The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-03-29

reasons of domestic policy, and partly because
we have nothing to fear from a deorept power
like Spain. AS John Quincy Adams said,
more than forty years ago, ''the pear is not
yet ripe" II Cuba were once independent, IL
Is SO certain that we could make it for her ad-
vantage to cast her lot with us, that there can
be no reasonable doubt that she would ere
long apply for admission into the Union. We
dare say that Mr.. Beecher himself would be
among the first, not merely to persuade her to
come, but, if it should prove necessary, to ad-
vocate bringing her in by force.
II Cuba should gain her independence,
slavery in that island is doomed, and the
same problem of Reconstruction" would be
presented there as in our Southern States.
The Cubans would attempt to establish re-
publican government; and if left to them
selves, IL is by no means certain that they
would be enamorGd of the radical pattern
and build their institutions on the basis OF
black suffrage. After emancipation there
would be the same classes, and somewhat the
same state of society, as existed in the South
at the close of our civil war. The ex. masters
would not be disposed to treat their late
slaves as equals. The white race would pro-
badly organize a government from which the
negroes would be excluded. The utter in
capacity for representative institutions
evinced by the negroes of the British West
Indies would naturally have an influence on
the independent Cubans. In Jamaica there
was at first regular legislature consisting
OF two branches, the lower house elected by
universal suffrage and having the power to
originate money bills. Although the home
government had negative upon all laws, it
was found necessary to strip the legislature,
from time to time, of it's powers, until finally
| it became such farce, and such marvel of
! ignorance and stupidity, that it was thought
| best to abolish representative institutions in
| jamaica altogether. AT present, there is not
an officer in the island chosen by the people,
so utterly has negro suffrage broken down
| and exploded in the course of thorough trial
under favoring guardianship and tutelage.
Jamaica has become what is called crown
colony. Every officer in it is appointed by
the Crown. Even its Legislative Council of
thirteen, of which the Governor is one, are
nominated by the Crown, and subject to re-
mOval at its will. Intelligent Cubans cannot
have been inattentive TO the collapse of repre-
sentative institutions in Jamaica, and they
may not incline to try a similar abortive expert
ment Of black suffrage in their own island.
We wish Mr.. BeecheT had seen fit, in his
| recent speech, to express his views on ere
construction in Cuba, and to tell what he
would do if, after the independence of the
island is achieved, it should proceed to esta-
| blish a white mans government, giving the
negroes equal civil rights, but excluding them
from all political franchises. Does he believe
that the intermeddling radicals of the country
would rest easy in view OF such a state of
things Does he not know, does not every
man know who knows anything of the temper
OF that party, that they would get up a fu-
rious agitation for subverting the indepen-
dence OF Cuba and annexing it to the United
States, in order to force negro reconstruction
| upon the island
For our part, we should be glad to see Cuba
really independent until the negro experiment
collapses in this country, If we felt any conf
dence that the Spanish whites in that island
have as much political capacity as our white
fellow-citizens of the South. We should be
| glad to have the two experiments go on stimuli
taneously under the eye of the world, in order
that mep might judge, by their comparative
success, between the two methods OF dealing
with the negro race in state of freedom. If
negro suffrage should flicker out in disgrace
in this country, as it has in Jamaica, it might
be for the general advantage to be able to
reour to an instructive example of governing
community with large intermixture of
negroes by a more rational method.
AT a recent evening church service in
NUyI. = III I..93