The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-03-03
The Situation in Cuba.

Some time ago. while it was still pos
sible for us to keep out of trouble, "The
News used, to say that the Cuban people
were unfit for independence hat their
severance from Spain would mean con-
slant bloodshed, that in fact they were
a pack of savages of the South American
grade, and that, bad as Spanish govern
ment was it was better than any they
were likely to set up for themselves.
The capers of the Assembly, now in ses-
sion in Havana. pretty forcibly vinoicate
the opinions which we expressed. They
are outrageous when they are not farclcal'
and farcical when they are not out
rageous. A notable feature is the state
of relations between this body, which
nretends TO represent the Cuban people,
and General Gomez, who, if anyone is
the father of the Cuban Republic-that IS
If there ever comes to be a Cuban Re-
public.
Gomez evidently views the Assembly
with suspicion, and in his speeches to II
and about it he gives it only the scantiest
sort of recognition. About the utmost
point he has reached in the way of ALE
glance to it is a promise to support 1t so
long as it seems to him to represent the
peoples will. What he will do after that
he does not precisely say, but presumably
he win raise the old flag again, lake to
the hills and organize a junta in New
York to rid the Ever Faithful ISLE from
its new tyrants.
On the other hand, the Assembly has
very little use for General Gomez. One
distinguished patriot described him. a day
or two ago, as an old brigand. Yesterday
he was accused of taking brides. The
scenes in the Assembly during these out
bursts of patriotic fire were most IN
Spring. First, all the officers of the
patriot army were fired out, and they
gathered in the corridors and resoluted
to the effect that the Assembly was no
good anyway. Meantime, behind the
closed doors Senores Manuel Sanguiily
and Rafael Portuondo kept on denouncing
Gomez amid scenes of uproar, which the
Presidents untiring bell was Intellectual
to control.
All this would be none of our business
IF our own Government had not dragged
us into it. If the Maine had never been
sent to H-avana-when she had no sort of
business to be. under the conditions which
have a no war, and, consequently, no
tribe of savages on our hands to keep in
order. But as matters stand, we have
taken upon ourselves a fearful response
bility for the future of these people. The
more incapable they show themselves of
seIf-government, the more urgent our
obligation becomes. and the farther away
the end of it appears to be. How can We.
as a civilized nation, abandon these wild,
selfish, unrestrained, constituencies bar
barians to slaughter each other, as they
are certain to do from the hour when we
withdraw our soldiers?
So there we are, bound for a period,
the end of which no man can see. to
waste the lives of our own citizens and
the money wrung by taxation mainly
from our poorer classes, in order to pre-
serve a semblance of order in another
country, whose people are not even kin
to us in blood.
And how long are the Cubans going to
bear our rule? How long will General
Gomez stand it? How long win the
Assembly be content to wrangle over a
mere pretence of legislating? Not long.
We will have the bands out on the hills,
for our delectation before many weeks
pass over our heads.