Evening star., 1901-02-11
Substantial Glasses in Cuba, However,
Make No Movement for It.
CONSERVATIVES ARE NOT ORGANIZED
Looking to the United States to
Take the Initiative.
INTERVIEWS ON SUBJECT
Copyright, 1901, by c. NJ. Pepper.)
al Correspondence of The Evening Star.

! III D6filS. l. write lllS DeCuuSt tHcIt SceliiS
to be a feeling in the United States that
with the new constitution forcing the early
determination of tremendously important is
| sues, something should be heard from this
organization of which so much was prom
| ised under the name of the annexation or
| ''protectorate'' movement. The American
| authorities also have been subjected to
! criticism because of the failure of this con-
! servative sentiment to crystalline into a
| political party. The criticism is unjust and
! is made in ignorance. After time the
| merchants and the planters and the moder-
ate people of the island, drawn by common
interest, will get together. The reciprocity
| movement will give them a basis, but this
! cannot be hurried.
| So long as there was a supposed possi-
| bility of the United States stepping in and
! doing what it is the business of the con-
| serVatiVe people of Cuba to do, that Is OF
| the land owners and the mercantile classes,
| there no chance of the spontaneous
union of the property interests. One has to
understand Spanish character to know why,
| when so much is heard of annexation senti-
| ment so little is seen of an annexation
| movement The Spaniard always looked to
| the government to take the initiative. When
| the government of Spain was replaced by
| the American authority he was unable to
! understand the difference. Knowing that
| it was for his interests and the interests
| for the interests of the United States to
| force annexation, the Spanish merchant
| held back and waited for the United States
| to take the initiative. He had no notion of
| himself originating such a project. He
! talked to American army officers and
| American business men. told them that the
| substantial classes We're for annexation.
| and was content with their assurance that
| forcbIe annexation by moral SuaSion would
| come.
Characteristic Inertia.
| That was what TIE Spanish classes in
Cuba up to today have been expecting.
Though they have an enormous stake in
the future of the island, they have not got
beyond the inertia of expectation. The
Spanish government used to do everything
of that sort, and they thought the Amer
lean government would do the same. This
| explains their attitude of incredulous sur
prise at the probability of the Cuban con-
| sttution being put into effect. To their
minds the good faith of the United States
and its good name have nothing to do with
! the situation.
| The Cubans who distrust the capacity of
| their own people to maintain an indepen-
dent government showed a little more
knowledge OF American ideas, yet they
also displayed the characteristic inertia.
| They talked annexation, and in q feeble
| way sought to establish a propaganda i'll
! Cuba, But when the test came their moral
! courage failed them, and they took refuge
! in the hope that the United STATES in some
way would contrive TO thWart the results
! of the constitutional convention, and con-
tinue the present military rule until an
other effort could be made to forestall in
dependence by whatever policy future
events might evolve.
/ do not know any better way to illus
trate the mental attitude of the Spanish
! classes and of certain element among the
Cubans than by citing individual instances,
which are typical. Less than q month ago
1 talked with Il Havana merchant who
probably would be looked upon as the most
representative Spaniard in the city, both
in business and IN public affairs, so far as
he and his kind ever took part in public
AFFAIRS. His financial interests are as large
as those of any one man in Havana. In
the days of Spanish sovereignty he always
was with the government and though of
reactionary political tendencies, sought to
sustain Its policy when tinged with lib
eraltsm. He was the head of the Spanish
commercial element.
Believes Constitution of No Conse-
Iuence.
Within a month this man told me that
ne and the commercial classes for whom
he stands were paying no attention to what
the constitutional convention was doing
He refused utterly to believe that its pro-
ceedings were of the slightest consequence,
or would be taken seriously in the United
states. He was interested in the removal
of the export duty on tobacco because to-
bacco is one branch of his business but
he did not think it worth while to seek
the support of the members of the constl-
tutional convention in asking for the re-
moval of this duty.
This Havana merchant had been in I,on-
don soon after the American control of the
island was assumed. He had been told
there that the United States was going to
keep Cuba 1t did not seem to occur to him
that London was not the best place for de-
termning American public sentiment, yet
ne may have found some justification for
his belief, because in his business trips to
| Ont tbn COZ
| the United States was going to keep Cuba
without its people asking to be kept did
not concern him. He had no faith in local
government or In general government under
independent rule. Even with the United
States keeping Cuba he had no conception
of popular institutions. Instead, his mind
was filled with a military system of govern
ment. which would free the business COM
munity from all worry.
AS to the crisis which was coming he
simply passed it over as of slight moment.
The United States,'' he said, will build
the Nicaragua canal. 1t must have Cuba
for it's own protection. Besides, IL it lets
an independent government be established.
these Cubans will make commercial treaties
with other countries, which will be hostile
to the American nation L did not ques-
ton the force of his observa tions but on
the immediate situation he was absolutely
dumb. He was sure the American author-
ity would fix 1t SO that the constitutional
convention could be ignored, and he ana
his associates would not have to undergo
any responsibility.
Views of Another Authority
Another Spaniard, who Is not q mer-
chant, is universally admitted to be the
best informed man in the island about
Spanish politics and Cuban affairs Dur
ing the times of Weyler and Blanco |
went to him often for information, and
| always found it correct. He was powerful
enough through official connections in Mad
rid to defy Weyler No one saw more
clearly than he the coming end of Spanish
domination in the Antilles, even at the time
when many persons in the United States
thought it might be propped up for few
years more Once during period of tenn
porary hopefulness on the part of the Span
ish authorities and of corresponding de-
preston among the insurgents L sought
his opinion. This was given with Cata-
lonian brevity. BLACK, black, black" he
said, referring to the outlook for SPAIN
Since the American occupation this man
has been a keen but not an unjust critic
of American administration. He has been
even keener in pointing out the evidences
of Cuban incapacity. He knows all the
weaknesses of Latin character and tenn
permanent and he prophesy almost to
a certainty what will be the course of an
Independent government. But he has re-
fused to believe that such thing is pos