The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-18
GOING BACK TO CUBA LIBRE.
sAVANNAH's CUBAN COLONY SOON
TO LEAVE FOR MATANZAS.

Driven From Matanxas BY the
hangers of War - All Are Well
Pleased With This City-Dr. Igna-
clio Perez Talks on Cuban cues
lions A Strong Advocate of An
uexation and An Admirer of Amer
leans and Gen. Lee.
SaVannah's Cuban colony will leave Sa-
vannah Sept. 20 for Matanzas. The lead
ing members of the colony have been
watching the progress of events in their
distressed island home. and have at last
settled upon the date named for their
return unto their own. There are thirty
five members of the colony, and they will
be missed after their departure.
The Cubans are refugees. Their depar-
ture from home was caused by the
troublous times of some five months ago,
when it appeared that to live in the
island was taking ones life in his hands.
Just at the time when war seemed inevita-
bic and the United States and Spain had
grown very strained in their relations, the
Cubans now here decided to leave their
native city for America. An opportunity
offered with the sailing of the Orange
from Matanzas, bound for Philadelphia.
The refugees had no desire to come to
Savannah. They wished to spend the sea-
son of their exile in one of the Northern
cities, but the coal ran short aboard the
steamer, and she had to put into this port
10 replenish her supply.
one of the most prominent of the Gu
bans is DIR. IgnaciO Perez. He and his
father-in-law, Senior Lucas Diaz. live with
their families on Hall street, between
Drayton and Abercorn. DIR. Perez is a
gentleman by birth, rearing and educa-
ton and he has Travelled widely, both in
this country and Europe. After getting
his degree as an M. D., and studying at
the Bellevue Hospital in New York, he
went abroad and spent a number of years
in finishing his medical studies at Paris,
Vienna, Berlin and in Italy He is an ac-
complished hnguist, speaking several lam
guages with fiuency. His English is cor
rect and ineligible.
Dr. Perez talks Interestingly of the con-
ditions that held in Cuba before the
American-Spanish war, and he is an en-
thusastic admirer of the United States.
He favors annexation to this country of
the island, and says he has not the
slightest doubt of its ultimate accomplish
ment Il believe" he says that the
Americans will exercise a military control
over the affairs of the island until they
have become thoroughly quieted This
will mean two or three years of American
rule and then when the best people of
with every hope of a fair and open
election, they will vote upon the question
of annexation or independence, and those
in favor of the former solution of the
problem that confronts the island will
win the election overwhelmingly. l do not
believe the reports l see in the papers
of the Cubans being inimical to the Amer
leans They appreciate all that has been
done for them. They know they owe their
freedom to the Americans. and the people
who have fought for them they almost
idolize."
The Cubans are not capable of govern
ing themselves with anything like broad
and proper understanding of what govern
ment should be. That is what DIR. Perez,
one of them, and a man who has lived
among them nearly all his life thinks
about it, and he says the ignorance of the
masses of the people is the thing that will
initiate against the establishment of
stable and equitable form of government.
The Cubans, he says, must be aided, or
they can never work out the scheme of
proper government. The doctor is a natu-
rallied American. having taken out his pa
H.
try, but he still loves his own people.
This love is not blind, however and he
is keenly sensitive to their faiings and
the qualities that are lacking to make
them capable of preserving an Independent
form of government without eternal strife
and trouble.
What we need is a government like
that in this country" says the doctor
When we get it through our anuexa ton,
We Will be all right, and our island will
become one of the greatest of the United
states. We have an ignorant class in Cuba
and those composing it are numerous.
They are the negroes largely. I notice that
here the feeling between the negroes End
the white people as not the same as in
Cuba. The whites there do not associate
with them, but they do not dislike them in
the slightest and the understanding be-
tween the two races is thorough.
While the refugees have been In Sa-
vannah several of the children have
learned a good dCsl of English. Those of
Dr. Perezs househNd have picked it up
nicely. The older Cubans have endeav-
ored to make the children learn the lam
guage. In one of the homes no child can
get food when at the table unless he asks
for 1t in English. 1t is by such means as
this that the children have been induced
to learn. DR.. Perez says all the Cubans
have been charmed with their stay in Sa
vannah. They like the place greatly, and
stead of having gone north to spend their
months of exile.
When they leave the city the Cubans
will go to Tampa, there to take the steam
er for Havana. Thence they will go direct
to Matanzas. They are elated at the early
prospect of getting back to their native
city, with peace and quiet restored by the
Americans. DIR. Perez describes Matanzas
as such city as to make ii seem imposs-
ole that one should not be glad to get
back after having once seen it, He has
visited many lands and seen the cities
that are reputed the most beautiful in ex-
tstence but he places Matanzas second to
out one, Naples. Santiago the beauty of
whose haTbor and surroundings have been
so often described cannot be compared
with Matanzas, he says, and this the
Americans will discover when they begin
going to the island to invest their capital
and take advantage of the opportunities
that will be offered for the building up of
the island and the enrichment of those