The age-herald., 1898-07-22
WAR GOSSIP
 FROM WASHINGTON
BY ARCHIBALD BUTT.

tid6O dG (uDa, 4W0eLHeT lle dttoA
 ever intended to turn over Cuba to the in- surgents
 It will be remembered that, at the in- stance and the threat of veto by the. pres ident, the amendment to the war resolu- tions, declaring the independence of the Cuban republic were defeated. The presi-
 dent said at the time that he had data to prove that the Cubans were not prepared to govern the islands and that they had no sort. of temporary government then. l Since then this fact has largely been
 brought out and another disagreeable fact has become conspicuous: that the Cuoans
 are incapable of giving to the distressed island a proper and safe administration or | affairs.
 | The problem becomes more perplexing as l the war continues. Just at the beginning | of the war I met Senor Quesada and one l of his attaches in restaurant. The for | mer was looking particularly sad Whats l the matter?" asked. "You especially
 should be cheerful" He did not answer, l but his young friend said: '1f you want 1 to know what is the matter with him, l
 will tell you. He does not believe the flag
 of Cuba will ever be raised over the is 1 land"
 | I did not take the remark seriously then, but lately I have thought of it often.
 
 | Reports from the front are beginning to 1 show that the Cuban leaders there enter l tain the same fears, They may prove to l have no foundation, but the outlook at this | time would indicate that there is some l truth in Quesada's remark and some req l son for the suspicion. The administration l is very much worried over the report of
 bad feeling between the Cubans and our l troops and the fear is expressed both from l there and here that before long there will l be difficulty in keeping the allies from 1 fighting.
 l Astute politicians here regard 1t as
 misfortune that the presidents proclama- l tion should have continued the Spanish ju- l dietary and constabulary in Santiago. | There is, doubtless, the best of reason for I not turning over any part of the govern l ment of the province to the Cubans, but it 1 was direct slight to their leaders to con- | tinue the Spanish rule there even in l minute detail. Should this government succeed in making enemies of Gomez and 1 his followers before the fall of Havana, the l consequences might be very serious to the | cause of the American arms.
 Already politics are beginning to grow | out of the situation. It has given the dem | ocrats an issue. One senator of the ultra | partisan type said today: "McKinley's
 proclamation has given the democrats the l first ray of hope in six weeks. I met Senator Money in the war depart | ment today. He said: I Lave felt like 1 writing to the president to urge him not to l discriminate against the Cubans at this l time But advice is seldom taken and never | appreciated, so I kept my own council. I 1 do not believe the republicans ever in | tended to give up Cuba, and don't think
 it right, and it will certainly lead to trouble. l The Cubans had won this fight practically l before we set foot on Cuban soil, and the reins of government should be turned over
 to them as soon as practical I do not favor keeping Cuba, and the democrats will make an issue of it, believe.
 Oficlally the republicans deny that it l is to be the policy of ther party to annex | the island or to hold it by right of con- | quest They are moving very discreetly 1 in the matter. No one can pretend to ad- vance the theory that 1t is right or proper | to turn conquered territory and towns over | to the Cubans to be footed and plundered. l This is what they seem have expected, | and reports from the front make it plain
 that this is what they demand. The Amer
 ican troops prefer to fratcrnize with the | Spanish than with the Cubans, and the two | have been reported as deriding the poor 1 Cubans as they pass into our commissiary | department and return to the woods with | American hard-tack and coffee.
 It seems to be their fate to be rejected | ,OIit ,,f tba ti,,,
 demands, however, that American troops I be discouraged from hounting the Cubans. | There can be no excuse, of course for the | refusal of the Cubans to aid our men in | building roads and hauling artillery. But | it is we'll to exercise little charity toward
 men who have been despoiled, enslaved and | hated for generations by cruel and cor
 rupt nation. They have been hunted like ! beasts in the forest and have been taught | only geurrilla warfare.
 l The situation is becoming serious and I presents a very important problem to be | solved. Inferior in numbers as they are,
 and half starved as they be, they are yet
 capable of giving a good deal of trouble when once set in that direction. No mill itary man is capable of seeing and under
 standing the exigencies of politics, and | while it is necessary to appoint military governor pro tenn, it would be well, so | prominent men here think, to choose one 1 WnO IS statesman as well as general.
 As reports seep through from the front
 it does not appear that General Duffield of Michigan, has covered himself with the | distinction that his friends had expected
 It is possible. however, that he would make | a better governor than soldier.
 There is some talk of the president call
 ing an extra session of congress in Septem- ] Ger, but it Is confidently stated in adminis- tration circles to be nothing but midsum- | mer madness. There is no need to call an
 extra session and no one really expects one | to be called
 Now that Hawaii is in possession of the l United States, the problem is how to gov
 ern it. Five commissioners have been ap- pointed to recomm4nd to congress the best
 means of governing the people. These
 commissioners will sail on the 27th of this
 month. It has been given out that they favor territorial form of government.
 This plan has worked well with our terri
 tories but these have been communities
 settled by Americans and used to our
 form of government These territories, too,