Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-26
BOTH SIDES GIVEN
The Cuban Question Discussed From
Two View Points.
GUALBERf0 GOMEZ ON INDEPENDENCE
Senator PIatt Explains the Amend
ment Bearing His Name.
AMERICAN SUPERVISION

III ~
The presence in Washington of the dele
CATION from the Cuban constitutional con-
vention causes interest to center in the
question Of the future relations of the
United states to the new republic AS time
ly contributions to this thought appear two
articles In current periodicals, giving
thorltat1Ve views on both sides of the sub
Ject In the latest issue of Golfers Week
ly is paper by Juan Gualberto Gomez Of
the constitutional convention, discussing
the Platt amendment and giving the rea-
sons why the party he represents urges it's
rejection by the Cuban people. On the
other hand Senator Platt of Connecticut,
in the May number of the Worlds Work,
presents his own views of the amendment
bearing his name and indicating the rea-
sons for this governments insistence upon
it in its full terms. The two articles, read
together throw a clear light upon the is
sues they lie today.
In part the Gomez article is as follows:
The real balk is over the third, sixth.
seventh and eighth clauses of the Platt
amendment. These are the terms which
are regarded as prejudicial to any hopes
of that independence which Cubans have
been promised even going so far as to par
TALLY partition the territory of Cuba, to
free which the United States disinterested-
ly interposed in 1898. They object to these
terms because they consider them to be in
violation of the Teller resolution the treaty
of Paris and the promises of the American
government.
Examination of the Objectionable clauses
and the reasons for opposing them may
prove interesting in arriving at the causes
of contention.
Clause III. THAT the government of
| Cuba consents that the United States may
| exercise the right to intervene for the pres
fi,np Of ir,Ia dana no i'm.
| tenancc of a government adequate for the
| protection of life, property and individual
| liberty, and for discharging the obligations
| with respect to Cuba imposed by the treaty
| of Paris on the United States, now to be
| assumed by Cuba
From this it appears that the United
| States has three objects in attempting to
! get the government of Cuba to concede
| the right to intervene: l. For the preser
| walton of Observation-Disclosures. Presun-
| ably, against foreign aggression. 1t is rea-
| sonable to suppose that the Cuban govern
ment after waiting this long for it's indie
pendence will take at least as much in
! terest in preserving that independence as
| will the United States, and will take the
| initiative in negotiating for assistance to
| repel any foreigner who may wish to
| cure a foothold Besides which, seventy
| years ago the United States notified Euro
pean powers that they would not be al
| lowed to become owners of Cuba, or to take
| possession by force of any territory belong
| ing to republics of the western hemisphere.
| The extension of the Monroe doctrine to
| Cuba occurred when the treaty of Paris
| was signed To give the United States the
| privilege-demanded by Congress-of decid-
| ing when Cuba is threatened, and when to
| Intervene. is considered d practical surren-
| der of the key to Cuban homes and
| rather eXorbitant request.
The Cuban View.
| 2 For maintenance of a government
adequate for the protection of life, prop
| erty and individual liberty. To the Cuban
mind it appears hard to reconcile this pro-
vision with the idea of Cuban govern
ment, In fact, Cubans believe that II the
United States s to decide when Cuban
government is or is not adequate, II the
United States is to have the power to SEND
it's troops against that government without
consulting the people of Cuba, that the
government of the island will then really
he only in the hands of such persons as
shall be selected by the American ad minis
tration, the free people of Cuba having
absolutely no voice in the matter of choos-
ing their own rulers and representatives
In other words, Cubans seem to feel that
should they accept this clause their gov
eminent would become null and void.
Another way of Directing to this clause
is found in the following utterance, penned
by a protesting Cuban: When could it be
said that life and property were not suf1-
GENTLY protected? Once the pseudo-inde-
pendent Cuban government shall have been
constituted, will not commission of single
crime analogous to any of recent history
| be considered by; the United States>as, in
dicating arrival of the moment to inter
yene? Who will finally determine as to \
Justice or timeliness in case the United
States decide to exercise the right of in
tervention? The vagueness and elasticity
OF this provision augmentS Its serious as
pect to such extent that from whatever
standpoint regarded, it is nothing but a
menace to the future governments of Cuba
and to the sovereignty Of our republic.
g. "To discharge the obligations imposed
by the treaty of Paris, etc. The first ar
ticle of that treaty provides that the
United States shall occupy Cuba imme-
diately following SPANS evacuation. and
that during such occupation the United
States assumes the obligations imposed
by international law for d the protection hid of
United States formally delivers Cuban af-
fairs to a duly constituted Cuban govern
ment that day does the responsibility of
the United States for Cubas obligations
cease absolutely. That it was the inten-
ton Of the United States to stand clear in
precisely this manner is irrefutably demon
strated by article 16, treaty of Paris, which
reads: ut is understood that whatever
obligation respecting Cuba is accepted by
the United States in this treaty is limit ed
to the time of duration of its occupation of
the island, but upon termination of that oc-
cupation, the United States will advise any
government that is established to accept
| the same obligations.
| 1t is hardly conceivable that any can con-
strue the above meaning anything but
that the gentlemen who drew it, as well
as those who ratlned II. recognized the
transitory nature which any American oc-
cupation of Cuba must have in view of the
joint congressional resolution of April 10,
1858.
Authorities Cited.
Juan Gualberto Gomez was delegated to
draw up the conventions reasons for re-
fusal of the Platt law. Among other things
is said: "It is impossible to reconcile the
third clause of the Plat amendment with
the independence OF Cupa or with the as
sertions of the United States that jurisdic-
ton, sovereignty or control would never
be exercised over Cuba except during such
occnnation as might be necessary for na-