Evening star., 1901-05-04

both We're in the United States there was
no ground of grievance of which official
cognizance could be taken.
With the steamship company it was Sc
riouS matter. for the Spanish government
could make it very inconvenient by port eX
actions and other official annoyanceS which
could be inflicted Oh the steamships. The
captain of the vessel was hauled up for
an explanation. He was an Irishman. and
the explanation was quickly forthcoming.
He explained that on the occasion which
the Spanish government complained it was
his two hundred and thirty-Seyenth trip
from Tampa to Key West. and he had cele-
brated the anniversary by decorating his
vessel. That some Cuban cigarmakers and
the chief of the Cuban junta happened to
be on board at the same time was coinci-
dence to which the captain did not attach
significance, because the Cubans We're 60
ing and coming all the ting. The Spanish
government was not fully satisfied with the
explanation. but no further action was
taken, and the Irish captain apparently
did not lose favor with his employers, al
though he was cautioned not TO celebrate
any more anniversaries of his trips between
Tampa and Key West.
Watching Developments.
Two elements. both in the United States
and In Cuba, are keenly watching the de-
velopments regarding Palmas candidacy
for president of the Cuban republic. Both
are concerned, because they have interests
in alleged Cuban obligations One element,
which perhaps holds legitimate obligations
of restricted amounts, wants Palma chosen,
because these obligations were issued under
his headship of the Cuban junta and would
stand a better show of being paid. The
other element does not wish Palma made
president because the obligations which it
wants recognized are of less limited char
acter and have only a speculative value
Palma and his associates would be likely
to repudiate this class of obligations. In
official position they would be strong
enough to discredit them
Mr.. Palma also gave very positive assur-
ances to the Senate committee and to the
American officials as to the limited char
acter of all the So-called debts of the Cu-
ban revolutionary government or junta
One of PalmaS warmeSt friends who is
taking part in the movement TO make him
president told me in Havana a few weeks
ago that he rather hoped the movement
would not succeed. This was a strange
sentiment, but the explanation was sensi-
BILE. Estrada Palma" his friend said,
"is an old man, sentimentalist and an
idealist. All his life he has worshiped
Cuban liberty as though it was something
in the clouds. When we were sending out
filibustering expeditions he found that all
his countrymen Were not ideal patriots
and that Jared him little, but when the
trouble was over he forgot those things
Now, if he should become president all
his ideals may be destroyed, for there isn't
going to be much idealism in this Cuban
government when ii gets under way. Palma
the United States and watches Cuban in
dependence from distance, but If old
Maximo Gomez consents he is the man for
the hour, and | guess the Cubans will make
him president.
Rafael MOntOrO.
An idealiSt of a different stamp from
Palma who is now taking part in Cuban
politics and who in different circumstances
might have been the first president of the
Cuban republic is Rafael Montoro Mr.
Montoro has been making speeches at the
meetings of the union democratic or con-
servative party, which is the most pro-
American of the Cnban political organiza-
items. BY both friends and foes he is con-
ceded to be the intellectual leader of the
Cuban people. and he was for twenty years
the head and front of the autonomist agi-
tation. Montoro believed In the ultimate
Ct Cuba, but thought 1t would
come through & process of evolution. He
advocated conss- tutional agitation and dis
couraged physical revolt. When it became
evident that Spain would make no con-
cessions to the Cuban sentiment for self
government except through force, IL Mon
toro had gone to the woods as did some
other autonomists he would have become