Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-04
THE FUTURE OF CUBA
CONDITION OF ISLANDS PEOPLE
AND THEIR PROSPECTS.
Suggestion That Annexation to the
United States May Ultimate
ly Come About.

James Bryce, NJ. P, In the North American Review.
The population of the island is about a
million and half. One-third, roughly
speaking, are negroes or mulattoes, and a
good many more have in them strain Of
colored blood. Educa tionaly they are
backward. for certainly more than half
and I have, indeed, heard it said, three
fourths-are unable to read and write
while comparatively few have received what
would be called in Europe or the United
States fair secondary education. They
have shown no great aptitude for COM
merce-the largest business firms are gen.
orally either Spanish or foreign; and they
are not very efficient as laborers, certainly
less efficient than either the Spaniards of
old Spain the Americans of the middle
states. Except among the planters-if. in
deed they are an exception after what has
been said of their depressed condition
there is very little wealth in Cuban hands
Politically, the people are quite unframed;
for, during the long rule Of Spain there was
pra ctically no opportunity Of learning how
to work free Institutions either in local
areas or as respects the country as a whole.
Spanish government was despotic, just
Spanish administration was bureaucratic.
So, too, they have had hardly any means
of learning who are their own best men,
and, in this respect, it is unfortunate for
them that they did not achieve their liberty
by their unaided exertions, for, in the pro-
cess of winning 1t, the men Of most natural
capacity for politics would probably have
been brought to the front On the other
hand, 1t is their good luck to be not sharply
divided into sections, either by ecclesiastical
or by radical issues. The Roman Church
though she still holds good deal of prop
erty, does not appear to exert much polit-
ical power and religious issues play no
conspicuous part AS respects color. though
the whites deem themselves much above the
negroes, they do not assert their superiority
In offensive ways-partly, perhaps, because
the Cubans are petite and courteous peo-
pie; nor do the negroes show animosity
against the whites. Now and then a little
friction occurs--there was case at Santa
go a few months ago which reused some
disquiet but, on the whole. the relations of
the races are friendly, as. indeed is more
often the case In Spanish than in Teutonic
countries. Moreover, the predominance of
the whites, in number as we'll as in wealth
and knowledge, removes any occasion for
serious uneasness on their part.
Relation 10 tie United States.
Such. stated IA itsssimplest outline. is the
position in which Chba finds herself, now
that the control of her own destiny is to be
restored to her. subject to those conditions
which Congress has thought tit to impose
And among thesques tions she has to decide
the most momentoI9 is that of her relation
to the United States. her nearest and most
powerful neighbor. The Cubans are all
agreed In desiring zirteHuSnfp, ana In deSir-
ing to have the closest commercial relations.
The admission of their products free of duty
to the markets Of the United States would
be to them the greatest possible boom But
IL the boon cannot be obtained except at
the price of the annexation of their island
to the United States, the question arises
whether commercial prosperity ought to be
purchased at the price of a sacrifice of ma
tional independence, and one hears in the
island much debate on the subject
The question presents itself IN very diff
ferent light to the Weather and to the
poorer classes of the Cubans. The CONNER
cial men, the land owners. and especially
the sugar producers, have everything to
gain by the free entry of sugar into Amer
lea. Were such free entry secured on a per-
manent basis, the value of plantations
would rise, trade would be quickened, and
the growing competition of other sugar
growing countries would be far less for