Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-05
A PESSIMIST TALKS
CONTINUED from First Page.)

| 'He answer, spoken with bitterness, yet
| without offensiveness:
| Il have been expecting that question.
! From the beginning the United States has
been awaiting its opportunity. 1 will not
| use an offensive smile and say the tiger
has been crouchng for it's prey. You are a
practical people. You professed horror at
the military necessity which caused the
concentration of the country population in
the towns. but your humanity did not en-
brol you with Spain. Americans are pa
| tfent. They can wait. Some Of your states
men think the time has come to pluck Cuba
from Spain. Some think the time has not
come. Because they cannot agree, the
United States does not intervene. but 1t Is
only because of the difference of opinion
about the time. Perhaps some day your
public men will be in accord Then the
United States will seek to intervene. Its
motives will be understood by the whole
| world. Your people may be honest enough
with themselves to say it is self-interest
Probably Spain will go on deceiving her.
self that there is no danger of Intervention
by the United States; VIII deceive herself to
the end. That is easier than to recognize
the meaning of Mr.. McKinley's message
The bitterness toward America, which
haa marked my hosts tone in the begin
ming of his talk, was now directed against
his own country, as he spoke of it's de-
ceiving itself.
Il can see no present basis for inter-
ventiOn, he resumed thoughtfully ard
with less intensity. IF the American ex-
to present the proposition of autonomy to
the insurgents they would not do 1t as we
Rave done. l conceive that they would not
send people to Skulk into the inSurgent
camps with their propositions. They would
send commissioners. who would come back
alive. But We have no ground for believ-
ing the insurgents would give different
answer. They have rejected autonomy
and their rejection seems final. Spain, on
her part, cannot and will not admit the
right of the United States to intervene
Sagasta may put off the evil day. They
in Madrid may keep on deceiving them
selves, but the time will come when he
must make answer to the assumption in
Mr.. MoKinleys message. If he does not
his ministry will fall. The only answer
he make will be to deny the right of
intervention which is claimed by your
President and Congress"
Movement of Spanish Planters.
The quiet movement which is under way
among some of the Spanish planters and
business men to seek an American protec-
torate led me to ask whether Spain nigh:
not through that agency be made to see
a way out for herself with honor
DO not follow our example and deceive
yourselves. was the reply. Il know some
thing of the movement of which you speak.
1t might be an encouragement to say that
within my personal experience l have OBJ
served very pronounced change in the
feeling Of our commercial classes toward
the United States. A year ago they would
not have tolerated the suggestion of inter-
ventiOn or of a protectOrate. Now they
discuss it among themselves. Let us not
say that the failure of their government to
~,
The cause is not important. But while this
change in sentiment is to be observed, it
does not bring a solution. Our commercial
classes have little to do with public affairs
either in Spain or here. They have been
trained to attend to their business and
leave the government to the official class
They are not like the business men III the
United States They hardly know the
meaning OF politics, or public affairs. So
it is not wise to assume that this present
movement will become an influence favor
able to intervention, especially as the gov
eminent will visit it with displeasure. You
may say the commercial classes feel bet
ter disposed toward the United States than
formerly. Do not go beyond that and say
they Rave prepared the way for interven-
ton.
The talk drifted around to the plans
of governing Cuba which have been for
mulated in Spain and to the political sys-
tenn which the insurgents promise when
they establish the Cuban republic. Said my
host:
Small Conception Of Popular Govern
ment.
THE truth must be known that we have
little conception of popular government as
it is understood in the United States or in
England. Our political institutions have
not been the institutions under which Eng
disappearing people live The Spanish
races need to be governed by the strong
han iS han Oh,
ed forth as he said it-"and will need to be
governed thus for long time to come.
That strong hand, you say, is the idea of
President DiaZ in Mexico. 1 do not think
there Is POrfirio DiaZ among the inSur-
gent leaders. Some of them are men of
military capacity, but it is not the capacity
competent to govern this island. The Gu
bans less capable of self-government
than the Spaniards. l do not say that Cuba
withdrawn from Spanish sovereignty would
be a Haiti or San Domingo, but assuredly
it's history would be the history of the
South American republics. Your people in
the states say they want stable govern
ment here. They can judge whether they
would be apt to find it. But in discussing
what the Cuban republic might be do not
assume l am discussing more than
theory. The insurgents want independence
see no prospect Of their gaining it. The
United States wants the Spanish classes in
Cuba to offer an excuse for Intervention.
You will be disappointed. Spain wants to
establish autonomy with the bayonet. That
| is the most hopeless delusion Of them all
self-deceit again. Present times are black
the future Is blank, the storm NAV be
breaking, but We shall have no sign till 1t
is upon us. AS an individual 1 shall await
the event with composure; as a Spanard
with despair"
l Rave paraI hrased rather than literally
translated some of the above literal
rendering into English would not convey
| The full meaning. Nor is it possible to con-
vey the manner OF this influential Span
iards talk, though it gave an added sig
niiicance to what he said. The intensity
OF feeling was not disguised. His was
| the utterance of despair He spoke as
others of his class in Havana are speak
| ing, though their speech is not made in
public places. / do not think the future
| Is quite so blank as they make out though
| the present is black enough. 1t may be
| that if autonomy becomes demonstrate ted
| failure, the commercial classes will not
have the courage to say to the Amer
! lean people. They lack pluck and are as
\ faint hearted as the conservative business
men in the United States. But there is
| movement in another direction. 1t might
| be called progress. The official class in
| Cuba recognizes that some things having
| happened since President Mckinley's mes
| sage was sent to Congress other things
may happen. Minister de LONE is credited
| here with laboriously clearing away an
alleged miScOncept:On of Secretary Sher-