The evening times., 1898-12-31
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 81, 1898.
Exit Imperial Spain!

Exit Imperial Spain!
This is the last day on which the Spanish
flag will fly over foot of soil in The
Americas. Once the possessor Of .aost Of
the habitable part of this hemisphere, she
has now lost even the remnant in the An
titles. where her barbarous rule has shock
ed civilized mankind. To the Great Repub-
lie, the hope of the ages, she has surren-
dered Porto Rico, and Cuba in trust for the
Cubans, after brief war. AS the price of
misrnle, the exact reverse of the principle
established by Great Britain, she is re-
duced TO an insignificant position in Eu-
rope. and trembles not only over the fears
of a Carlist revolution but also over an
absurd suggestion OF absorption by Eng
land
Tomorrow morning the Spanish flag will
be hauled down at Havana for the last
time, TO make way for the Stars and
Stripes as the banner of the guardian ma
ton. 1t is an event that should be the
cause of nothing but joy. Yet the reports
from the Cuban capital show that the peo-
Die who have been freed from the tyranny
of centuries by the blood and treasure of
their friends and are as bitter against
them as against their traditional enemies.
The cause of this is most absurd and
trivial, and is discouraging to the friends
Of the Cubans. There is positively not
the shadow of an excuse for it, and those
who doubt the capability of the natives for
self government may fairly point to it as a
proof of the justice Of their opinion.
The evacuation day processes are pure
ly military, and but for the blundering OF
our useless and incompetent Commission
ers and their continued subservience to
the Spaniards there would have been no
shadow of trouble. The business Of the
day is the marching out of the Spanish
garrison and the marching in or the
American. Because the spectacular S!>an-
iards, who would pose in an earthquake,
wanted to make a fete of the affair and
seize on the opportunity TO show the
pride and arrogance which Blanco urged,
the American Commission consented to
certain foolish and unnecessary ceremo-
nies. There is to be a parade and an ex-
change of silly compliments between the
Spanish and American troops. Naturally,
the show-loving Cuban army wanted to
be in it. If there were to be ceremonie.
for the qualification of Spanish vanity,
they reasonably maintained that their
vanity was also proper subject of con-
sideration. This was to have been ex-
pected, but the American Commissioners
have never yet foreseen anything that
was TO happen. They have been subject
to every caprice and trick of the enemy. &,
Knowing that clash Of Spaniards and
Cubans would surely take place if the
armed Cubans were allowed TO take part
in the show, General Brooke or General
Ludlow, or both, issued an order prohibit
ing the Cuban army from entering the
city. Ii was mistake to publish the Or
d6 without previously telling the Cuban
leaders the reasons for it. The thing
should have been a simple transfer of au-
thority and movement of the troops
without any hurrah business, because in
such business the Cubans deserved place,
and to allow them to participate would be
dangerous.
Still. in spite Of the apparent contempt
for the desire Of the Cubans, the latter
can have no excuse for their childish dis
play Of anger. They should have taken
the action Of General Garcia as an exam
pie Holding the future welfare of Cuba
superior to all immediate personal feel
ings, when he was insulted by the brutal
Shafter he made just such a protest as
his self-respect required, but asserted his
continued gratitude to the Americans and
his respect for their flag. When he came
10 this country, the President and the peo-
pie made up for the insult he had borne
so well.
The future of Cuba is at stake If the
American commanders at Havana consider
The presence of armed Cubans a menace
to good order, they should submit to mill
tary necessity, no matter how they might
feel about the loss of holiday. BY in
suiting the American flag and repudiating
their debt TO this nation and threatening
resistance to American rule, they exhibit
the qualities of children and their unfit
ness for the serious affairs of life. The
great, overwhelming fact is the final dis
appearance of Spanish authority Com
pared with this, all the Insults an Ameri-
can general could invent would not deserve
attention. When no insult was intended.
but only the preservation of public order
at critical moment, the resentment of the
Cubans indicates a lack Of reasonable self
restraint and common sense.
II is reported this morning that the Gu
bans have been partly pacified by permis-
sion TO make a great demonstration in
February, on the anniversary of the first
step in the revolution. This does not en-
courage the belief that they are mature
enough to be entrusted with their own
government yet. 1t is obvious that they
care more about personal display than
about the freedom from Spanish oppres-
sion The Importance which they attach TO
a parade and a general spree suggests that
Spain might have prevented revolution
If she had only fed their vanity, which is
SO great that they believs the part played