The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-08-06
DESIRE ANNEXATION.
Garcia Wants Cuba to BE a Part of the
United states.

Garcia Wants Cuba to BE "a Part of the
United states.
Correspondence of the New York Tri-
bune.
Santiago de Cuba. July 23.-Among
the American citizens of Cuba, and per-
haps generally among those who desire
annexation To the United States, the rift
between the American and Cuban forces
has been a source of concern. Via
has made this breach of especial mo-
ment Just at this time is the surprising
sentiment in favor of union that has
grown i'm the Cuban army itself. Not
that the men of General Garcia's troops
are giving any particular thought to
the political future of their island. as
they are chiefly negroes, Of limited ed
ucation and intelligence. who are more
interested i'm filling their stomachs than
in questions OF government. But among
the officers there has been a remarkable
shift of feeling.
Most astonishing and significant is the
change i'm General Garcia himself. He
has been known as an uncompromising
foe to annexation. Nor was this
strange. As one of the most important
leaders of the insurgents. he would nat
urally prefer as the fruition of his la
bors and risk the establishment of an
independent government to the merging
with a larger country. In a Cuban re-
public the rewards Of all military he
roes would be more glittering than a
state of a union with only a small voice
I'm national and International affairs.
Within the last few days, however,
Garcia has expressed his opinion that
the welfare of Cuba depended on her
joining the sisterhood of the United
States. Partly on account of his atti-
tude and partly on account of the same
reasons which led to his conversion,
many of his officers now side with him.
In Garcia's army there is apparently
no line between the white and black
troops. They stand side by side i'm the
same regiments. Several of the most
important generals are negroes. To
the therefore. this revelation
about race feeling comes as a surprise.
But an intimate knowledge of the ron
ditions leading To assurances from
various persons that the possible as
tendency of the blacks, especially in
Santiago province, is already the cause
of uneasiness. They are in the major
ity there. and under the leadership of
shrewd men of their own race who had
won distinction as soldiers, they would
surely become important factors.
1t might seem that under a democrat
ic government negro domination would
be equally likely, whether the single
star of cuba remained In her flag or
was added 10 the blue field of the
American ensign. While Cubans vino
have studied the question believe thai
independence would make the danger
greater, under it, they say, the Coun-
try would have an army OF its own,
i'm which the negro element would be-
strong. The race would then be or
ganized and under it's own leaders AMI
would act more or less as a unit. Ia
der annexation there wouls be no army
save that of the United States, and no
ag~gregations of colored men. As in
dividuals, the negroes would be easily
managed by the superior intelligence
of the white people. Then, too. there
would not he the same incentives TO
political activity and ambition on the
part Of their leaders. In a single state
Of the union the prizes to be won at the
polls would be almost wholly local. IN
a nation they would appeal much more
to the display-loving negroes. To be
commander-in-chief of the army ur
minister to France would be vastly
more attractive than to be mayor of a
city.
Cubans seem to predicate their opin-
ions on the belief that the United
States would gladly welcome their rich
domain into statehood. OF the feeling
in the larger country against adding 10
it's political problems, they will hear
nothing. They are convinced that an
era of land greed has set in, if il has
not always existed, and that with the
consent of the island anton will be
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