Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-02-04
HANN!S TAYLOR ONC[IBA
administer to Spain Talks Of the
Islands Needs.
PROMPT ACTION rs NECESSARY.


Money to Pay the Cuban soldiers and
Transform Idle Men ofGomez's Army
Into Peaceful Wealth Producers.
Mobile, Ala, Feb. 2.--Hannis Taylor,
ex-minister to Spain, who returned on
Tuesday from a two weeks visit to
Cuba. has given the press the follow
ing interview on the Cuban situation:
While in Cuban upon purely privat.
business / came in contact with the
leaders of every faction into which
the population is now divided. The
extremes of opinion are represented on
one hand by Cuban military chiefs de-
manding immediate and absolute indie
pendence on the other by the purely
Spanish element seeking protection
under our flag. Between the two ex-
trennes are ranged the main body of
the people standing in an expectant at
titude, ready to give their approval to
any plan that will re-establish law,
order and material prosperity upon
permanent basis.
Upon one point all agree-American
officers and Cubans-and that is, out
side of the cities the country is in a
condition of want and misery that can
I
walton of that condition stands the Gu
ban army, composed of at least 10000
idle men, waiting with arms in their
hands for such a settlement of their
duties as will enable them to resume
life again.
when / asked those who had a right
to speak for the army what sum would
suffice for a satisfactory settlement
least sum that would give about $500
to each man. With that, they said, the
small farmers could procure stock and
live until they could make crop. The
Cubans neither ask nor desire US to
contribute a penny for the payment of
their army. All they ask is that a
loan should be made for the purpose.
charged upon their custom houses, now
yielding from $4,000, 900 to SIS, 100000 a
year, the proceeds to be paid to their
soldiers through the military authori-
ties. Every class there is demanding
that settlement be made at once. SO
that a menacing and idle body of men
may be converted into peaceful pro-
ducers. In that way the Industries of
the country could be revived, and a
force dissolved like the army of Co.
mez, which is not only military party,
but the predominant party of the ISL
and.
Il cannot doubt if the just claims of
the Cuban army are treated with in
justice and contempt and the present
military regime continued indefinitely
in short while we would be hated by
the Cubans just as the Spaniards were,
and a change of things brought about
L. A..
from the islands or to govern there just
as Russia does in Poland. Wise and
humane as our military governors are,
the fact remains that they govern by
the sword, in defiance of the civil
power. and the result Is that patience
and discomfort are already clearly
manifested on every hand. The urgent
need in Cuba now is a prompt and
satisfactory settlement with the army
Of the revolution, and establishment as
soon as possible of a provincial civil
regime in which Cubans themselves
can have voice.
THE president should labor unceas-
ingly to attain both ends, and in the
effort to do so he should have the cor
dial cooperation and support of all
patriotic and liberty loving men, re-
CARELESS of party.
I'VE should learn from the English
how suicidal it is to carry our party
difficulties into our foreign affairs. The
patriotic instinct of Mr.. Bryan hit the
mark when he urged the immediate
ratification of the pending treaty and
the settlement of all difficulties after
wards.
1.-The senate should end at once the
present situation, so detrimental to all
our foreign interests, While congress
as a whole should give to the presi-
dent every facility necessary to en-
able him to settle every foreign ques-
ton now demanding immediate sou-
ton"