The times., 1899-07-15
TroubIe Threntened in cuba.

The fact that an individual of the poor
intellectual equipment and the reyolting
personality of Juan Gomez should be able
to stir to enthusiasm large audience in
a first-class theatre of Havana by an in
cendiary denunciation of the unrevealed
policy and motive of the United States
Government is not encouraging 10 the wish
for speedy settlement OF conditions in
Cuba so that civil authority may supplant
the military rule there. Professedly this is
what Gomez wants, but actually he is pur-
suing just the course that will indefinitely
postpone consummation earnestly desired
by the better elements OF Americans as
well as Cubans.
Politically this Gomez is an Anarchist,
and physically he is described as resem-
bling a baboon more than a human being.
He would be undeserving of attention if
it were not for the ominous circumstance
of his proved ability. 10 lash into fury the
passions and prejudices of the dominant
class at least in number, of the Cuban
population. Gomez is a pure African, black
as the traditional ace of spades. He has
been a lip-leader for a quarter of CEN
tury of the ultra Sentiment for the wrench
ing of Cuba from the hands of the Span
iards. His patriotic ardor has always oozed
out when the drum tap of the Cuban forces
! OF insurrection assailed his ears. He is
one OF that numerous class of Cuban pat
riots who are 'invincible in peace and in
visible in war" And Juan Gomez is a
! forceful factor in Cuba, too. Indeed, he is
one of the most dangerous men on the
island, because of his power over the
masses of his race. the blacks. When it
is known that they. or those affiliated
with the blacks through the strong band
of racial blood outnumber the whites by
about three TO one, good idea can be had
/ of the dangerous power welded by the
I fierce creature who inaamed the passions
/ of a vast audience of Cubans against this
/ country in the Gran Teatro Payret at
Havana Wednesday night. The event is
rendered all the more significant by the
fact that preceding the exciting affair in
the theatre an immense street parade had
passed through the principal thoroughfares
OF Havana in honor of Gomez. What he
had done to warrant such a manifestation
/ OF popular regard is not of record. So
far as we know there had been no discus
sion or development of political or indus
trial issues to incite an uprising for Juan
Gomez or any other Of the vast army of
! Cuban patriotic leaders" And yet an
immense crowd paraded the streets in his
honor with moving banners and afterward
yelled and screamed in delight over his
incendiary threats against the Government
of the United States.
Obviously the affair had been prear-
ranged with great deliberation as to details
and denouement The more intelligent
among the blacks of Cuba, such as this
fiamboyant Gomez, are known to have been
filling the minds of the uneducated ele-
ment with race prejudice against the Unit
ed States They have even made many
hundreds of this class believe that their
race is still In bondage in this country and
that We intend to take Cuba away from
the Cubans and enslave the negroes and
their descendants. The result of this kind
of propaganda is not hard to guess. It
means embarrassing trouble in Cuba If an
end is not put TO 1t very speedily. Gov
ernor General Brooke, Military Governor
LuuiOnt vi NhoSfti 10 ItspOHsio4e lui bOou
order in Havana, should not have allowed
the street parade to occur. Then Gomez
could not have done the amount of mis-
chief he did do by his infammatory elo-
quence in the Gran Teatro Payret Or
having permitted the street parade, our
military authorities at Havana should have
arrested Gomez for trying to incite mutiny
among the ignorant natives. If we any
longer pursue a policy of soft words
in Cuba we may expect to have a much
more embarrassing situation to face in that
island than we now have in the Philip
pines. What is needed in the premises Is
less tImidIty at Washington and more
common sense in the Governor Generals
palace at Havana.