The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-09-07
CUBAN

likely to be q Burning Question In the
Next COngress-Indrpendence of Spain
AEsured-The Next Step VIII Naturally
be to Seek Protection Under the Folds OF
the Stars and stripes-Americsn Interests
On Cuba.
CHICAGO, Aug. Boa Washington
special 10 an evening paper says:
Annexation will be a burning ques-
ton in the mex congress; but the
pivot upon which it will turn will be
Cuba instead of Hawaii. Private adj
vices received at the state department
in the last tw~enty-four hours indicate
that the independence of Cuba is but
a question of short time. The news
has none of the features of a surprise
to our diplomatists. The inability
of Spain to queil the revolution
has been apparent for some time
and the reason was, as plainly
to be seen, in the fact that Gen. Cam
lacked the support of the conservative
elements of the island. The CONNER
cial interests of Cuba have not been in
full sympathy with the Instruction
lists for the very good reason that the
character of the latter rendered their
triumph and consequent rule unde-
sirable to prOperty-Owners and the
conservative and respectable element.
But while Withholding their sympa-
thy from the insurrectionists, the con
sentative residents of the island have
given no support to Spain, hoping that
by such non-action the Spanish gov
eminent might in time be forced by
the incorrigibility of the insurgents to
grant Independent concessions to the
Cubans. These concessions were prom
ised ut the close of the last Cuban rev.
olution, but were never carried out by
Spain. They consist chiefly of a de-
mand for a more equitable and hu-
name system of taxation and a
fair representation for Cuba in the
Spanish cortes. 1t is not surprising
that the Cuban view of the case should
enlist American sympathy in certain
quarters, for it is only a reiteratIon of
the old colonial doctrine: No taxa
ton without representation"
Gen. Campos, the Spanish military
leader in Cuba, urged the Spanish gov
eminent many months ago to grant
these concessions promptly, and thus
insure to him the moral support of the
best elements OF the island, and he
promised that the rebellion would be
short lived.
Spain declined to consider the ques-
ton of concessions until after the rev.
OlutiOn had been quelled. 1t is now
a serious question whether. if Spain
should decide to grant these rights,
she could at this late day command
the support of the so-called ''conserva-
tive" element of the island for Spain,
for, having broken her promises nee
before in the matter of promised con-
cessions made under stress of ~revolu-
ton. she might, it is feared, do so
again. At the same time, the tax
ridden Cubans, seeking immunity from
their ~taskmasters, hesitate before ac-
cepting a situation that promises ne
gro domination and the placing in
power of some of the heretofore law
less elements of the islands.
1t is believed that the time has ar
rived when the respectable element of
IhS lSidiu' the ptOpeFIN-O"u STS anu |
law-abiding classes, find they must
tnterpose to protect their interests
against che threatened ascendancy of
the banditti and other ignorant ele-
ments who have been successfully re-
sisting Spain and quite recently at
lacking and devastating plantations
of Cubans. This they will do by as
Stunning the reins of government and
formally throwing off the Spanish
yoke and setting up ar independent !
republic.
The next move, it is believed, will
be an appeal to the United States for
annexation. American interests in
Cuba are much larger than has hero
tofore been popularity supposed. A
prominent Cuban declared to-day, in
discussing the subject, that three
firms in Wall street hold mortgages
On nearly ali the plantations in Cuba,
and that most of the skilled labor of
these plantations, as also on railroads
and in factories are American, while
American capital figures in nearly all
the industries of Cuba either as Il
direct investment or III the form Of
mortgages"