New-York tribune., 1901-05-21
CLRA AND TIE CTRANS.

Estimates of Cuba and the Cubans hitherto
expressed in these columns receive fresh cor
roboraton from the two reports which were
yesterday presented to the Constitutional Con-
vention by the recent visitors to this country
The intention of the Cuhans is better than their
information or their ability. Mr. Albert q. Robin
son. well informed observer, in his contribu-
ton to last Sundays Tribune declared that "the
Cuban is not the material from which anar-
'chists are made; and again. Their lives have
been very narrow; they are in great majority
''illiterate. The demand for independence
their idea of that condition, is little short of
mental disease with many of them" OF the
truth of this there can he no doubt. Whatever
some restless and ambitious men among them
may wish or do the Cubans on the whole desire
peace and the maintenance of law and order.
There are. of course some bandits in the island.
The effects Of the devastating war, the prostra
ton Of industries and the uncertainty of the
future have swelled their numbers. Plenty OF
men outside of Cuba will rob rather than starve.
But If the Cuban is not an anarchist. neither
is he heaven inspired statesman with super
lative genius for government. There is no
reproach nor contempt in saying this. 1t is the
misfortune. not the fault. of the Cuban people
that they are not more expert in governmental
affairs and are not better informed concerning
the United States. As Mr.. Robinson says, their
lives have been narrow-have been kept mar
row by Spain for Spain's selfish reasons. Their
ideas Of freedom independence and sovereignty
are often crude and distorted. Our Washing
ton correspondent expresses the truth when he
says that many of the negroes in Cuba believe
their countrymen are still held in slavery in the
United States. and that If this country has any
thing to do with the formation OF the Cuban
government slavery will be re-establlshed there.
Nor can we much blame them for such igno-
rance in view of the wild utterances which
have been made in this country by those who do
know better.
This lack of information and of understanding
concerning the United States and this lack of
| conversance with the necessities Of government,
are strikingly exemplified in the reports to the
convention. Thus the majority report wants 1t
TO be understood that intervention shall always
"be the act of the United States. and not of iso-
lated agents" II that were not actually set
down in black and white it would be inconceiv-
able that any could suppose the United
States ever proposed to empower it's "isolated
agents" TO intervene in governmental affairs,
wage war and conclude peace without it's own
authorization and responsibility. Nothing but
acquaintance with this country should be needed
to convince Cubans that the United States has
no more wish to intervene in Cuban affairs with
force and arms than Cuba has to have il do so.
As for the minority report. it exposes n curiously
imperfect conception of governmental functions
in the naive proposal that Cuba shall herself
maintain naval stations and hand them over to
the United States in OF necessity. One
would think it should be obvious to every mind
that in order 10 be able TO give the island prompt
and efficient protection or better still, to pre-
clude the danger of aggression by any power, it
is essential for the United States to have con
slant possession and control of the stations
which are to be the bases of its protective
action.
We repeat that these misconceptions of the
Cubans not to be severely censured, though
they are to be much deplored. They are the
natural result of the enforced narrowness of
life TO which the Cubans were subjected by
Spain, and of the reckless misrepresentation
made for sinister purposes by unscrupulous
demagogues In both Cuba and the United
States They will in time be dispeed, and we
may hope that the time needed for that process
will be brief. The Cuban wants peace, pros
perity and control of his own domestic affairs
and those are precisely the things which the
United States proposes to give TO him and in
the enjoyment Of which it proposes to maintain
him.