The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-07-18
FUTURE OF
THE CUBANS
Timely Discourse by Rev.
Mr.. StenhOuse.
EQUAL RELIGIOUS RIGHTS
lhe People Should Be Permitted to
Govern Themselves.
THE MAKING OF A REPUBLIC.

Rev. c. A. Stenhouse, pastor Of the
Asbury M. f. Church, preached a SER
mon last evening on a subject that Is
just now uppermost in the public mind.
"Cuba in Rags" was his theme, and In
beginning his discourse he said: we
love TO personify everything. The fe-
male form personifes our country. i
have noticed that in the cartoons OF the
great newspapers of the country CUBA
is represented as an emaciated woman
clad I'm rags.
Cuba, he said. has a peculiar history.
Christopher Columbus discovered 1t in
1892. The aborigines were pe2ceful
people. They believed in Being over
yonder and an immortal life. In 151l
Columbus son started TO civilize the
inhabitants. In 1860 not one OF the
aborigines remained according to re-
liable authorities. Such was the effect
OF civilization; 400, 900 of the natives had
been killed. The fortifications and
great guns in Cuba were placed there
before this country landed troops there.
The history of Cuba has been one long
struggle on the part of Spain TO retain
her supremacy in the Island. First the
Dutch then the French, and finally the
| English, attacked the island.
SPANIARD WON'T WORK.
| In 1895 the population of Cuba was
| 1,521, 900, according to the census. Five
years before the island had 100000 more
| inhabitants Since 1895 the population
Il has decreased by over 100000. Some
lNone has said there are $4,000 Spaniards
| In Cuba. The remainder are negroes,
| Chinese and Creoles. 1t is just II years
/ that slavery has been abolished In the
| island These negroes in the interior or
| Cuba are the most abject creatures In
| the world. What the correspondents at
| the front say means nothing. 1t simply
shows how despised this class is.
| A Spaniard won't work. He doesn't
/ know how to. He can't mend ma
chine. He has no mechanical genius
| The man that don't work in Spain Is
| honored Were the opposite the case,
| IL the Spaniards knew how to work.
| they could put up great hght. From
| 1868 to 1880, in the IL years war, great
debt was piled up in Cuba. The revenues
| of the country in 1892 were s24, 600 900
and the expenses $25, 100000 The latter
represented the cost of a great army:
| vampires sucking the life blood of the
| island governor who was enriching
himself at the expense. of the country.
the Creoles would rather starve than
consent to ii.
OFFERS TO PURCHASE.
At one time the Americans offered
81, 900 900 for Cuba. The slave power or
the South were willing to give $50, 900. :
Geo. President Mckinley would have
given 5000, 100000. / fear that we shall
| brins still more desolation to Cuba
We have a peculiar people to meet.
They have been so deceived in all their
history that they look upon the ad-
vances of the United States as another
treachery. They fear they Will not
have autonomy and Independence.
1t is only a few years ago that the
| first public school was erected In Cuba.
| The last 10 years have been a time or
turmoil. Little good has been accom-
plished. 1t is an awful indictment or
! Christianity that for SOC years an In
telligent constituency has not been pro-
| duced. We see the way TO do IL. one
form of Christianity has prevailed in
the island during that period. In its
| early DAYS Cuba was extremely relig-
ious. 1t was called Santiago after the
patron saint of Spain. That name still
remains in the city that has just sur
| rendered. These facts suggest certain
| questions.
THE FUTURE OF THE ISLAND.
First. what will we do with Cuba
| when we get il? II the same religion
| IA allowed to remain we deserve to be-
| come a bye-word among the nations.
| The support of the Roman Catholic
| priest by the government should be
| cut off so soon as the Americans gain
control. Then equal rights shouid De
given to every denomination that de-
sires to enter Cuba.
What is to be done about the gov
| ernment of Cuba? 1t is a most delicate
question Perhaps II would be better
to throw the people upon their own re-
sources and let them learn to govern
| themselves. 1t is dangerous, but IL Is
the only way. The only way for man
20 learn self Government is to be thrown
/ upon his own resources. How about
| ourselves? England said we COULDN'T
govern ourselves. Give Cuba the same
| chance. / believe the first thing the
American people should do is to allow
that Cuban president to set up state
house at Santiago and start into the
huslnesg Then the Cubans will say:
'.They are going to help us" The Gu
bans will turn their swords and rifles
against us otherwise. They say so
Give IL chance and Cuba Will come