Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-07-17
PLAIN WORDS ABOUT CUBA.
Interview with Resident of the island
Concerning the Situation.

PARIS, July 10, 1995.-Owing to a
fortunate coincidence Herald CORES
pendent had conversation yesterday
with a resident of Cuba who is in a
position to give a perfectly impartial
and truthful view of the causes of the
Cuban revolt and of its bearings upon
the relations of the United States with
Spain.
| asked what would be the result
should the present rebellion be sue
cessful.
ga Cuban government would be es-
tablished, which, like that of Hayti,
would undou btedIy be split into rival
factions Disastrous civil war would
ensue, during which there would be
no security for life or property. In
fact, the older revolutionists openly
admit that they would have to start a
counter revol ton to get control of the
island. And so it would go on adj in
finitum. Cuba has continually been in
a state of revolt, some times latent,
now and then active, since 1929"
NEGRO MOVEMENT.
"What class or race is chiefly repre-
scented in the present revolt :"
1.-The present Cuban revolutionists
are mostly made up of mulattoes and
negroes from the eastern end of the
island. The only white man of po-
sition who, as far as my information
goes. is actively participating in the
revolt is Masso. All of the rest are
negroes and half breeds, who would be
utterly incapable of ruling the country
as we'll as Spain now does. As | have
already pointed out, a revolutionist
success would result much as it did in
Hayti. The island would be broken
up into at least two republics, Or rather
relationships, one of which--the west
ern-would be controlled by white
Cubans, while in the other, or eastern,
the negro element would prevail"
How would this affect property"
1.-The establishment of these SO called
republics would depreciate property in
the island immensely. Many mer-
chants have said that the day an indie
pendent Cuban government was de-
clared they would close their business
and cease ali connection with the
country. Already the value of Cuban
property has shrunk terribly. Estates
that for many years brought in in
comes that could be estimated at the
interest upon million dollars could
not to day be sold for hundred thou
sand in cash"
CAUSES FOR REBELLION.
"Have not the Cubans just cause for
revolt?'
"Certainly: their cause is just, but
if the rebels came into power they
would be quite as corrupt and tyran-
nical as their present rulers, with the
additional drawback of financial dis
aster and insecurity of life and prop
erty."
Can you mention some of the
reasons for I he rebellion?n
''In the first place, their taxation is
most unfair, for Spain compels Cuba
to pay the entire expenses of her whole
military, naval, diplomatic and con-
phere. Then ali the officials and en-
ployes of the government are Span
iards No Cuban has any chance of
securing any Of the Offices. which are
reserved exclusively for the patronage
of those in power at Madrid. If one
half, or perhaps one third, of the ap-
pointments were allotted to Cubans |
am quite sure there never would have
been a rebellion. The whole thing is
a question Of interest. Il is this
enormous and lucrative patronage,
more stringent even than that enjoyed
by Englishmen in India. that, together
with Castilian pride, makes Spain reso-
lutely determined never to give up
Cuba at any sacrifice and to crush the
rebellion if it takes her last dollar and
her last man
DUTY OF THE UNITED STATES.
What do con idtr the proper att
tude for the Uritr,l States to observer
1T is in tie interest of the United
States to hold herself absolutely aloof
from the struggle and not express any
sympathy for one side or the other,
but simply to watch events closely
Although theoretically the Cuhans
have just cause, yet the motive
power of their action is not to remedy
existing evils. but merely to take adj
vantage of them to get the sources OF
profit into their own hands. There is
no public opinion in Cuba among the
masses of the population, as they are
unable to read or write, and their
absolute ignorance makes them alto
gether unfit to enjoy the rights and
privileges of representative govern
ment.
Cuban rule substituted for Spanish
would be merely the replacing Of King
Log by King Stork, with the disad-
vantage that under Spanish rule the
island can produce great wealth,
whereas the Kaleidoscope revolutions
and counter that have in
varia bly, in all South American coun
tries succeeded the overthrow of Span
ish administration, would for at least
generation to come ruin this richly
endowed land and destroy industry,
agriculture and commerce."
CUBANS LAZY AND IMPROVIDENT.
You may have noticed that Mr..
Eustis in the interview in the Figaro,
which he has since denied, says that
the sympathies of the United States
are with the insurgents. What is your
opinion p
THE American public is educated
and intelligent and is always ready in
it's generous impulse to take the side
of any race or people that is oppressed
or is believed to be oppressed, but if
the American public had direct per-
sonal dealings with the Cubans they
would not be so eager to espOuse their
cause. Nearly all the hard labor in
Cuba is done by Spanish workmen-
not by the Cubans themselves, who
are terribly lazy and improvident."
How do you think the rebellion will
end?"
"The Spaniards will in the end sue
coed in overcoming the insurgents, but
it will cost much time and money
Young Spanish soldiers arriving in the
island utterly unacclimated will perish
by thousands, not in battle, but by
aud Cuba in the end will not
be able to pay for it ALL"
THE SILVER PRoBLEM.-The posi-
bility of having President and Con
gress both in favor of the free coinage
of silver at the Is to 1 ratio is so re
mote that all the consequences Of such
II calamity have not been considered.
The first of these consequences, and
one which has not yet been discussed,
would be the precipitation of panic
by the collection of debts and the
of deposits from the banks
Just SO soon as the cheapening OF the
currency was assured every man would
make a rush to collect his debts in