The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-09-15
CUBANS NOT CONSISTENT
HAVANA NEWSPAPER SAYS THEY DO
NOT KNOW WHAT THEY WANT.
Oppose Foreign Labor, Yet Refuse to
work ThemseIves-The Racial Prob
iem-Letter from Gomez.

HAVANA. Sept. 1.-THE Heraldo says
editorially to-day that the behavior of the
Cubans Is absurdly contradictory In many
parts Of the island. IL points out, there
Is great want OF labor. in spite of which
the Cubans are crying for foreign labor
to leave the country. and in Havana work
IL being improvised for Migrants. The paper
asks why they do not go to Pinar del Rio.
where laborers are wanted. A Spaniard
from Pinar del Rio recently affirmed that
his countrymen were dying of hunger there
because the people would not give them
work. The proposal by some persons to i'm
port American labor caused a cry to be
raised that this would Americanize the
island and that the Anglo-American race
being absorbing and overbearing. would
leave nothing to the Cubans. They tell the
Spaniards. who are accustomed 10 the
climate and are of the same race and lam
guage, TO evacuate Cuba. 1t seems next to
impossible to please the Cubans. who do
not know what they really want"
All the havana papers have. until of late.
carefully avoided what the Cubans generally
recognize as the most important questions.
To-day. however. the Lucia says: IF indie
pendence Is granted to Cuba the gravest
problem to be faced and solved will be the
racial problem The supremacy of the
whites must be guaranteed. 1t should be
borne in mind by the negroes that there
can be no social equality at any time ana
TO political equality until a considerable
reriod has elapsed. Yet it must be admitted
that the negroes. who are numerically the
chief element in the population. starved and
fought bravely during the war. while many
bespangled high-cockalorums. now strIttirg
around Havana in gorgeous uniforms, were
in Mexico or Yucatan. lying about their
political convictions.
The editorial has provoked considerable
especially at the Union Club.
whose members say that all the annexation
fst and protectOrate organs have not done
Lucia has done to-day. Those who con-
denim the papers sentiments say the racial
question should not have been raised In any
public way until independence was assured.
On the other hand those who favor annexa-
ton or a prOtectOrate consider that the edl-
toriaI was Inspired.
Gen. Maxine Gomez. on leaving. Santiago
de las Vegas after the banquet IN his honor,
wrote "a letter to the promoters OF the re-
eeption. in the course OF which he said: Il
shall never forget the kind treatment l have
received at the hands of the people of San
purest gratitude for the loving hospitality
which they extended to me In giving me a
irg. AS a rugged soldier i appreciate doubIy
tie tender care bestowed upon me by the
lovers of Cuba Nevertheless. / would not
4OT a ME dSSuIDe tEdI SUCH compliments
and generosity were prompted so much by
PERSONAL regard for me as by the fact that
the people of Santiago de las Vegas see in
me one who has loved and fought for
liberty
The Pueblo says. What we cannot un-
derstand is the crusade in favor OF union
between the Cubans and Spaniards that Is
being carried on by certain newspapers. Nor
90 we see any need of union. Scarcely nine
months have passed since Spain was she'd
ding innocent blood in this island. A people
that could forget the cowardly way I'm which
Its sons and daughters were hunted down
would be an object Of contempt to the world.
The most that can be expected of Cubans
Is that they should pardon the Spaniards
and not exercise their right of terrible re-
rrisaL Cubans can never grasp in friend
once butchered and now secretly hate
eOncentrad Suppressed for Good.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 4-Secretary Root
has approved the action of General Lud-
low in ~suppressing the Reconcentrado. a pa
per formerly published at Havana. After
the paper had been suppressed the pub
fishers appeared in Washington and pro-
tested to the secretary of war that the ac-
ton of General Ludlow was an INFRINGEMENT
on the rights OF citizenship. The secretary
referred the whole matter TO General
10 Genera Ludlow. The report of General
Ludlow, Endorsed by General Brooke. has
been received at the War Department and
: secretary Root disposed OF IL In the follow
Ing Endorsement:
The Reconcentrado appears TO have been
q vile publication. Its suppression raises
no question OF the liberty of the press. Ev-
cry government is bound to protect the
community against public indecency in this
as well as In other forms. II is TO be re-
publication cannot be criminally punished.
The order of General Ludlow il approved
and the petition Is denied"