The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-07-28
CUBA.


Plotting is reported for another insurrec-
| tion in Cuba, and an outbreak is believed to
be imminent. If there ever were justi6ca-
ton for rebellion in the history of the
| world it is afforded by the condition of the
Queen of the Antilles" That fruitful
land has been despsiled for nearly four GEN.
turtles for the benefit of a little ring of aris-
tocratic spoils-hunters about the palace at
Madrid. Their greedy hands have been
laid on every enterprise and industry the
people have engaged in, and they have
taken to the last limit that the people could
endure. Every few years new batch Of
officials - from Captain General down -
made up from the hungry hangers-on OF
the ring, is sent out to Cuba to enrich
themselves, and when they have gorged to
repletion they are replaced by new batch.
This system would be intolerable in any
other country settled by men of European
descent. 1t became intolerable to the other
Spanish-American colonies early in the CEN
fury, and they took advantage of the pros
tration of Spain after the Napoleonic wars
to throw off her odious yoke.
But it hardly seems possible that an in
surrection in Cuba can succeed. There are
at most but about 100000 people on the
island, and large proportion of these are
lately-freed negroes, Chinese, and very de-
graded whites-all quite inferior materials
for patriotic army. The Cubans have been
allowed to acquire comparatively little
wealth, and they must necessarily be sadly
deficient in arms and military stores What
little can be secretly secured in the United
States will not 60 very far.
Spain can move against the insurgents
very powerful force. She has population
of 100000, and an army of $4,000 on
peace footing. Her navy is sufficient to
thoroughly blockade the island, and prevent
reaching the insurgents from the outside.
The only hope Of the latter would be in
getting the United States involved in the
trouble, and so receive assistance from US.
We should certainly have Cuba, first, be-
cause that would give US full control of the
Gulf Of Mexico, which would be of the
greatest advantage in protecting our Gulf
coast, our trade with South America, and
that which will come through the Nicar-
aqua Canal and, further because we send
to the island every year from $75,000,000 to
S100,000,000 in gold for its sugar, molasses,
tobacco, ETC. If we could buy the island at
any reasonable figure we should do 80 by all
means; but this is wholly unlikely, as the
palace ring at Madrid will not let such
rich fountain Of wealth go. There are only
two ways in which we are likely to get the
island by purchase. The first is to wait
until such time as Spain shall be 80 utterly
Frustrated by great foreign or domestic
war that she will be compelled to sell to
avoid National bankruptcy, and the other is
to develop our own sugar and tobacco pro-
duction to such an extent that we cease to
become the principal customer of Cuba for
these things We now take about SO per
cent. of all the sugar produced in Cuba,
and if we raised the greater part of our
would become of slight value, and the in
come of the colony to the mother country
willing to part with what is now her most
profitable dependency.