The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-06-30

| position may be made of the Spanish is
| lands which fall into our hands. 81 is
! daily becoming very evident that eact
vii present It's own serious problem
Men who have lived many years in Cuba
and have observed the course Of events
ointelligently, predict that the ending Of
! Spanish rule there will be but the Begin
ming Of a tremendous race conflict, in
which it will be necessary for us to take
sides. The Gomez element. from which
| the insurgent army is made uup, and com
prising most of the poorer classes Of the
island native Cubans and negroes, will
want an independent government of their
own. If they can have their way about
it they will pass laws as rigid as those OF
Hsyti, denying to foreigners the right 10
| hold property, and in every way aim
ing to prevent the island from falling in
to the control of superior race. They
know the inevitable law which governs
such things when two widely different
races live side by side.
On the other hand. the responsible prop
| erty-owning classes of Cuba, whether of
Spanish or American antecendents, will
want immediate annexation 20 the Uuited
States II the island is left to itself, these
people know they are physically and unm-
erically weak. The Gomez element will
have to be subdued by force, or the gov
eminent put into their hands. with results
that no pure Caucasian ever for moment
considers with favor.
What is the United States to do in this
situation? VIII it be our policy to turn
the Island over to the majority of the in
habitants and ignore the cries of our own
property-ownerrs and the appeal of civ
ihzation? Or shall we isist upon giving
the government to the ''beter class" and
turn our guns against our present allies?
1t should not be forgotten that Americans
own property, particularly in the sugar
districts, amounting to millions of dol
lars. Without annexation that property
will be almost worthless, because sugar
excluded from our markets by the pro-
tective tariff can find no sale, as it cannot
go across the ocean to compete with the
bounty-raised beet. No market for the
principle product, and a bad and unsub-
stantial government, would make the is
land almost worthless. American prop
erty values would sink almost out of
sight. and our trade with the island drop
to very small proportions.
IF, however, annexation could be brought
about. and free entry thus secured for
Cuban sugar, the cane would for many
years give the beet avery hard battle.
Cuban land would then be worth some
thing, because of the chance ii would have
to supply 7O0oO0 900 sugar-eaters. 1t thus
appears that the argument for annexa-
ton, founded on commercial considera-
tons would be a very strong one, and
it is well for the opponents of territorial
annexation in this direction to know the
forces that they must confront
In the Philippine Islands the United
States Will have to meet very trouble
some church problem. 1t is quite probable
that the present attitude of the admins
tration towards the insurgent chief,
Aguinaldo. is in large part explained by
this consideration. Church and state are
very closely connected in Spain. and par
ticularly in her dependencies, that Spanish
rule in the Philippines is ecclesiastical in
form and bearing. Spanish missions have
gobbled up most Of the valuable proper
ty and privileges of the islands, and it is
against the eXactions of the church quite
as much as the crown Itself that the
Philippine islanders have been in rebel
lion. 1t is obvious that President Nc
kinley could not break down the eccle-
siastical establishment in the Philippines,
which are technically missions. without
arousing criticism from American Catho-
lies. Aquinaldo can. however, adjust the
religious issue without being accused of
catering for the \. p a vote The adj
ministration might decide to let MIN do
it as the simplest way out. But when war
is over. the question what to do with the
property interests of the church in the
Philippines, which are really Spanish,
and the regular enginery Of the colonial
government. viii be very troublesome
The American Catholics might ahsolve
the administration from perplexity by
saying that they would be willing 10 have
the church institutions there treated like
any other feature OF Spanish sovereignty,
and there Will doubtless be a strong move
ment in that direction. But here again is
a chance for somebody 10 make political
capital by playing on religious feelings.
and so the outlook is not wholly clear.
Increases of territory increase our
troubles. In Alaska we annexed the seal
difficulty, and in Texas the Mexican war.