Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-31

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Mail Mk II here in both social
49, &t% and dfplo m 1 C
wNNtBW circles.
Wi TIT N He Is now summer
lIN( ing at Swampscott,
NV but is vie rously
prosecuting the af-
fairs of Spain, particularly in relation to
the Cuban revolution. He Is in conference
constantly with the Secretary of State or
his representatives. and with the leaders of
the Spanish forces in Cuba He is purchas-
Ing supplies for the Spanish forces when
they are needed urgently, and he is max
Ing futile effort to prevent the carrying
of supplies to the insurgents
When I asked Senior de LONE to tell me
something about the Cuban revolution for
the benefit Of the readers of The Star. he
replied:
THE American Is made to believe that
| there is in Cuba a nation fighting for lib
erty, instead of few thousand adventur-
ers taking for the moment advantage of the
rainy season. Maceo is a mulatto; Maxi
mo Gomez, Dominican; Miro, Spanish
bandit Qrom Spain in Europe), and the only
white Cubans of any social Importance are
Masso and Santa Lucia, this last an old
crank. Is that a people?
The trouble with your people Is that
they always stick to one thing. They in
form themselves on that one thing, and
that alone. Perhaps it is better so.
When came to America, l spoke free
OF affairs in Cuba. They printed what
told them. and the next day they said
something else in their editorial columns.
Never mind. They will see Your people
will know in few months the whole
truth about this Cuban n1atter-when the
rebellion is crushed. They talk about Con-
gress recognizing the rebels as belligerents.
There will not be anything left to recognize
Congress- meets Dpcem
The Spanish minister speaks with re-
markable rapidity and in very pure En-
glfsh. He raises his voice at the end of
almost every sentence. He talks in high
key, and with slight lisp. Now and then
the torrent of his words is Interrupted as
he feels about in his mind for phrase
which exactly fits his thoughts; but, as
rule. he finds few impediments to rapid
speech
Spain Has Money Enough.
"spain is not hampered by lack of money
in carrying on her campaign" l said
ITO show you how absurd that story Is"
said Senior de LONE, "let me call your at
tenticn to the fact that 10000 soldiers were
brought to Cuba in Spanish ships. That
cost some money. Then 10000 more will be
landed there by the 18th of September. All
of them wiz be brought in Spanish bot
toms. All of this Spain has DONE and is
doing, at great expense. No. there will be
no trouble about the payment of the Mora
paid. No. 1 cannot talk of the matter.
never will Of anything connected with my
official duties. The proper channels of in
formation are only the State Department
Madrid'
And the loan Spain has failed to nego-
| tiate?'
She has not attempted to negotiate
any loan. Financiers are anxious to have
her do SO, because money is idle in Eu-
! rope. The Spanish debt Is a per cent
| lean: Interest on 1t is payable quarterly
| at the Bank of Spain Our officers-what
you would call here your collectors Of
| revenue-take the money they receive to
| the Bank of Spain, where it is deposited
| and the first use made of 1t Is the pay
| ment of interest on the national debt
| Usually the bank keeps the interest in
hand for two or three months in advance
| so as to make a little profit on it, and
any one who wishes to do so may go
there and obtain his interest in advance
| subject to a small discount made by the
bank, not by the government The re-
suit of this system is that financiers are
| loan, and If she needs money she would
have no difficulty in getting it. Besides,
! SPANS financial condition is improving
every year. Last year her deficiency was
| only two million.
spnfn's Duty.
would 1t not be a good thing CONNER
cialy for Spain to abandon Cuba?" asked
why does the mother country cling to
this expensive child?'
Spain is bound to keep faith with the
| merchants and planters who have in
vested their wealth in Cuba, relying On
the Spanish government for protection.
These are the representative Cuban peo-
pie. They are not in sympathy with the
insurgents. They want Cuba to remain
Spanish colony. So do the American cap
italists who have Cuban investments, and
the Americans who have gone there to
live. Ten per cent of the capital invested
cars. If Cuba came under the protection
of the United States, your government
would soon have to send $4,000 soldiers
there to protect the property OF Ameri-
cans. The Cuban people, though, do not
want annexation to the United States.
The conditions of race are very different.
They want to continue as they are. And
by this mean the real Cubans-the good
citizens who own and work. Many'of these
men are of Spanish birth, but they have
lived in Cuba many years; their interests
are all in Cuba. If these men lived in the
United States they would be called in time
Americans, whatever their native coun-
try. These men have identified themselves
with Cuba; many of them have Cuban
wives and Cuban children. They are Gu
bans now, not Spaniards. They represent
100000 people in Cuba, against whom
a few thousand adventures are making
war. Most of these adventurers are ne
slaves who were freed in 1882.
Freeing the Slaves.
"The movement to free the Cuban
slaves began soon after the end of your
warm 1865. In 1865 the revolution in
terrupted the movement, and it was not
resumed until the end of the revolution
in 1878. Then the business of freeing the
slaves was undertaken, and in 1882 it was
| completed. Under the terms of his release
| a man had to serve his old master, new
one or the state for five years for pay) so
that he could learn the lesson that liberty
is not idencss. In 1882 all were free. But
many negroes of Cuba, like those in the
south, do not want to work. Give the
southern negro a watermelon and he is
perfectly contented. Instead Of remaining
on the plantations, the Cuban negroes went
to the east end of Cuba and settled down
| to live on bananas and maize. You will
find white men working on the plantations
mot negroes You will find white cooks
and white boatmen in Havana, The white
people know that as soon as Cuba is free
! from Spain, a black republic will be es-
| tablished at the east end of the island
| which will be a constant menace to them.