BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-04-04
SAN JUAN. APRIL 4
The Terms On Which
We Leave Cuba.

Secretary Roots letter of instructions
to Gen, Wood, regarding Our departure
from Cuba, is notable both for what it
says explicitly and for what must be
read into it by any competent student
of Cuban affairs. 1t directs Gen. Wood
TO hand over the government of the
new republic to its people, but qualities
the transfer by some clear conditions
May 20 is to be the beginning of Cuba's
independent existence, but though the
withdrawal of American troops is to
take place Immediately after the inau-
guration of the new government, 500
artillerymen are to remain under IN
structions which imply that an Amerl-
can military force is always to be
withing beck and call of the Cuban
president. They are to be on duty in
the coast Notifications, but after the
latter are manned by Cuban troops our
arti1lerymen are to be transferred to
the naval stations for which we have
provided under the Platt amenment.
Z The principle of American military
occupation is not, therefore, by any
means given up, but will be continuous
from its first day to that time when in
the Judgment of congress there shall
be absolutely no need of the oversight
and protection Of the island by the
United States. When will that be?
there is no stretching of the meaning
of the terms of the Platt amendment in
saying that the nucleus of American
troops kept in Cuba, were it only SO
instead of 300, stands for indefinite in
crease of those troops should public
order or threats of foreign invasion call
for it. The Plat amendment was nee
essarily vague in stating the terms on
which force might be exercised, and the
constitutional convention accepted its
provisions about OUR Intervention with
far less debate than the demand for
naval stations occasioned, though the
latter was less broadly restrictive than
the former. AS the dispatches point
out, the consent of President-elect Pal
ma and his friends in regard to the re-
tention of the artillerymen was obtained
before Secretary Roots order was is
s1ed, and though the latter may seem
to some rather carefully worded to re-
mind the Cubans that 100 much liberty
at the start would not be good for
them, it vas founded upon competent
experience, and there is not word in
it but may be inferred from the Platt
amendment
It is not to be opposed that a NOM
inal military occupancy is sufficient to
represent the oversight which Wash
ington will always have over the gov
ernnent at Havana. Diplomatic and
consular re oreSentatives will no doubt
be appointed and though the first
named will not have the exact func-
tions of British Resident in India, or
of the British diplomatic agent at
Cairo it is beyond doubt that he will
not stand on the same plane with the
diplomatic representatives of other na-
tions at Havana.
These inferences from Secretary
Roots order are perfectly unambigu-
Gus There is not likely to be any Gu
ban protest against them, for the sim
pie reason that the peo 1e of that island
consented to them in advance. The
political relations of the United States
and Cuba are now fixed beyond the
possibility of revolutionary change. But
they are only half-at present they
seem much less than half-the perform
ance which congress undertook when
the resolution to oust Spain was passed
They are of little value in reviving
Cuba un1ess accompanied By a liberal
measure of reciprocity