The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-10-18
CUBAN ANNEXATION
Merchants and. Planters
Hold Secret Meetings to
Discuss the Islands
Future.
AUToNOMIsT PARTY's WEAKNESS
Fears of Inability to Maintain
Peace Possibility Of an
Appeal to the States
AUToNOMIsT PARTY'S WEAKNESS
by Gable to The Associated Press. ]

that the Madrid Government cannot end
the war by arranging TO grant autonomy
to Cuba, as among the Autonomists who
are loyalists, there are not sufficient per-
sons TO hold public office, at least that is
athe claim the Conservative Spaniards
make In addition. the latter express the
belief that the Autonomists1, even II they
we're placed in power. would not be able
10 preserve peace and protect life and
property from the lawless elements.
In view of this state of affairs, a num-
Der of important merchants and sugar
planters OF Spanish origin. in conjunction
with several Cubans of prominence, have
been holding secret meetings and have
been corresponding with people in various
parts of the island with the object of as
certaining the views of the commercfal
and planting community N Plnar r, del no.
Havana, Matanzas and Santa Clara, as
to the future for Cuba most likely to tur-
ther their interests and those Of the Island
in general. 1t Is expected that the ma
jority of the replies received Will be favor-
able to advocating the annexation OF CUBA
to the United States. as the Washington
Government alone. apparently. is aple 10
guarantee peace in Cuba and the pfotec-
ton OF life and property
So soon as it is aScertalned that the
sentiment of the persons appeared TO is
in, favor of annexation, committee Will
be sent to the United States with instruc-
tions to lay the case OF CUBA clearly pc
fore business men OF prominence IN the
United States and ask the latter to unite
with the business men of Cuba i'll petit
tion TO the Washington Government, ask
ing the United States, in view OF the
failure OF the Conservatives to suppress
the insurfection by force OF arms, and
pointing out the lmpossibility of the LIB
erals ending the war by establishing an
autonomous form of government, TO
bring about the annexation of Cuba to the
United States
The plan Of Senior Sagasta, the new
Spanish Premier, to give autonomy to
has greatly increased the feeling of dis
content existing. The Autonomist party,
it is pointed out exists only in name, the
actual majority of the Autonomists be-
ing in the insurgent ranks and, with the
exception possibly of Senior Mon
toro and few other prominent
party are in sympathy with the insur-
gents. Consequently, it will be seen, the
Spanish Government, which has consult
ed Senior Montoro on the subject, IS
finding great difficulty in obtaining even
the suggestion of names of Autonomists
to fill offices under an Autonomist form
of Government 1t would be imprudent
1t is added, TO give such offices to the
party known as the Refornists, as the
more influential Spaniards hate them, and
the adoption of such policy would
Besides, the masses of the resident Span
iards are strongly ant1-AutonomlstS ana
there is little or no prospect of making
them change their minds.
before Senior Sagasta, it is not astonishing
that the business community in CUBA is
exchanging views on the subject OF an
nexation to the United States. especially
as a general uprising of the Spanish ele-
ments is feared if the Spanish Govern
ment persists in pushing its autonomist
omy is only the first step towards inde-
pendence in Cuba and the feeling of the
commercial classes being that annexation
to the United States and the consequent
safeguards to life and property is far pre-
ferable to the. establishment of new
Republic in Cuba.
considerable difference of opinion as to
the policy which should be adopted by
Spain towards Cuba. The "Diario. de Ia
Marina IN an editorial, Just published;
credited Senor Sagasta with jinaugurating
IT, while Urging the Reformtst party to
S9"Ei FATS organ of the Autonomist
party. in reply. held that the autonomist
policy favored by Senior Sagasta was
what the Autonomists IN Cuba had been
and that therefore the Premier could not
be osedited with having inaugurated it.
At the same time 'El Pals" intimated
that Senior Sagasta was really only fol-
lowing in this connection the policy adopt
ed by the late Premier Canovas del Cas-
uillo and that the Cubans We're therefore
more Indebted to Castillo than to Sagasta
lii this matter.
.L,s Luehay' in an editorial headed "Au-
toromy for the Autonomists.' claimed
that no party had more right TO inaug-
urate autonomist than the Autonomists
themselves. who had advocated and de-
Tended the policy of autonomy for the
past nineteen years, and who had re-
mained firm to their convictions in spite
of everything, preferring complete disap-
Pearance to supporting the insurgents if
the latter triumphed. At the same time,
La Lucha" protested against the Re
formists being allowed to take a hand in
the dutonomist government of Cuba. in
sisting that the loyal Autonomsts and
Conservatives should alone have this hon
or adding
I'm Cuba there exists in reality only
two parties, the Autonomsts and the
conservatives. The latter represent the
wealth of the country. more than the
a political party. and they also
represent the Sovereignty of Spain, will
assist the Spanish Government in every
way to pacify the island and is desirous
of enabling the Government at Madrid to
proclaim to the world that the severe
ignty of Spain in Cuba does not depend
on bayonets alone, but upon the 100000
Spanish residents of Cuba. who represent
tile wealth of that island They are also
destrous Of being able to point to the
fact that the Autonomists are able to
govern the island and that Spain's Army
and Navy are only auNiliaries to that
Government for the purpose of presery-
ing order and maintaining the tranquility
Of the islSnd.'
Continuing. however, LA Lucha" inti-
about a change of sentiment in Cuba
which will cause the influential masses
to look towards the United States for an
nexation as being the only really practi-
cal solution of the Cuban question.
A number of interviews with prominent
Cubans of New York have recently been
they did not contain anything radically
new, they were nevertheless read with