the unanimous opinion that it was
the best thing that could have happened. He was the right man in the
right place; he was in La Gloria to stay, and reckoned himself as a
colonist among them.
The sugar agitators forgot that their coffee had not been sweetened for
forty-eight hours, and joined heartily in the cheering. In fact, all who
had "come to scoff remained to pray," so to speak. It was voted to send
a cablegram to the New York office announcing the deep satisfaction of
the colonists in the choice made for president. General Van der Voort
responded to calls and made an excellent speech.
A little later in the evening there was a big demonstration in honor of
the significant event. More than anything else it resembled a Fourth of
July celebration. Bonfires were lighted and salutes fired, and the air
of La Gloria resounded with cheers. The Cubans came over from their
camp, and after the Americans had got through, started in for a
celebration of their own. This was partly because of their fondness for
General Van der Voort and partly on account of their childish love of
noise and display. The colonists became convinced that night that if the
Cubans ever become American citizens they will be equal to all of the
Fourth of July requirements. The noise they made double discounted that
made by the colonists. They cheered and shouted and fired salutes by the
hundred. They marched up and down the main street, singing and laughing
and blowing conch shells. They freed Cuba over again, and had a rattling
good time in doing it. It seemed as if the racket would never end, but
about midnight they went jabbering back to their camp. It was the
noisiest night in the history of La Gloria. But the "sugar riot" was
averted, and never took place.