Waterbury Democrat., 1901-02-08
IS CUBA TO BE FREE?
What the Administration Expects l
 From the Island.

tratiOn assumes, in discussing tue Gu ban constitution and the conulrlonS for its adoption by this government, that the CuDanS have not forgotten that there were responsibilities and obliga- tions to be observed by them before the United States could be expected to regard with satisfaction and q sense of security the Cuban willingness to be- | come free and Independent govern 1 ment. Ii this assumption is mis- taken one, and the CubanS in their as 1 sembly have blundered into supposing i that the adoption of a constitution and ! the call for an election under ii would l be The only forLnaiittess to be observed | between Cuba and the United States, 1 It will become necessary to recall to ! the constitution makers some of the 1 conditions that the president has not ! lost sight of, but which the CuDans in i tEeir zeal or error have apparently 1 overlooked.
 1 When the pacihcati ton of Cuba had ! proceeded to apoinr that Genel1 iLeoIl-
 ard Wood considered complete enough to Justify the president tp offering to l the Cubans the opportunity, under military rule, to round out that paci- ucation by providing the organization of government so as to comply with
 lIc St1lElt GA0 lS IlSI Oi liS IcSOlutlOA adopted in April, 1SSS, the purpose CT 1, the administration was made known i by proclamation, issued by order of | the president from General Woods Of ice in Havana. This proclamation re- 1 cited the success Of the Cubans in es- ! tablishing the municipal governments, suggested the readiness Cf the people for general government, and or dercd an election of delegates to constitutional convention to be held in
 September. 19uu, the convention 10 meet i'll Havana in November. But ! there was :, condition broader than that of simply complying with the or der for the election of delegates. This convention was to frame q constitu- ton, but ''aS part thereof to provide for and agree with the government Of the United States upon the relations
 tc exist between that government and l the government of Cuba.'' After that,
 in the order or statement, the consti tuition was TO provide for the elec- 1 ton Of the people of officers under the constitution, and the transfer Of gov erD;H4pu to the officers so elected.''
 l. p 10 this time, although a draft of the cGpEtituIicn has been sent to this
 country and published, it contains nothing t9 suggest compliance with ! some of the conditions set forth in the proclamation by the president through General Wood. It is that oversight which the administra ton is disposed to consider as the result of careless consideration of the expressed wishes Of the president that has provoked so much criticism of the news from Cuba and led to the free discussion of the probable submission, of the question to hSfnr, C11ha cha11 ho sid cred entitled to set it's independent gov ernnent in operation.
 That there will be disappointment among the Cubans who have been in nusntial in making the constitution I without conforming to the terms set 1 out in the proclamation for the con- yenticn there Is no doubt. But that the Cubans were proceeding In a neas-
 ure according to their ideas of con | formity Is indicated in the language
 of section of the printed draft which alludes to General Nood's proclama- ton and the necessity fer conforming to the rules laid down by him in select ing delegates. The expectation Of the language of the constitution Is that
 the Cuban government Is to be chosen 1 by election ninety days after the pro-
 mitigation of the constitution. No eX-
 preasion of doubt as to whether the l United States will be satisfied. but
 only the dictum of the constituent as-
 sembly.
 All these conditions were fully con
 sideCed by the administration before
 the unofficial announcement was au-
 thorlzed yesterday that the president 1 had 10 doubt of his right and duty to | see that the Cuban constitution shall ! he such an instrument as to enable the
 United States in approving it to pro- l tcct itself while assuring to Cuba q
 stable government and to enable this
 country, until that Is assured beyond ] reasonable doubt. to exercise it's ad-
 mitted privilege to see that no diplo- ! 1natia disturbance or irrational tumulr among fa actions in Cuba shall impose
 upon it the necessity for doing over 1 again the expensive and trying work 1 that it has already performed in order that Cuba might be free from the cru
 city and rapacity CT Spanish officers. 1 The course Of events marked out in
 Havana by the language of the con- stituept assembly now seems to make
 it quite Droba ble that 1t will be late | in February before the completed con
 Sritution will be here, and that the oh 1 jections to it can be pointed cut with i our the aid of congress. The president 1 HaS QuuOGuCCu lIl CuE al liciUcI oi his administration his belief that he is | entitled to safeguard the interests of ! the United States in considering the constitution. He has also made it clear | that if Cuba manifests any unwilling
 ness to accept the advice Of the ad- 1 ministrarion and demands q stronger
 expression of the will Of the United
 States, still it's military ruler, the pres 1 ident, will ask the congress to assem- ble for the purpose Of sharing with
 him the task of impressins Cuba with
 the conviction in the United States
 that the right of free government is to
 be exercised there only after this coun-
 try is assured that Cuba will be re-
 strained by pledges that it is our duty
 to exact and should be the pleasure of
 Cuba to extend, without hesitation and 1 in her own best interest,
 1 HAT FACTORY BURNED.
 Danbury, Feb S.-A small hat fac