The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-04-10
THE AMENDMENT WILL BE Ac-


! Notwithstanding the fact that the Gu
/ ban Constitutional Convention has reject
! ed the motion to accept the Plat amend
/ mept there does NOT appear to be, any
| doubt in administration circles in Wash
ington or among the conservative portion
of the well informed people of Havana
that the Plat amendment will eventually
be accepted. II will be noted that the
/ convention has not taken position in re-
spect to the amendment from which 1t
cannot gracefully recede. AS matter
of fact there is not a member Of the
convention that doesn't know that the ac-
ceptance Of the amendment would he for
the best interests of the Cuban people,
but there are various motives holding the
delegates back from doing what they
know ought to be done.
In the first place they don't like the
idea of being considered unable to man
age their own affairs. Some of the dele
gates say that the Plat amendment as
sumes the Cubans are children, and that
they will have to be taught how to gov
ern themselves. That thought hurts their
qualified for taking care of their public
affairs as the people of any other nation.
In the next place they are afraid that If
the United States are given authority to
interfere in their affairs there will be in
tervention in matters with which they
are particularly anxious that outsiders
shall have nothing whatever to do For
instance, some of them have in mind the
payment of vast claims for services in
the wars In which Cuba fought Spain for
independence. And there are other rea-
sons, of which the masses of the people
know nothing,
AS a matter of fact comparatively few
Cubans know anything of the Plat
amendment. 1t is safe to say the ma
jority Of them never heard of it. A large
percentage of the people cannot read,
ana the newspapers give those who can
very little light on public questions. In
the island there are All, 1893 men of voting
age. More than 5000 of this number
have given no indication of a wish to
become citizens of the island, and over
1000 are foreigners. The number of
voters is about 81 600 More than a third
of this number are blacks, and fully 20
per cent. of the blacks are unable to
read, and so per cent. of the whites are
illiterates. The number of voters who
can read therefore is about 10000 and
these are scattered all over the island.
1t can readily be seen therefore that there
cannot be a very general understanding
Of the force and meaning of the Platt
amendment.
What win take place in all probability
is this: The convention will discuss the
amendment in a desultory sort of way I'M
til the meeting Of Congress, and then an
effort will be made to secure a modification
of the amendment-a slight modification
so that it can be made to appear that
the convention did not accept the amend
ment in its entirety. If this effort is
successful the amendment will be adopted
and the Cubans will get to work to es-
tablish a government. 1t is barely pos
siDle that the amendment win be accepted
before Congress meets. In that event the
work of establishing a government will
be pushed along as fast as possible The
military government will be maintained
until It is clear that the Cubans are in
shape to manage their own affairs.
1t is certain, however, that there will
be no material modification of the Plat
amendment. The men who had that
amendment put in the army bill domi-
mated in the last Congress, and they will
dominate in the one that assemblies next
winter. That condition of affairs has
been made clear TO the Cuban convention.
and it may have a great deal to do with
bringing about the acceptance of the
Platt amendment.