Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-25

ers in Cuba? And how, as foreigners,
have you been treated since january"
I'VE decidedly do consider ourselves
foreigners in Cuba, and as such we desire
these things: A guarantee and prOtec-
ton for our persons, our property and
our labOrs. Since the evacuation of
Spain our treatment in the largest towns
has been bearable, and for this we have
to thank the presence of American troops
and authorities But in the smaller viii
lagos of the interior, where the moral
and material influence of the United
States is not yet felt. we have been per-
secuted upon more than one OCCASION
In how far do the Spaniards in Cuba
accept General Gomez's programme of
the amalgamatiOn of Cuban and Spanish
interests and efforts in the islands, with
the idea Of bringing the speedy termina
ton Of the American occupation and i'm
mediate establishment of Cuban inde
pendent government
The Spaniards in Cuba accept the
proposed union between themselves and
Cubans which, by the way. was pro-
posed by the Spanlards before Gomez
ever took the matter up with the hope of
forgetting past dscords ana of forward
ing by this union the reconstruction of
the island. But they do not accept this
plan with the idea of affecting the ter
mlnatiOn of the American military occu
patton of the island. And this simply be-
cause we KNOW lndJ without llllS Hlll-
tary occupation of Cuba there would be
protection for no one. least of all for
Spaniards.
"As for the ultimate establishment of
{. Cuban independent government, the
Spaniards wish this We're possible, but
as a matter of fact, they fear it more
than they desire it, The Spaniards in
Cuba care more for the Cubans, who are
their brothers, than they do for the
Americans, who until yesterday We're
their enemies, and who vanquished them
i'll the Antilles and the Philippines. But
the Cubans detest the Spaniards, while
you Americans respect them. COnSe
quently, as between Cuban independence
and the annexation of the island to the
United States, you would find every
Spaniard in Cuba unhestatingly voting
for annexation. | assure you that the
majority of Spaniards in Cuba today
would withdraw from the island as soon
as the United States announced it's in
tentiOn of leaving Cuba free and inde-
pendent. With the Americans gone, the
Spaniards would have no protectio and
they would of necessity have to leave
Il believe the most important thing for
the American authorities in Cuba to do
is to tranquilze the country, so that the
men may return to work on their farms.
For this purpose, the best thing would
be the formation of rural guard, COM
posed of Cuban, Spanish and American
soldiers, and of1icered in every case by
Americans, a guard that would fill the
place of the former Spanish guardia
civie. Further than this tranquility and
peace in the country to stand needs
credit, and to establish this the American
authorities at Washington should posi-
lively decline the decree of Weyler, which
prohibited, and still prohibits creditors
in Cuba from using the courts to settle
their claims. AS long as this decree
-;,,+, a.
can or viii invest. No man will loan
money, no matter how good the security,
if the courts cannot be used to sustain
his just claim in case of defaulted pay
ment.
'Furthermore, to render confidence
universal and to lift the country as rap
idly as possible from the prostrating eff
fects of three years of war, the United
States should, insomuch as they will not
state today what is to be the ultimate
and definite government of Cuba, declare
that the study of Cuban men and Cuban
affairs made by them during these first
three months of their military occupa-
tion of the island have convinced them
that in order to fulfill their obligation to
esta bish in Cuba a firm and sta BILE gov
an extended Occupati ton is need
ed. Let them fix upon a determined
number of years, be it six, ten or twenty,
and state that during these years the
military occupation will not cease, that
during this period the island will be gov
erned by provisional laws, which laws
should Immediately be formulated and
put into execution in order to put an end
to the present confusion existing in all
branches of the public services, and espe-
cially in the courts of justice Such
declaration and action would give us all
confidence in the future. Capital, and
there is much of it in Cuba, would come
out Of strong boxes and find ready chan !
nels in business and agricultural employ |
ments. Then the island instead of need !
ing the charity of the United States, as |
she does today, would return to be what |
in Spain is an abundance of wealth. |
where fortunes We're made easily and |
where beggary is unknown"