New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-06
THE PEOPLE OF CUBA.

man of keener observation, OF sounder 1udg-
ment or of more answering integrity ana I'M
selfish devotion to the task In hand than me-
II nav without invidiousness be added that
there Is not one who has been, In actual prac-
tice more successful than he In dealing Win
the tasks and problems which the present stato
OF Cuba presents. What he has to say, there
fore. concerning the condition of the great east
ern province as n result of painstakng personal
inspection of nearly every town and village
within It's borders, must be regarded as excep-
tionally Illuminating and Instructive
II will be observed that his report speaks or
the people rather than OF the politicians. That
Is its unloue refreshing and most valuable
feature We have hitherto heard little save OF
the politicians The words and deeds-chle1y
tho former-of the Sanguilys and Plaza Toros
and the rest of that rhetorical tribe nave so
monopolized the wearled wonderlngs or the
world that we have been in danger OF forget
ting that they are not all of Cuba. General
Wood reminds us that there are others. There
ore million men, women and children on the
island who do not form military assemblies. nor
throng the cafes Of Havana, nOr get their names
into the newspapers. Yet they are really, head
for head. as important as the Adelantados and
Field Marshals; and, as a matter OF fact, 1t was
more for them than for the latter that we In
teryened In Cuban affairs. 1t Is a good thing
TO know, from so excellent an authority as Gen
eral Wood, what they are doing and saying and
wanting.
Well. in the first place, they ire peaceful. con-
tented and so far as possible, industrious.
There are no bcggars, and no brigands one
old scoundrel did hire some men 10 play at
,l,o 10
of anarchy. and asked to be appointed Lord
High Executoner or something. to suppress the
outlaws-and, incidentally, TO draw fat salary.
General Wood saw right through his little game
and blocked IT, He just told him, confidentially,
that IL he were caught at II again he would
be led out into a. convenient place and shot.
That was the end Of it. The fellow didn't
even ask whether black or smokeless pow
der would be used by the firing party. Other
men. n few, have tried TO foment agitation,
but have failed. The people Will not listen
TO them: certainly will not be led by them
They-the pe0ple-have something better TO do.
General Wood has put them into so good con-
dtion that they will not willingly leave 1t, GER
tanly not on Il mere wild-goose chase.
AS to the Cuban army, which has been and
still is cause of much vexation at Havana,
| General Wood has some significant remarks TO
make. Nearly half of ii, or more than two
| ffths he tells us, is In the Province of Santiago
That seems reasonable, seeing that II was there
the nsurrecton began and had its headquarters,
and did most of its work, and that II was
thither the insurgent army hocked last sum-
mer during the Santiago and Guantanamo cam
paign And yet General Wood declares there Ia
not single soldier under arms IN the whole
province, absolutely not n man." II Is not
known that he has paid them off, or purchased
their rifles or anything OF that sort He has,
apparently, simply given them something TO do
He has given them an opportunity to return to
peaceful industries, and they have improved IT.;
and now 1t is impossible for the officers TO
take their men from their fields and homes"
The question as General Wood has found IT,
is thus one of industry and not of politics. The
people are tired OF war, whether of swords or
words. They want peace. They want work
They want to rebuild their homes. Put them
In the way OF doing this, and there VIII be an
end of trouble There Is work enough that
needs to be done TO keep them all busy at good
wages; and there Is money enough In the rev
enues Of the island to pay them. IF such
| policy were adopted throughout the island, the
| people who are now making disturbances. and
who are less than two per cent Of the whole
would cease to be q troubling factor. The hand
| full of incendlary and Obstreperous politicians
derive their sole importance from the attention
that is paid to them by the United States De-
Drive them of the little following they have by
! setting idle men to work. reegate them TO back
| seats and then ignore them, and they would
vie In importance only with so many extinct
| mud volcanoes.
General Wood bases his remarks upon San
tlago. We are not unmindful of the fact that
conditions elsewhere vary. But they vary
merely in degree, not in kind. There may be
more idle people and more destitute recon
| centrados" in Havana and Matanzas. There Is
also more work that needs to be DONE and there
are greater revenues with which to pay the
doors Of It. There may be more politicians and
agitators There are also more plain people,
who care little for politics save as an adjunct
to their own welfare. and nothing for agitation,
but who do want peace and quiet and work,
and a chance 10 earn honest livings and to
restore their devastated homes. General Wood
thinks the true policy is TO have regard for and
10 pay attention 10 these, rather than 10 any
other element Of the islands population. The
correctness of his theory seems TO have been
abundantly established by actual practice In
the Province Of Santiago. And until it Is dis
proved or controverted by some higher author
ity than he we must accept IT and reckon 1t to
be good policy for general adoption.