Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1899-09-18
OUR INTEREST IN CUBA.

A remarkable example of the way
public interest moves in waves, first
one question and then another at
tracing attention, is afforded by
the small space now given in the
newspapers to Cuban affairs. The
Philippines completely fill the stage.
During the war with Spain, and for
year or two previous to that. Cuba
was the place outside our own terrific
rial limits to which the eyes Of Amer
leans we're principally turned. Now
the newspaper correspondents have
practically all deserted Havana.
Cuba has become an old story.
While this is the popular impression
it is not the Administrations way of
advisers still find in Cuban affairs
much that demands their closest study.
The present relation of the United
States to Cuba is almost without
a parallel in the history of dependent
governments. The relation of Eng
land to Egypt was originally as much
as anything like our present relation
to Cuba, and perhaps our guardian
ship may develop in the same way.
At present the administration regards
Cuba as on a totally different basis
from Porto Rico, Hawaii or the Phil
ippines. These are all dependencies.
Cuba is not. Our government is bound
by the Teller resolution and by the
treaty of peace to establish an indie
pendent government in Cuba, and
then if the people of that island, of
their own free will, desire annexation
to the United States, that is another
matter. The American people, too,
might be asked to have something to
say about it. But Mr.. Mckinley feels
that he is not justified now in assum
ing anything more than that the
American policy is to try to prepare
Cuba for self government, and this
may be interpreted as including in
dependence if the Cubans really want
it.
upon which the Administration is
acting, it is deeply impressed with the
necessity of proceeding toward local
self government with very great de-
liberation. The task of setting up
such a government in Cuba will not
be easy. This is quite as apparent
from the reports received in these
times of peace as in the more disturb
ed days of war. The races there do
not mix we'll. The Spaniards hate the
Cubans and the Cubans the Spaniards
the Cubans are, moreover, divided
between the autono mists, those who
we're willing to accept Blanco's au
tonomy scheme, and the radicals,
whose sympathy was with the Cuban
army. Almost anything which the
United States might do now toward
advancing local government would be
interpreted as benefting one race or
the other in this see saving which is
constantly going on. 1t is hoped that
in time the different elements of the
population will realize that they have
common interest and so be more
easy to harmonic. Now the Jealous
les and animosities of the war are
fresh in the popular mind.
When the time comes to act, local
government will probably be intro
duced by degrees. Municipal auton-
omy, many of the presidents best ad-
visers say, should come first. Self
government might then, after it has
been found successful in the cities, be
made applicable to the provinces;
some provinces will be ready for it
earlier than others, perhaps, and
lastly an autonomist government might
be given to the island at large. That
this will be the logical course is in
Dictated by the fact that most of the
culture and property interests are
conferred in the cities. With a suit
able limitation of the suffrage, and
pretty severe one, it would be posi-
BILE to get an electorate which would
be fairly able to manage municipal
affairs.