The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1898-04-08
GIVES OUT AN AST0NISH-
ING STATEMENT.
WOULD TURN ON AMERICA.
~ the United states shsald Land an
Armed Force on cuban Soil IL Would
tie Treated as an Enemy aud
They Would right IL ~
Full Independence Is
Not Granted

NEW YORK, April THE Cuban
iunta, though its counsel. lIoratio 5.
Rubens, made an important state
ment to-day. J.. declared in
the most unequivocal language
that the Cuban provisional govern
ment and the Cuban army would re-
ject absolutely Intervention by the
United States unless il should be pre-
ceded by a recognition Of the iudepen-
depce of the Cubrn republic; that II
the United States persisted In inter
veniuP without recognizing Cuban in
dependence the Cuban government
and military forces would refuse to
co operate, and that If the United
States troops should he sent to
Cuba upon the basis Of Intervention
without independence, the Cuban
army would, in the last resort, turn
its arms against the United States
The statement made by Mr. Rubens
was preceded by the following: The
declaration am about to make is
official, for / am the legal represen-
tative of the junta and | know
their unalterable convictions and po-
sition it is in line with the utter
ances Of the delegate of the Cuban
provisional government to the United
States. Thomas Estrada Palma, when
the suggestion was made that this
government should counsel the
Cubans and, il necessary, coerce them
TO an acceptance of autonomy
1T has becn agreed between Spain
and the United States that this gov
ernment, while declaring for inter-
vcntion, shall refuse to recognize the
independence Of Cuba. II is hoped by
the two governments that the Cubans
will then become convinced that the
object for which they have been fight
ing all these years-independence--
cannot be obtained, and that they
will accept perforce, first an armistice
aud, eventually, autonomy under the
! Spanish flag. a part of the program
is that Congress shall empower the
! President TO intervene, but shall not
direct him TO do so. The object OF
this is to gain ample time in which to
| persuade the Cubans TO make terms
directly with spain.
THE Cubans are already fairly in
formed of this understanding between
the Spanish and American govern
ments, veilcd as it is by every sem
blaucs of an open rupture; and speak
with full authority in saying that
! the Cubans in the field can be re-
lied upon TO resist all overtures OF
peace unaccompanied by complete in
! dependence. The Cubans will not
trust the United States first TO obtain
! possession and then To grant Cuban
! independence The very fact that
recognition is expressly withheld now
implies the possibility that it may be
permanently withheld In fact we
more than half know what TO ex-
pect Ia the event of the United
States becoming master of the
island A plebissite would follows
the Crbans would be allowed To
choose between allegiance TO Spain
under the form Of autonomy, inde-
pendence and annexation to the
United States The presence and
pressure OF federal force would de-
termine the election in favor of annex
tion. The Cubans are resolved to
make ho such farcical apparent choice
for themselves. They will make
only an absolutely free choice, and
that choice has been, is, and will
be one thing only-absolute inde-
pendence. They will not have the
United States step in at the eleventh
hour of the most heroic and self-sac
rihcing struggle against tyranny re
corded in all history and reap all the
fruits OF il, saddling us, among other
things with the financial cost of its
un welcome intervention.
"But should the United States rec.
ognizs the Independence OF Cuba and
then intervene, IL would be most wei
come TO the Cubans, and the expense
would gladly be betrayed from the
treasury of the republic