The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-03
Gen. WheeIer's Suggestion.

Gen. Joseph Wheeler, Of Alabama,
has contributed, by request, to the
Pittsburg Dispatch some suggestions
as to the method Of treating the people
Of Cuba, now that the United States
government has assumed control Of
the affairs of the island While in
Cuba, Gen. Wheeler asserts, he took
occasion to study the population with
a view to determining the best meth
DDS to be adopted for insuring good
neighborhood relations between them
and ourselves. He declares that he
recognized the fact that influences
were already at work among Cubans
to create prejudice against their lib
orators. With a view to cultivating
kindly relations, he says:
1T occurred to me that if each college in
the United States would consent to give one
Cuban free tuition. it would result benef-
cially in many ways. For this offer to be
published in Cuban papers would impress
them with the generous disposition of our
people. Cubans educated at our colleges
would return to Cuba with correct ideas re-
garding people and our institutions, and
the whole tendency Of the arrangement would
be to increase mutual confidence and respect
1t would not cost the colleges much, and they
would receive some return in the colleges be-
coming known to the people of that island.
The people Of Cuba are poor now, but with
their wonderful resources and a good, honest
government, they will become rich and pros
perous.'
This is a statesmanlike and thor
oughly Democratic suggestion. Events
have rendered it necessary for the
government Of this country to assume
guardianship over the Cuban people,
AS Gen. Wheeler truly says, those
composing the population of that ISL
and are poor. But all they need, now
that they are forever free from the
bonds Of Spanish tyranny, is en1ight-
eminent in the ethics of self-dependence
and proper self-government. The Unit
ed States can well afford to make this
contribution to those people. There is
no doubt that the Cubans desire to
maintain their independence. as little
republic, wholly distinct from their
big sister to the north. If republican
sentiment is worth anything, in our
philosophy, surely the ambition Of the
people of what is sentimentally styled
the pearl Of the Antilles merits en-
couragement.
The United States. as a nation, does
not need CUBAN fact, does not want
permanent governmental possession of
the island. The leaven of our free in
stitutions can be more economically
distributed throughout that population
in the manner outlined by Gen.
Wheeler than in any other way. That
officer, as a result of his training and
national legislator. Is entitled to
high rank as an adviser. In his own
state of Alabama q most practical
experiment is being made, through the
wise teachings of Booker T. Washing
ton, supported in liberal measure by
the people Of the commonwealth, in
the direction Of the solution of the
problem Of dealing with the black pop
ulation of the South.
The past score of years has afforded
evidence of the value of Western civil
ization promoted by the education, in
our great universities Of representa-
tives of Japan and China. Give few
intelligent men control Of the keys, and
they will themselves unlock the doors
for the admission of the best existing
in our institutions.
Gen. Wheeler has proved himself a
patriot. He is not an idle babbler with
a view to securing newspaper notoriety.
He is warm hearted, generous citizen
of the republic and thoroughly qualified
to speak intelligently on the subject to
which he addresses himself. There Is
plenty of room for wise demonstra-
ton Of philanthrophy In the treatment
of this question.