The Savannah morning news., 1901-04-16
CUBA MUST ACCEPT
CONSTITUTION MUST INCLUDE THE
PLATT AMENDMENT.
SAYS Mr.. A. {. MoYNELo.
BEFORE UNITED STATES WILL RE-
MOVE FORCES FROM THE ISLAND.

| 1t Would BE Exceedingly Unfortu-
nate for Cuba, in His Opinion, If
Some Such Requirement ms That
Expressed in the Plat Amendment
Was Not Made by This COuntry-If
Present Convention Doesn't Accept.
1t Will BE Dissolved and Another
CaIled-PubIic Schools Great Insti-
tutions and Achieving Marked
Success-Cuba's Future Bright.
Mr.. A. E. Moynelo, for many years a
resident and citizen of Savannah, but a
native Cuban, who has been spending the
last six or eight months on the island,
reached Savannah yesterday. Mr.. Moy
nelo holds the firm belief that this coun-
| try will never evacuate Cuba until the
Cubans have acknowledged in their fun
damental law the principles designed for
the protection of the United States, which
are embodied in the Plat amendment.
Mr. Moynelo was seen at his hotel last
night by a Morning News reporter and
gave an interesting interview upon the
conditions prevailing in his island home.
sence of years.
Il am of opinion" said Mr.. Moynelo,
that the Platt amendment, or some sim
| liar provision, will be embodied in tho
constitution of Cuba, before the United
| States withdraw their forces from the ISL
and without exception, the better ele-
I ments of the population desire the adop-
| Of
| the landed proprietors among the Cubans
and of the Spaniards who still remain.
Indeed, those who are best fitted by in
telligence and training to make decision
are almost a unit in favor of the recog-
milton of some dependence upon the Unit
ed States.
| THE former soldiers of the Cuban
army, the dissatisfied masses and the rab-
/ BILE all oppose every concession to this
country and want Cuba to start its "a
reer nation unhampered by any ties
to any other country. In other words,
those who have nohing to lose and every
thing to hope for, are in favor of abso-
lutte and unrestrained liberty"
Mr.. Moynelo said he had no doubt that
the Platt amendment would finally be
adopted if not by the present constitu-
| tional convention, now in session, then by
aother. He thinks that if the convention
does not adopt the Plat amendment, it
will be dissolved and an election ordered
for another. er
Then you don't think" it was suggest
ed that the United States would be will
| ing to leave Cuba to it's fate, without
/
| their interest such as is made in the
| Plat amendment"
mo, l don't" said Mr.. MoyneIo, land
l don't think the United States should"
MIR. Moynelo said he thought there
would be no trouble in securing the as
sent of the Cubans to the provisions of
! the Platt amendment, though it might
take some time and another constitution
| al convention might have to be called.
| The people are naturally quiet, peaceable
and law-abiding, and they would submit
readily enough VIXEN they saw it was
inevitable.
THE country is not fit to start out
absolutely unprotected" said Mr. Moy-
nelo. I'm the first place it would be open
to the ravages of every European ma
ton that coveted share of its territory
or a part of it's wealth. In the next place.
the financial condition of the country is
question is speedily settled. there is go
ing to be trouble, and possibly some suf-
fering. In the third place capital is
greatly needed for the development of the
country. and this will not come unless
the United States take supervision, to
some extent at least, over the Republic
OF Cuba in the first few years of its his
tory"
The policy and administration of the
arI
said Mr.. Moynelo had been everything
that the most ardent lover of Cuban lib
erty and of his country could desire He
had displayed in the solution of the diff
ficulty and complex problems that con-
fronted him a high sorder of statesman
snip and ability and wonderful circum-
spection and tact The members of the
better classes esteem him highly.
The public school system he has inaug-
urated has progressed. most favora bly,,
and is doing a great work for the better
men of conditions in the island. There are
$500 school rooms in the system and $780,
600 pupils are enrolled in the schools
The government has supplied the schools
with the most approved type of furniture
and equipments and the necessary books.
which have been paid for from the Cuban
revenues.
The Secretary of Public Instruction DR..
Varona, is one of the best educated and
most cultured men on the island, and is
in thorough sympathy with the work Of
the public primary schools. The assist
ant secretary, DR.. Borrero, a man of per-
haps equal ability, is also commissioner
of public schools for the island.
For some time Dr. Borrero has been
i'll and Lieut. Matthew r. Hanna, by APP
pointment of the military governor has
been acting commissioner of schools.
Lieut.. Hanna is an aide de camp on the
staff of Gen. Wood. He has been most
successful, said Mr.. Moynelo. Under his
administration many improvements in the
school system have been inaugurated, and
IL is expected that in the near future the
number of children enrolled in the public
schools will be doubled. 1t seems to be
the purpose of the government, as Mr.
Moynelo saw it, to do everything posi-
BILE for the education of Cuban children
Mr. Moynelo did not think that Cuba.
under existing conditions, was any place
for persons without means and that la
borers, and even skilled mechanics, would
find II difficult to prosper II they went
there. on the other hand. the country
offers unparalleled opportunities TO capi-
talists and investors.
Under an American protectorate. or
something resembling it," said Mr. Moy-
neo the future OF Cuba would be bright
The country Is very rich one. Besides
its agricultural resources, II has mineral
resources that are almost totally unde-
Veoped and that need CAPITAL only 20