Arizona republican., 1897-12-12
LABOR OF HERCULES
The Task Imposed Upon Captain
 General BlanCo
AN AUTONOMY FOR CUBA
Is Possible Only With the Con-
 sent of All Factions

So Far the Two Most Formidable
 Elements Have Shown the Bit
 terest Hostility to the Scheme Of
 Home Rule Offered Them.
 Washington, Dec. -GSpecial.) J. The following interesting description by Charles M. Pspper of the problem confronting Captain General Blanco in Spain. printed in the Star, is at tracting much attention:
 Havana, Cuba, Dec. 4, 1897. Captain General Blanco is charged with the task of winning back Cuba ito Spain. It is more than a labor of Hercules The architect of Spain's new colonial policy has set for him self the building of a superstructure of home rule over charnel house. To succeed he must have hearty Gu ban good will and loyal support of the Spaniards on the island. Either ele- ment alone will not be enough. Gen. Blanco has been here a month, and :. aither element has accepted the new Conditions. They are either halting
 hostile
 To one fresh from the states, the impression is that of a deladened com munity nhe indifference is in mark ed contrast to the live discussion which goes on in the United States, where the terms of autonomy are weighed and their meaning subjected to discriminating study. In Havana the common comment is that the terms are of no particular consequence so long as no one wants the thing it. self. It is too much for the Spaniards or peninsulars and too little for the CubanS or insulaTs. Last spring" said one of the American residents here 'the talk was of Canovas's re- forms. Now 1t is of Sagasta's all- tonomy, but you'll find everything now about as it was then. The only difference is that the Spanish sol diers are dying faster than the recon centradoes. because there are more of them to die, and fewer runs a quicker course than starvation"
 HOSTILITY TO AUTONOMY.
 Time enough has elapsed for the intransiger&es, or fiercely loyal Span iards, to analyze the decree of auton- omy, but they pay little attention to it's details. The concession of GUS toms control to Cuba has intensified their hostility, yet they would have been class of irreconcilables with that left out. Their fear from the be- ginning has been that Sagasta and Moret were ready to grant some real measure of home rule, and this they will mot have in any form. If the hostility ito autonomy were confined to the corrupt official element, which in practice has lived up to the theory that Cuba exists only to be plundered it could be overcome by the repress- i've hand which Spain has always known how to stretch forth to stif1e discomfort. But when this feeling spreads through the merchants, the manufacturers and the tradesmen il becomes the sentiment of what ha: heretofore been the dominating class Its personalities are influential and forceful
 With the governing powers at the palace there is little pretense of vel vet in dealing with their own. Once autonomy was little less than sedi tion. Now opposition to autonom1 is the next thing to treason. Tht union constitutional CT pro-Spanisl party is under the ban, while i enough liberals and reformistos tt make party could be got togethe under the flag of autonomy they woul, be the favored organization. Never theless the Spanish element which i fighting autonomy does not lack bold ness. It has definite program and i just as resolute as the Sagasta min istry and Captain General Blanco.
 WANT ANNEXATION.
 The feeling of the fntransigentes or ultra-Spaniards, toward the Unite States is one of mingled emotions The manifestations against Ameri cans are not so violent as formerly The Spanish merchants complain c concessions about tobacco and othe favoriltism alt their expense. The declare no gratitude is shown for tn release of the prisoners. They ar skeptical over the promise that Min ister de Lome will keep the friend of Cuba in congress split up so tha neither belligerency nor indenend ence will be recognized Incidental