Daily inter mountain., 1899-07-24
Will Decide on Form Of
Government for Cuba.
A VOTE OF THE PEOPLE
Will be Taken and Then a Convention
Will be Held to Form a New
SyStem--ROot Will be a Colonial
Secretary.


Herald from Washington says: Elihu
Root, the new secretary of war, will
spend his first evening at the White
house as the guest of President McKin-
ley tonight. He will dine with the presi-
dent and will spend the remainder of the
evening in discussing with him, and
probably the members of the cabinet,
the important duties which will devolve
upon him as the head of the war depart
ment 1t is not improbable that the near
future will see Mr.. Root in the position of
colonial secretary and a new man at the
head of the war department.. The entire
colonial policy will doubtless be gone
over at this conference, but Cuba, con-
trary to expectations, will probably re-
ceive more attention than the war in the
Philippines. OF course Mr.. Root will have
voice in all matters relating to the con-
duct of the war, but the president de-
sires him to give particular attention to
the many complicated legal questions in
volved in the change from the military
to the civil control of dependencies. The
president will continue to give close per-
sonal attention, with the assistance of
Adj Gen. Corbin, to the purely military
work connected with the campaign in
the Philippines.
The question Of the future of Cuba will
receive the immediate attention of Mr..
Root. The president considers that the
time has come for doing something in the
direction of establishing civil and nde-
pendent government in Cuba. He wants
fo 1ox, ,,,;I l,~
will be able to tell congress in his forth
coming annual report what was the fu-
ture attitude Of this country toward Gu
ba. He has held a conference with
| Charles Garcia, son of the old general,
with regard to the holding of a conven-
tion preliminary to an independent form
of government. Gen. Garcia came here
| to secure authority from the president
| for taking proper steps through the me-
dunn of suffrage for the establishment of
an independent form of government and
thus prepare the way for complete politi-
cal control of the island. The president
believes the time has come to give the
| Cubans a trial of self government and
he wants Mr. Root to take hold of this
matter and formulate plans whereby the
Cubans will have an opportunity to es-
tablish some kind of government which
this country can recognize.
1t is this class of work, involving a
knowledge of constitutional and interna-
tional laws, which Influenced the presi-
dent in the determination to have law
yer instead of soldier at the head of the
department. Eventually it is the presi-
dents expectation that there will be a
new department of the government to
have direct control of all affairs pertain
ing to the colonies. Mr.. Root will be ex-
pected to do the work of a colonial Sec
retary pending the creation by congress
of the new department. Mr.. Root, of
! course, will have much to do with the
| Philippine war. but the president will
naturally depend more upon his advice
| for substituting civil for a military
government in the Philippines when the
time comes for such action, than he will
upon his assistance in connection with
| the military campaign.