The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-10
THE CUBANS
WANT TO KNOW
A Committee May Ask the Presi-
dent Some Leading
Questions.

NEW YORK, April IA special to
the Tribune from Washington says:
1t is believed in administration circles
that within a day or two the Cuban
constitutional convention will appoint
special committee to come to Wash
ington for the purpose or consulting
the President and Cabinet about modi-
flying some of the provisions of the
Plat amendment. Though the con-
vention at Havana has been discussing
the ACCESSIBILITY of this movement for
about week, it was not until yester-
day that official information on the
subject reached Washington. If the
visit is made by the Cubans it will
have to be done within the next two
weeks. The President and Cabinet will
leave Washington on April 18th for the
Pacific Coast, and will be away six
weeks. 1t is thought that the Cuban
visitors would want at least a week
or ten days in which to exchange
views with the President ana his ad-
visers, so If they desire to take up the
subject before the summer is well adj
vanced they will have to come her
by the middle of the month.
If the Cubans ask for the elimination
from the Plat amendment of the pro-
visions for naval stations ana the
right of this country to intervene for
the preservation of peace and order
they will be disappointed, because the
administration has neither the authorf-
ty nor the disposition thus to modify
the act of Congress defining what
ought to be the relations between
Cuba and the United States. 1t is be-
lieved, however, that the visit Of the
Cubans would be productive of much
good in an educational way. They
could obtain from President Mckinley
and others competent to speak FOR the
government, assurances of this coun-
try's beneficent aims toward Cuba,
and official guarantee that neither in
spirit nor intent does the Plat amend
ment contain anything that should be
construed as a yelled purpose to es-
tablish a protectorate ever Cuba in the
meaning of that word in the 1nterna-
tional code. With these assurances
and guarantees the Cubans could re-
turn home and calm whatever fear
may exist among their people on this
score, even If they should not be able
to put stop to the political agitation
being stirred up by the professional
politicians who have personal ends to
serve
At the same time it is thought 10 be
possible to subserve the same object
through another device, which may
make unnecessary the visit to Wash
ington by a committee of the consti-
erature for publication in Cuban news
papers has been sent to the island in
the last few days by high officials at
washington. This literature deals
frankly with the subject, and inter
prets seriatim the provisions OF the
Plat amendment. When this litera-
ture has been disseminated in Spanish
among all classes Of Cubans it is con-
fidently believed that it will nave sucn
a quieting effect that the convention
at Havana can with safety to the po-
litical future of its members, ratify the
Plat amendment. Still, no objection
is urged in Washington against the
proposed visit of the Cuban committee,
and if the convention decides on this
course, as now seems PROBABLE, Gov
ernor General Wood may be instructed
to place an army transport at the ser
vice of the committee selected, and the
visitors will be treated with marked
official courtesy when they arrive here.