Evening star., 1901-03-21
THEIR CUBAN VISIT
Returning Congressman Describe
Their Impressions.
STRUCK WITH FHEISLAED'S FERTILITY
Better Classes Favorable to the
Platt Amendment.
NO TROUBLE APPREHENDED

| Tee on rivers ana AaFDOTS anu tue liieIHpeiS
of the committee who recently visited Flor
| ida, and incidentally made trip to Cuba,
have returned to the city. The party in
| cluded, besides the chairman and his wife,
Representative Morris and daughter, Rep
! resentative Dovener and wife, Representa-
| tive Mercer and wife, Representative Ache
| son and wife, Representative Sparkman
| and wife, Representative and Mrs. David
| son, Representative and Mrs. Alexander,
I Representative Ball and Mr.. Ellis, clerk of
| the committee. In addition to the commit
| tee. Representatives Gillett and Moody of
Massachusetts were in the party.
! Chairman Burton talked Interestingly to-
| day with Star reporter of his impressions
| of the political and industrial conditions of
Cuba obtained in his visit to the island.
1T is very difficult, said Mr.. Burton,
! for any person to form opinions of value
| in brief trip to country in which an
| other language is spoken and which is in
| habited by a race whose traditions and
| ideas are different from our own The
| ideas to conditions derived by members
| on this trip must be obtained at second
hand and from very superficial eXa nina
ton.
| No Indication of Probable Trouble.
| There is no indication on the surface of
| any unrest or probable disturbance. 1t is
| evident that conditions have greatly i'm
proved under American occupation. Gen.
| Wood has done a great deal for Havana,
| not only in revising sanitary conditions but
| In effecting number of reforms in civil
! administration. He seems to be enthusi-
astlc in his work ant is manifesting great
! deal of ability and vigor. On the evening
| just before we left the members of the VOL
unteer fire department, 100 in number
formed in parade and presented to him a
valuable token at the governor general S
residence What makes this action the
| more significant is the fact that the 700
| members are all Cubans and a similar
presentation has not been made to any one
coming from outside of Cuba during the
last twentyeight years.
The bottom fact is they are Latin
race: with divers infusions, living in a
tropical climate and dealing with the An
glo-Saxon race. They have imbibed the
idea that government is a system of tyr
amy and plunder. We will have first to
make them understand US.
Should Experience Independence.
"Whetner we TOOK at it from the stand
point of ultimate annexation or not, L re-
gard a period of independence as absolute
ly essential. Economic considerations as
we'll as political are likely to convince the
Cubans that annexation or a very close
alliance is best for the future of Cuba but
these are questions which the future must
determine.
Our observations would lead us to think
that the great majority of people in Cuba
take little interest in the form of govern
ment. but an active element, favoring any
political idea, independence or anything
else, would exert an influence quite out of
proportion to their number. This is due
to the Indifference of the great body of the
people.
The nucleus of the element most ag-
gressive for independence is formed by the
soldiers enrolled in the Cuban army Our
Impressions, Of course We're derived from
seeing Havana and the immediate neigh
oornood. NO person can form a compre-
hensive opinion without visiting other prov
1nceS, particularly Santiago de Cuba the
easterly one of the six provinces About
Is per cent of the Cuban army came from
that province, and condition partly of in
surrection and partly of brigandage has
manifested itself there for many years
I'VE met some of the members of the
cuban constitutional convention. They
seemed to be very earnest men, but il
would not require much discrimination to
discover probable lack Of harmony in
their deliberations and actions should the
responsibility of governing Cuba ever de-
Volve upon them.
Development Checked
cat Havana and in the immediate neigh
borhood there are pronounced indications
of an earnest effort to improve material
conditions. Sugar factories burned during
the recent insurrection are being rebuilt.
and there Is every indication of a develop
ment of the resources of Cuba. which.
however, is very much checked by the un-
certainty as to the future
That which most impressed me was the
marvellous fertility of the island. Mar
velous is not too strong a word. I have
never seen a portion of this earth which
seemed to give greater promise of wealth.
particularly in furnishing agricultural
products"
Mr.. Burton said that the committee also
visited the river and harbor improvement
work on the ST. Johns river, Tampa bay
and Hillsborough bay, and in the vicinity
of Miami and obtained much information
of value to the committee
Best Element Favor Platt Amendment
Representative Dovener of West Virginia,
VIXEN seen by a Star reporter today. ex-
pressed himself as much pleased with his
visit to Cuba. He was impressed with the
extreme cleanliness of Havana and with
the progress that Is being made there in
the government of the city, and especially
in the development of the system of pub
lie schools. He found the people busily
developing the industries that had been
interfered with during the war and he
returned to this country fully impressed
with the idea that the conservative and busi-
ness elements Of the island favor the Platt
amendment, which ne regarded as gener-
ally popular except among the ignorant
classes and their political leaders.
Il discussed the Platt amendment with
found that they are very doubtful about
the ability Of the people of Cuba to take
entire control of the island at this time
TT is probably better, they think, to re-
main under American control for a while
They want liberty in the end, but it is
questioned whether it would be wise for
them to Immediately establish complete
independence. Very many of the ignorant
people of the island who do not read and
do not come in contact with the outside
world are under the control of leaders
who represent their own class But the
conservative and business people of the
island, the people who have property and
business interests, are greatly embarrassed.
They do not like to openly 9spouse the
Platt amendment because they fear the
consequences to themselves In case the
other side should control the island They
do not know how far the taxing power
might be exercised by people hostile to the
Piatt amendment in Furnishing them This
condition on the island is apt to mislead
people. It is the element that has nothing
to lose that is heard loudly opposing the
| Piatt amendment. while those who have
something to lose and favor lit remain
silent as a matter of policy and not be-
cause they doubt the wisdom of the Platt
amendment and the method it proposes
for the government of the island at present
Gen. Woods Adnainlstration.
<y.-E