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

h0idfnS offfce IN Spain. I have In my fe-
cation In Washington two secretaries who
are cubans. There are more officers born
in Cuba fighting the rebellion than Cuban
leaders in the army. The last minister Of
Spain In Mexico was Cuban. Spanish
offices are open freely to Cubans. In fact
for people eaid to be dewn-trodden and
oppressed, they are singularly fortunate
Cuba sends deputies to Madrid-enough to
hold the balance Of power If they could
thirty-two deputies, and the two have
twelve senators That is the imperial
representation for which the English col
onies have been clamoring. Last March,
too, law was passed (which has not vet
gone into effect giving the Cuban people
control of their educational system. the
Improvement Of the roads, the budget and
many other features Of local government
without interference from Spain. The
home-rulers in Cuba were not satisfied
with this, but they were glad to accept it
as step in the direction of home rule and
their deputies voted the law. The agitators
believed that this law would not be passed,
and they relied on the dissatisfaction which
would follow to make friends for them.
They were disappointed. The conservative
They know that the withdrawal Of Spain's
protection means anarchy
Filibusters and Blockades.
I asked him If the filibustering parties
from the United States were causing him
any great anxiety.
"All that they succeed In doing" he said.
lis to smuggle in a few arms. I know
where all of these are, and If were in any
other country I would have them seized.
But in this country man may have as
many guns in his possession as he pleases,
and no one has a right to question. It Is
| the law. The State Department has done
| all that 1t could do within the law"
I suggested that this law conserved one
of the liberties of the American people.
ma ha md r0t
Senior de LONE. Some day, If the social
lists rise in this country, with arms in their
hands, and try to destroy the government,
1t will not seem SO much like liberty"
will Spain be able to blockade the Cuban
coast?" 1 asked.
''She will have soon forty light-draught
toats with which to patrol the shallow
water near the shore Then we will have
| a triple line around Cuba. Our largest war
vessels will be at sea; those of lighter
draught nearer the shore, and the small
boats will patrol the shallow water. OF
course We cannot watch every square foot
of sea, but we will have the insurgents
pretty well cut off from outside help All
the help they have received thus far has
been in the shape of arms and ammunition
Only two parties have landed and the
larger of these contained only twenty-three
men. You will see continuous reports of
expeditions, but the faith of the believers
must be sustained.
Trade With Cuba.
I referred to the reciprocity treaty, about
which Senior de LONE had had some con-
ferences with John w. Foster. the Amer
lean commissioner at the time of it's nego-
tiation.
Cuba" said the Spanish minister
wants free trade. But the reciprocity
agreement will never be renewed, because,
through no fault of your government 1t
was made unfair to the Cuban people. With
the duty taken off sugar. the Cubans found
Ah,k IN, Tpit Tod nfaS
fixed the price at what it pleased, and that
the -four trust and all the other trade conf
binations fixed the prices of the goods
which the Cuban people bought at any
revenue reduced from, say, s20.000.000 to
s15. 900 GEO. and that they were paying the
old prices for goods which they imported
There was ne advantage in that. They
asked to havetthe treaty abolished, and 1t
was abolished by the action of Congress
taxing sugar, The fault Is not that of your
government, but Of some of your people.
Your people do not realize what trade
with Cuba is, worth. You buy s7s.O0o,oo0
worth of sugar from US every year, but
it would go to England If you did not take
It, The Cuban people buy from the United
States 81, 0O0o00 worth of goods, which, If
they were not sold to those people, would
not be sold at all. You sell to Cuba more
than to all the South American countries
put together, Five millions more than to
Mexico, three, times more than to British
West Indies. y our trade with Cuba cannot
be improved by.Ta change of conditions
there, and it maY be injured very seriously.
Mistaken Sentiment.
".Yet there seems to be a mistaken senti-
ment among the people of this country In
sympathy with the insurgents. However,
as 1 said, 1t is a question of only a little
time when they will know the truth-when
they will understand that the towns
which the insurgents are burning every
day are the little villages built of grass
whose poor people are only made little
poorer by the acts Of the insurgents. They
will know that these adventures have not
now a town even in which they can declare
themselves established, but that they gave
out their proclamation of government In
the woods; that many of them are bandits
who ought to be shot, and that all the
Washingtons and Hamiltons and Adamses
of this revolution are adventures. chiefly
negroes.
"All of these things the people living In
this country who have interests in Cuba
could tell you One of them was here with
me few days ago, and he told me what
am telling you. But he is afraid to go even
to the State Department with it, because
he knows that il he showed any sympathy
With the Spanish government his property
would be destroyed by the insurgents. The
merchants of Havana who subscribed the
money to buy gunboats to present to the
Spanish government and pay volunteer
cavalry regiment in the field can tell you
people Of the United States. when they
know the truth, will take a different view
OF the attitude of Spain toward Cuba"
GEORGE GRANTHA AM RAIN