Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-12

that 341 years have passed since the stand
ard of CASTLE first was nnfurled on her
coasts, she not only drags along the chains
of slavery, but even is-denied the hope
that she herself one day may be free
1t was in this statement that ne gave ut
terance to the memorable warning, describ-
ing himself as Cuban who never had lied
to the Spanish government nor ndttered it:
Either Spain mustEconcede to Cuba polit-
ical rights Cuba is LOST to SPAIN
In this day none wifi beNfound TO dispute
Saco's declaration that the occupation of
Cuba for the United States is event Of
transcendent gravity. That occupation
having come, 1t is of moment to follow his
ideas. II could WISH he wrote, that If
Cuba should separate herself through
whatever eventuality from the trunk to
which she belongs, she should remain for
ever for the Cubans and not for an alien
race. Let us never forget that the Anglo
Saxon race differs greatly from our own by
its origin. by its language. it's religion, Its
usages and customs. and that whenever 1t
feels itself strong enough to outnumber the
Cubans 1t will aspire to the political direc-
ton of the affairs of Cuba, and will secure
this direction not only through its numer-
ical strength. but also because it considers
itself as our tutor and much more ad-
vanced than we are in matters of govern
ment. 1t Will secure this. repeat, but
without doing violence to us and by usiTg
the same rights as ourselves The North
Americans will present themselves at the
electoral urns; we, too, will present our
selves; they Will vote for their oWn people
and we will vote for ours but since they
already will be in the majority. the Gu
bans, in accordance with the same law.
will be excluded from all or almost all
official employments."
Not in the Way of Fulfllment.
Saco wrote this under shadow Of the pro-
posed emigration from the southern states,
or, rather, the proposed colonization of
Cuba when 1T was meant that she should
a 70 In, no ont
this part Of his prophecy is not in the way
of fulfillment. 1t is true that the American
appetite for office is keen. as is shown by
the $500 applications which on file
from Americans for places in the Havana
post Office. But the Cubans, who have de-
veloped an inordinate fondness for official
positions, are in no danger of conditions
arising under which Americans can vote
themselves into the majority Of offices.
That could not happen, even were Cuba to
be admitted at once as a state in the
American Union. Whatever form the flu
ture commonwealth may take. very few
North Americans are going to be voted into
elective offices
But there is another chapter 20 Saco's
vision "a sorrowful spectacle surely it
will be- he declared, when her sons, who
are the true owners of the country, find
themselves left in the rear by stranger
race, which comes to possess itself of the
country. / have seen this in other lands
and know that in my own country, too,
will see it, and perhaps also will see that
the Cubans, given over to '.orrow and
hopelessness, rush to arms and provoke
civil war. Many will censure these ideas
Objectionable and even account them
delirium. Better would it be we're it so,
but l would desire that Cuba would be not
only rich, illustricns, moral and powerful,
but that she should be Cuban and not
Anglo-Amercan. The idea of immortality
is sublime, because 1t prolongs the g ist-
ence of man far beyond the grave, and Ia
tionality is the Immortality of pc oples and
the purest origin of patriotism"
Here. too. 1t may be said that Saco's Wis
ion was couded little. There is nothing
in the present or prospective situation to
cause the Cubans to be given over to sor-
row and despair. SThe island smiles with
plenty. It's cane fields are spreading and
its industries are srecuperating. Political
liberty and personals rights are assured, so
that neither economic distress oppres-
sive government Will drive them to arms
provoke civil war.
A Most Striking Conclusion.
The conclusion reached by Saco is by far
the most striking part of his prophecy.
Some of the orators in the constitutional con-
vention. who are going to quote literally
from him. may forget it, SO 1 give the brief
paragraph in which it is contained
IF Cuba today counted a million and a
half to TWO millions of whites, with what
joy would | not see her pass to the arms Of
our neighbor. Then, however great might
De lNelr lHnll STdtlOn, we "Oult dDGOTD ILell
into US, growing and prospecting to the
tonishment OF the earth. Cuba forever
would be Cuba. In spite Of all. if through
some extraordinary event the pacific an
neyation of which l nave spoken could be
accomplished today, l would stile my SEN
tnlents within my breast and vote for an
neXati0n."
Read in sober English prose instead of
the rounded Castilan periods which Saco
a master of language and literary eX
preston preferred this may seem an anti
climax to all that went before. 1t is
not so. It's public life was given
to warning against slavery, and 1t
was the dread of Cuba becoming a slave
state that caused him to make his noblest
plea to Spain for political reforms which
would keep the island faithful while that
black cloud lowered over it. Many years
before uttering his prophetic warnings, in
drawing a parallel between Cuba and the
English colonies, Saco had declared that If
Cuba, isolated in her political relations as
III her physical relation, should be drawn
by circumstances so that she would have
to throw herself into alien arms she could
fal! into none with greater honor and glory
than into those of the grand North Ameri-
can confederation, where she would receive
peace and counsel, force and protection,
justice and liberty, and supporting herself
upon these solid bases. would exhibit to the
world the pOrtentous spectacle of people
who from the deepest abasement raised
themselves and swept with the swiftness of
lightning to the summit Of grandeur" The
tropical Imagination finds suitable express
sion here In the original Castilian idiom,
but this paragraph may be omitted by the
orators in the constitutional convention.
The DeIusfon of Annexation.
do not think any one with a true knowl
edge of the conditions in Cuba and with
real regard for its welfare at this time. will
encourage the delusion of annexation either
in the United States or in the island. The
ic toll the sensible and the
more flexible form of a protectorate.
IT is worthy of remark that some of the
fears which haunted Saco are being dis
pel!ed Cuba today has million and
half population of which he wrote Not
all of it is white. for the African blood is
in the proportion of one-third, yet it Is
now possible to say that the proportion of
the blacks to the rema inder of the popula-
ton will undergo a gradual decrease. This
is because the black population has only
its natural increase and is not fed from
without by colonization or other means.
while the proportion Of white blood through
the Spanish immigration and In lesser
degree through immigration from the United
States is bound to grow.
Regarding the alien race impressfng Its
language and customs and laws on the
Latin people Of Cuba views may differ, yet
experience gives the needed lesson. Ameri-
can officials who have thought that laws,
q n rod n