The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-04-06
InaIicnabie Pights.

The one bugbear in the Cuban prob
lem is the widely prevalent fear that
when the Cubans get their freedom
they will not know what to do with it,
Let us consider this point.
IT must be said of the Cubans enlist
ed in the present insurrection that
they have shown many qualities cal
culatcd to recommend them to Ameri
can confidence The. are of the
Latin race and all people of that race
are more mercurial than Anglo-SaX-
unS. In judging them we must bear this
inrxtinguishablc difference in mind.
Yet the Cubans have shown not only
ardent but sustained patriotism; not
only enthusiasm but "sticktoitative-
ness" They have equalled the Span
lard in diplomacy, far surpassed him
i'm generalship and clung to their pur-
pose in the face of threats, abuse,
persuasion and bribcs. They have
sacrificed all that they had for country
and freedom, even to wives and babes,
and yet they have not given up. They
have affirmed their intention to fight
for freedom until it is won absolutely
or the last man of them is killed with
face to the foe: and while talk like
this among the Latin race is often to
h. discounted, as partakng of uncon-
sCious exaEgeration and Draggadocio
| il must be admitted i'm fairness to the
! CubanS i'm arms that down to this mo-
| meut 50 far as the great body Of them
| is concerned. the boast IS not different
| from the deed
In the stress and suffering of a
! fight such as they have made natural
| apttudes are developed and strong
men evolve. This is shown in the
| gradual change which has come over
! the character Of the insurrectiun. At
! first limited in membership principally
| to adVenturers and men impatient OF
! any restraint, the movement has
| grown until now the best families in
| cuba are represented among its
| troops. Discipline, too. has gained in
| efficiency. The military genius of Car
cia and the relentless severity OF
| Gomez have taken ragged and various
elements and fused them into an APP
| proXimateiY orderly whole-much
more orderly and effective, all observ-
ers agree, than are the troops of Spain
| which from time to time come awk-
| wardly against them. The adminls-
| trativc quality which can produce
| such Improvement in the midst of the
| extraordinary difficulties of this
| extraordinary war ought not to he
| without its value for good order in an
| ensuing time Of peace. Besides, peace
would bring back to Cuba all the
elderly Cubans whom war and poverty
and fear Uf Spanish maltredtment
have driven into exile; and these men,
| highly educated as a rule and ripe in
experience and in judgment. would
further reinforce the Influences which.
after independence, would tend toward
stable government.
The facts cited and deductions an
nounCrd by Senator Proctor upon this
point are worthy Of confidence, both
because Of his own good judgment and
also in view of the fact that his con-
clusionS are drawn from information
impaired to him by men Of the first
| importance who have studied the Gu
ban problem on the ground for years,
If we may estimate that 400, 600 Cubans
have been starved or killed since the
war began-&O0,O0O whites and 100000
hlR'ks--the population of the island
would remain on rough estimate at
the following: Cubaus pure whitcs),
100000; negroes and creoles, 400 900;
and Spaniards 2OO, ,OOo, not half Of
whom have any real quarrel with the
Cuhans. The absence of n color pref
udic2 in Cuba, the peaceful instincts
and general good nature of Cubans
and negroes alike, and the rapidity
with which the native Spaniard trans
forms into d Cuban in sympathy after
a generations residence on the island
| all go to show that the general sus-
picion as 10 Cuba's probable career
under freedom, while not wholly with.
out reason, is based largely on misap,
prehcnsion The untitness of MeXicC
for sclf-government was far worse
when it became a republic, yet il to,
day is progressing steadily. The Gu
ban at his worst is better than tn,
Mexican at his worst; and the per,
centage Of Cubans fully qualified for {
, republican form If government Il
large" in Cuba than the percentage o
MeXicans so qualified was or even is il
Mexico.
As Senator Proctor said: "The fea'
that if free the people Of Cuba woulC
be revolutionary is not so well-found
ed as has been supposed, and the con
ditions tor good self-government arr
far more favorable. The large mum
Der of educated and patriotic men
the great sacrifices they have endured
, | the peaceabe temperament of the peu
pie, whites and blacks, the wonderful
prosperity that would surely COM
with peace and good home rule, tn
large influx Of American and Englisl
immigration and money, would all b
strong factors for stable institutions.
: The people Of Cuba are endowed b,
their Creator with certain inalienabl
rights, among which are life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness; an,
= they are at least entitled TO have
. fair chance to work out these right
into government along their ow
lines and in pursuit Of their ow.
ideals.
Captain Sigsbee has been promise
the command of the best battleship I
the American navy; and as for Gen
eral Lee he ought to have anythin
| he wants, from the United state