The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-31
CUBANS NOT FIT TO GOVERN.
OPINION OF AN OBSERVER WHO
ACCOMPANIED sHAFTER'S ARMY.
sD0niards in Sorry PIight-FOrmaI
CaDituIntiOn of TOrRPs army "a
simple CeremOny-NOne of Gnrcin's
Men Turned out to Witness the

a.
simple Ceremony-NOne of Gnrcia's
Men Turned out to Witness the
Event.
From the New York Times.
Santiago de Cuba, July 1S.-Yesterday I
saw the formal and ceremonial surrender
Of Santiago de Cuba. To-day I saw our
army in possession of the governors palace
and Of the forts and streets of the uncon
querabie city and our feet in possession
Of the impregnabie harbor. Our flag floats
over the capital Of the province and, con
structively, over all Of Cuba east of Acer-
radores and Sagua. Twenty-four thousand
Spaniards have laid down their arms, 12,GOo
of whom have not yet seen an American
soldier, and the other 1900 held up 10
L O clock noon on the 18th position unas-
saiiabIe by any artillery we could then use.
ard which could have dehed any attack
by infantry.
if we were living in the age of the Cae-
sars, We should at once build a new temple
TO The blind Goddess of Fortune. We have
reared where we had not sown; we have
won victories where we had not raised a
standard or fired a gun. Famine had
marched through this land before US Her
tatiered banner flies from the limbs of &c.,
eco starved besgars in this province alone
and her colors fly also over every Spanish
camp.
but we won battles, too; and such battles
as give us clear right to raise our flag
over Santiago. We have won by fortune
ana by fighting, too; and the glories of FL
Caney and Ell Pozo and of the new Ira
fdtgar off Santiago win become a part
with the giories of New Orleans and York
tovu.
AS | look from the governors palace and
see the beautiful harbor between the in
Vulnerable hills, and look on beyond at the
magnificent amphitheater of sheltering
mountains and fancy I see again the fer
tile country reduced to famine by Spanish
misrule, and then glance above and see our
nag waving majestically In the light breeze
| cannot but hope the stars will remain
there as constant and as fixed as those in
the Southern cross.
We came to conquer for another people
vairly imagining that new nation had
been born. But there is no Cuba. There
is no Cuban people. There are no freemen
mere to whom we could deliver this marvel
ous land. We have fought for a spectral
Tepubltc-the idle dream creation of Mar
Il and Gomez. If we are to save Cuba,
We must hold it. If we leave 1t to the Gu
bars, we give IL over TO a reign of terror-to
the machete and the torch, to insurrection
and assassination.
l cannot help having these thoughts to-
day, after having seen the utter inability
or the Cubans 10 fight and to govern eth
er themselves or others, their inVeterate
hatred of the Spaniards, and their sole ac-
tive desire to murder and pillage. Garcia,
whom we have aided in a thousand ways
and learned to respect and admire-at a dis
tance-has revealed to us the true charac-
Af IN Al.e~N INA
army had conquered the city he told his
hungry followers, who have lived on us
and done no fighting for their own country
thdt everything in Santiago belonged Ito
them; and when Gen. Shafter invited him
TO accompany his staff into the city he
sulieniy refused and Immediately withdrew
10 the mountains to join Gomez. He sand
he would not enter Santiago as long as
there was Spaniard in Ii. Toward the
close oil the campaign he was asked to
take up his position on the extreme right
TO intercept Pando should the latter be able
10 get thus far; but Garcia refused to at
tempt to fight Pando, even from behind
Entertainments ana hidden by the bush All
that these people have done that I can
see, is to follow up our army get rations
from us, and pick up the things our SOL
diers found cumbersome and threw away.
AS | entered Santiago, strolling almost
alone among thousands of Spanish SOL
paragng word against the Americans.
heard only courteous and appreciatve ex-
pressons. But heard Spaniards and Gu
bans denounce the insurgents as towards
and freebOoters. They We're characterized
as pillagers and as warriors who find liv-
ing on the country easier than working in
the fields or the shops
where are the Cubans" was asked a
hundred times.
In the mountains" I would reply
gone 70 join Gomez"
Yes" said Spaniard and Cuban, "in the
bush 10 murder and rob-"
Such is the reputation these insurg-
ente have made for themselves in this part
of Cuba which they have harried and
fought in for half a century. l will not
venture TO say whether the verdict be Just
or not, l do not know; but l do know that
the Cubans who have made pretense
at fighting with us have proved worthless
in the field and unappreciative of modern
conditions and humanity and justice in
war. 1t would be a tragedy, crime TO
deliver The island into their hands.
l believe the people would prefer The
Stars and Stripes to the flag of Cuba
lbre." l know the citizens of Santiago
would rather see us in control than either
Spain or the Cuban republic. Destiny Will
force us. stronger than our hopes or de-
sires, to stay where we have, planted our
flag.
Ii struck me that the pageant of the
surrender was not in keeping with the
great possibilities and the great signin-
canoe of the event. 1t was democratic in
its simplicity and did not altogether lack
grandeur and lmpressiVeness
But there was not sufficient honor and
acclaim given 10 ur flag and to our vic
tories and what might have been appro-
priately made a grand and memorable
pageant was Kept within the bounds of a
atv Il
ceremony was shorn of its dramatic effect
by being divided into two scenes instead
of being crowded into one historic hour.
The formal cap,tuatiOn was made yes
terday a. $50 q. m, and exactly at u noon
by the Cathedral clock our flag was hoist
ed 10 he top of the staff over the govern.
ors palace. AT 9 o'clock our troops were
ordered To form IN line along their in
trenchneuts. \ fine spectacle they made
as line after line seemed TO spring from
The sheltering bosom of the earth, and 2y,-
coo men shoulder TO shoulder formed into
one continuous lne of blue around the