Evening star., 1901-02-22
It Has Now Come to the Recess
Period.
CONSTITUTION TO Be sent HERE
Feeling in Regard to Relations
With United States.
E U ROP EAN INT E r E S T
Copyrighted, 1901. by @. NJ. Pepper)

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
HAVANA. February 49, 1901.
The constitutional convention Is near Its
recess period. The recess will be FOR the
purpose Of seeing what the United States
thinks Of the constitution 1t has drafted.
and also of the proposed American rela-
tions. Furthermore. 1t will enable the del
segates to determine among themselves the
provisions Of the electoral law which they
are to adopt in order that the constitution
may be put into effect and president and
congress be elected under 1t. The language OF
the constitution Is that 1t shall go into effect
ninety days after the PRONUNCIATION OF the
electoral law.
This gives time to walt on washington,
because this electoral law will be used as a
basis for determining the relations between
the two countries. II the signs were that
no agreement could be reached with the
United States regarding relations the rad
icals would Insist on the immediate passage
Of the electoral law, but the prospect Is
favorable to an agreement.
The closing period Of the conventions de-
liberations has not been marked by exciting
episodes because the sessions have been
held in private In these sessions there
have been heated debates anti-American
speeches and wild suggestions, YET tnus la Iar
conservative counsels have prevailed Ihe
convention has shown timidity In commit
ting itself to formulated plan with refer-
ence to the United States. This timidity
it did would not be acceptable to the Amer
lean people. and partly due to the desire TO
find out what the Cuban people demanded.
A Unanimous Agreement.
Yet there has been practically unanimous
agreement that the position OF Cuba with
reference to the United States should be de-
fined, If not irrevocably, at least as basis
for further adjustment and negotiation.
This may surprise many persons In the
United States who have believed that inde-
pendent Cuba meant the complete 1aliure
to recognize any difference In the relation
OF Cuba to the United States from that OF
other countries.
A good many letters have been received
by members of the convention urging tnem
to stand out and formulate no opinions
Some Of the writers were doubtless sincere
and some clearly were moved by partisan
feeling and wish to embarrass the Amer
lean administration. Whatever the motives
the delegates who received these letters
have not been inclined to follow the radlcal
advice given them. The problem with which
they have been wrestling is how to deter
mine the relation Of Cuba to the United
States and not how to ignore 1t.
The convention is unit In sturdliy IN
sisting that the Cuban constitution Is one
thing and the relation OF the island TO Ine
United States quite a different matter. me
members framed their constitution with that
idea, and they will stand by it with more
force and nerve than seems to be under
stood in the United States. This statement
is made for the benefit of American pubic
men and others who still talk that the nag
will never come down from MORO Castle
I think the American flag will come down
from Moro and the Cuban flag go up Tor a
while. The reason is that Cuba has pop
ulation of million and half, and the
constitutional convention has accurately IN
terpreted the sentiments and aspirations,
thn 6a1r lows n
a quarter OF this population. Four-hfths
of the people of Cuba want to see the Gu
ban flag flying over Morro Castle. the gov
ernor generals palace ana other PUBIC
buildings and historic places. To fout them
and enter upon policy which could secure
the support Of not more than one-fifth Is
task from which the keep-up-the-fag states
men would shrink when they were brought
Cuba.
Ought to BE No Delay.
Further it might be said that there is no
prospect Of satisfying the mass Of the pop
ulation by delay. To put the subject over
till the regular session Of Congress they
know would mean a years postponement,
and then they argue that some pretext
might be found for another years delay
Such a policy will not meet the situation
at all. Whoever advocates 1t, whether an
army officer or an American business man,
Is willfully ignorant and even reckless. A
few weeks ago a movement was disclosed
In Santiago province to seek to put the
constitution into effect as soon as the con-
vention adopted it. Now there is another
movement in Santa Clara province right In
the heart Of the island, and In Pinar del Rio
at the western end. These are local move
| ments and reflect local sentiment, yet they
are symptoms of what might become a
general movement which would prove ire
Sistible.
The most radical delegates to the con-
tIn x-in ant ~ ha OIL a
tors know that no nation on earth will
recognize the Cuban republic until the
United States has set the example. They
are all politicians and as such 1t Is to their
interest to follow a course which Will In
sure recognition by the United States and
the good will Of the American people in
starting off the new commonwealth. But
they know also that they would be poWerless
if the sentiment became widespread among
their own people that the Cuban repub-
lie would be thwarted unless the constitu-
tion was put into effect within the next few
months. They keep Scrapbooks and have
| the opinions of some American public men
| that 1t would be entirely competent for the
Cubans to set up an Independent govern
| ment without consulting the United States.
That all the leaders are against such
course is evidence Of their wisdom. They
have taken in good faith the assurance
from Washington that the Cuban question
would not be side-tracked or postponed till
have taken in good faith the assurances
they will be able to satisfy the mass of the
Cuban population while preparing to draft
the electoral law and awaiting adjustment
with the national administration, and, per-
haps with Congress. of the American rela-
tions. They could have had the constitu-
ton in Washington by the middle of Feb
ruary, but when the assurances were re-
ceived that they would be given considera-
ton without having to wait until Decem-
ber, they took more time. and 1t has not
been wasted, because 1t has helped to make
a broader basis for determining the rela-
tions with the United States.
Suggestions Accepted.
That in the opinion Of a large majority
of the delegates 1t is desirable to formulate
such relations is manifest from what has
taken place and from the acceptance of
some of the suggestions which came from
Washington. Before the subject was taken
up various manifestos were issued by dele
gates for the purpose of giving their views
and at the same time feeling public opinion.
Only one of these manifestos favored
passing a simple resolution Of thanks to the
United States, and this came from a dele
gate who believes that within ten years
Cuba will be annexed. Though he did not
state in so many words, he wanted the is
land to remain absolutely independent of