The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-07-05
CUBA NOT SOLELY FOR THE
CUBANS.

A dispatch from Havana referring to
slight development of yellow fever
in parts Of Cuba where 1t has hitherto
been almost unknown. and also to
Havana's remarkable freedom from the
disease in spite OF gloomy predictions,
contains the following quotation from
the newspaper "El Cubano": The Gu
bans have a right 10 object to the ex-
penditurs Of money for sanitary meas
ures intended to project the lives Of a
few Americans as they do not them
selves take yellow fever. In such cir
eumstances large expenditure cannot
be justified" We do not know what the
standing of the lei Cubano" is with
the people among whom it is designed
to circulate, but in respect TO the ques-
tion which it thus treats, whatever in
iuence it possesses is plainly exerted in
an ignorant, selfish and mischievous
manner, and if it reflects the general
feeling and opinion in Cuba the fact
strongly tends to prove that the Gu
bans are far from competent to manage
their cwn affairs.
In waging war for the benefit of
Cuba the people Of the United States
were actua.ed by benevolent motives,
and they intend to keep faith with
those whom they freed from the OPP
pressive rule Of Spain. But it would
be a serious mistake to encourage a
belief. now or hereafter, that our gov
eminent was so utterly disinterested as
to take no account whatever of con-
ditions in the islands which were ex-
cessively offensive to this country and
injurious TO it's welfare. Spanish cor
ruption and ineficiency had long per-
mitted abuses to flourish in Cuba from
which we suffered bitterly in manifold
ways. and which had come 20 be re-
garded as wellnigh intolerable before
the destruction of the Maine rendered
war a virtual certainty. One Of the
worst Of these abuses was the delib-
crate and reckless promotion Of con-
ditions which made naturally health
ful island close to our shores a breed
ing place Of yellow fever. Year after
year for generations the deadly malady
had spread from that source to our
Southern cities. causing enormous
sacrifice of life and incalculable fnan-
cial losses. A determination to put an
end, If possible. to this particular af-
Fiction was certainly not the chief in
citement to interference in behalf Of
the cubans. but the probability of our
being able to do so was as certainly
one Of the cheerful considerations to
which the conflict with Spain gave
rise. We have been in control Of the
islands less than two years, and al
ready that expectation seems sure TO
be fulfilled In the face of embarrass-
ments at least as great as We had rea-
son to anticipate, while yet the task of
sanitary conditions in Gu
ba is just beginning. results have been
obtained which convince the American
authorities that the Island Is capable
Of being transformed from hotbed of
Infection into land as wholesome as
it is fair and fruitful.
At this initial stage in the process
Of publication and education a Ha-
vana newspaper comes forward to op-
pose the expenditure of money for gan
Itary purposes. because, forsooth, Gu
bans are not susceptible to yellow
ever Therefore It says. in effect:
Let the disease feed as Of old on such
foreign material as it finds and freely
continue to infect The United States.
,ubans do not need to trouble them s