Evening star., 1901-04-15
SCHURMAN'S VIEWSONCUBA
PLATT AMENDMENT SHOULD ne .AC-
CEPTED BY CUBANs.
Self-GOvernment Would BE a Failure
without It-Need of Amerf-
can Aid.

special to the New York Herald from
Havana, Cuba, Sunday, says: Jacob q.
Schurman, president of Cornell University,
who sailed from this city for New York
| yesterday was in Cuba for ten days study
| ing the political situation. He visited
! four of the six provinces of the island,
| talked with Cubans of all classes in their
| own tongue, and followed closely current
| opinion as expressed in the Cuban news
| papers, of which he was an indefatigable
| reader. President Schurman gave the
| Herald correspondent interview, in
| which he said
The people of Cuba are less excited over
| the menace to Cuban sovereignty supposed
| to be contained in the Platt amendment
| than are the politicians of Havana. In
| deed, business men and owners of prop
| erty universally favor an immediate ac-
| ceptance of the amendment, though many
| told me they did not dare state so pub
licly.
| THE present political uncertainty is par
| alyzing to the movements of capital which
| are Indispensable for the recovery of the
prosperity of the island. So, too, ma
| jority of the educated men of the country
| recognize the necessity from the Cuban
| point of view of the protection and Sc
| curity guaranteed by the Platt amend
| ment The opposition comes from the
poorest and most ignorant section of the
| community, although how far they have
! views of their own and how far they are
influenced by wirepulling politicians it is
| very difficult 20 determine.
More Zeal Than Knowledge.
81 have talked with both white and col
ored men-and one-thrd of the population
| of Cuba is colored. Many of these have
no ideas whatever on the subject. On the
| other hand, l have been surprised by the
| earnestness with which both white and
| oil rbop hor urb
have declaimed to me against the amend
| ment as a menace to their liberties and an
| insidious scheme for reducing them to colo
| nial dependence as oppressive that from
| which the war with Spain delivered them.
| 'Of course, the knowledge of these peo-
| pie Is h-proportioned to their zeal. The
| measure they oppose has no existence, but
| such is their idea of the amendment and
| such their attitude toward the product Of
| their own imagination. Nor can you argue
| them out of this state of mind-the less so
| as they represent the class that fought
| both instructions against Spain for the
| independence of Cuba. Nothing but the
| fact of a self-governing Cuba will convince
| these people that their liberties are not
| in danger. There Is the rub.
Civil Government Necessary.
"Our military government has preserved
| order established sanitation, built public
| works, opened schools and contributed to
the restoration Of property, but, like every
other military government, it is incapable
OF generating confidence, sympathy and af
fection between rulers and people.
! THE great desderatum in Cuba is the
| immediate substitution Of civil government
of Cubans, for CubanS, by Cubans, for the
military government of the United States.
| But such government VIII have no chance
| of success at home or abroad without the
guarantees carried in the Platt amend
ment, which, 1 am fully persuaded, is de-
sired in it's essential contents by majority
| Of the people Of Cuba.
| THE problem, therefore. is to get the
| convention to accept 1T. l do not for mo-
ment question the ability and patriotism
| of the delegates, but believe they are too
much animated by the irreconcilable spirit
of the revolution against Spain, in which
many of them were participants, but of
| which the country is tired. knowing that
the danger of tyranny, thanks to the United
States, has now passed away forever.
Must Overcome Opposition.
| THE United States must insist on ac-
| ceptance of the Platt amendment. Opposi-
tion of the Cuban delegates must be over
come l believe both ends can be attained
by conference between committee of
the convention and President Mckinley
The Cubans will then state their desires
| to the highest authority in the republic
| and the very opportunity to do will pre-
| dispose them to be conciliatory, and the
| tact and diplomacy of the President COM
bined with the self-interest of the Cuban
delegates, Will discover way, either by
defining the conditions of intervention, or
abandoning the Isle of Pines, or specifying
the number Of coaling stations or by some
other formal concession, to reach an ad-
| juStment which will save the face of the
delegates and enable them to return to
| their political parties bringing peace with
honor. At the same time the firmness of
| the President may be equally trusted to
maintain the substance of an act of Con-
gress the terms of which he is required to
substantially enforce.
"Then will follow civil government in
Cuba by Cubans and a renewal of cordial
relations with the United States and this
consummation is devoutly to be wished