Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-06-17
HAVANA NEWSPAPERS
Pens Which Follow Lines Traced by
the Sword.
MIRRORS OF PUBLIC FEELING
General characteristics Of the Daily
Publications.
JOURNALS FROM MADRID

of the future. The pen which follows the
lines traced for it by the sword is not
always a facile one The news written
Under the csnsor's he Ivy hand is sometimes
stale. The opinions given utterance TO un-
der the shadow of military despotism are
hot usually convincing. So those of us who
live in the serene atmosphere of free speech
and of a free press will not look for the
same clearness and force from those vino
dwell in the fog of military despotisnl. 1t
may be presupposed that no newspaper
would be permitted to exist in Havana
which openly opposed the Weyler policy,
ard 1 have already described the press
censorship. With these limitations under
stood something about the press itself may
be worth recording.
In Havana the old idea of newspapers as
the organs of party opinion still obtains
Soon after the ten years war parties in
Cuba resolved themselves irto liberals and
conservatives, or union constitutionals, on
the same lines as in Spain. The conserva-
tives were the tories, while the liberals
were described by their name. These di-
visions did not hold long, and in time there
came to be autohomistas or home rulers,
reformists, who believed in a moderate de-
gree Of local government for Cuba, under
conservative agencies, and straight-out con-
servatlVes. The latter are sometimes called
intransigentes, which means that they are
hiindly loyal Spaniards. They often call
themselves integristas, while the other
parties they denounce as separistas. This
term they apply alike to the autonomistas
and the insurgents in the field.
While political parties in Cuba have gone
to pieces In the midst of war and desoia-
ton, the names are still preserved, and
there is even semblance of organization
kept up. The newspapers, as organs of the
old parties. try to give body to this sem
blance. and their discussion is still carried
on under the forms of parties. While they
carry On long controversies and criticise
each other severely, there is much similar
lty In the tone they adopt toward insur-
gents. This is one of indignant remon-
STRANGE because the insurgents fail TO come
out and end the war by letting the much
larger number of Spanish troops whip them
in the open field. In the midst of their con-
troversies they also at times find a COM
mon ground. Recently this has been a de-
nunciation OF the home government for til.
currency Generalization. Weyler himself
has been out of sorts at the action of the
criticism. The papers. the LIST Of June, gave
decentralization of the national finances by
doubling their prices. This was done at a
meeting of the proprietors
General Charncteristics.
Most of the Havana papers follow the
French fashion and publish daily feuillitons
or stories. They also have their charades
and puzzle departments. In their general
makeup they would not meet the idea
of
are not published for Americans. The
leading dailies receive Lhe Associated Press
dispatches and have full special CORE
spondence from Madrid, while some OF
them also have correspondence from New
York. Their editorial style is dign:fied il
somewhat ponderous. and makes preten-
sions to literary training. The wealth of
the Spanish language Ia proverbs Is urIiized
to its full extent and they delight in irony
and sarcasm. They pillory their esteemed
contemporaries with grace ard deftness.
Some OF them were exceedingly bitter IN
comments of personal nature, but l have
been through too many heated poIiIIcaI
campaigns in the United states to treasure
that up against them.
"Dinrio" Oldest of the Paper..
''Diario de la Marina" is the Oldest of the
Havana papers. 1t has both morning and
afternoon editions. Its heavy cannonad-
ing Is usually done through the morning
edition, the grape shot being saved fsr
the afternoon. Its leaders are something
like those of the London Times. 'Diario'' Is
the organ Of the reformis:as. Marquis de
Rabell, who has lately been In Washington,
Is it's director, and he is .he chairman OF
the reformista party. "Diario'' is now advo-
eating amnesty and q liberal policy toward
the insurgents. 1t wants the Cubaus to
have something to say about their own
government. and it urges that the time has
come to promulgate the reforms and build
up Cuba industrially and economically. as
well as politically. 'Diario'' sometimes
makes rabid attacks on the United States
breathes war and vengeance, and SO forth
but these utterances should MOI be taken too
seriously. While talking violently against
this country, it Is possible for the paper to
express itself with some degree Of freedom
concerning Cuban affairs. LIS rivals init
mate that thfpaper publishes these vio-
lent article o46rely for the sake Of having
them repuh9 - the states, tut profess
sional envy may have something to do
with this assumption, "Diario' was the
medium through which the effort was made
to impeach the accuracy Of Mr.. Calhoun's
Investigations in Cuba 1t Is again at
tacking General Lee and Mr. Calhoun. 1t
said some very unkind things about my
own literary style, charging that my man.
ner Of writing was commonplace, out Of
fashion and mere tourist observation style.
'.Diario'' recommended Dante as a model
and suggested that drop into poetry.
Nevertheless 1t is a fine old Newspaper ana
has undoubted influence LII the present
crisis.
sI.a Luchn.O
tia Lucha" comes nearer the American
idea Of q newspaper than any Of the other
Havana journals. It appears at O'Clock
Ip the afternoon. LA Lucha's" designation
Of itself IL that of q republican daily.
This does not mean that It advocates {,
Cuban republic or even Spanish republic.
but that 1t combats the tendencies Of abso-
lutte government. La Lucha" keeps special
correspondents in the field with the troops.
and its war news II by Tar the fullest that
= published. When two or three lines
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