The age-herald., 1902-03-26
PALMA PLEASED
 WITH PROSPECTS Will Return to Cuba Latter Part
 of April GREAT FUTURE FOR ISLAND President of New Republic Says U. S. Artillery VIII In No Way Inter- fere With Cuban Affairs.
 Will Be Replaced Later.
GREAT FUTURE FOR ISLAND

Washington, March 25-President-elect Thomas Estrada Palma of Cuba, having finished his conference with President Roosevelt, Secretary Root and other of f1cials on matters connected with the transfer of the island from American to Cuban control, left the city at midnight for his New York home, where he will remain until the last of April, when he will leave for Cuba
 T will enter upon my duties as Presi- dent of Cuba" said General Palma, ''con- fident in the belief that there Is a splen- did future in store for the island The people are naturally of an orderly peace able disposition, mild-mannered and sub missive to law and order. What they need Is the opportunity to work, and with this | assured prosperity will come to the peo- | pie.
 As to the Ceremonies.
 ''The ceremonies incident to my inaugu-
 ration will be in keeping with the require i ments Of the occasion. One of these will
 be the lowering of the American colors
 In Havana and the raising of the Cuban
 flag, an act which will mark the termina-
 ton of American occupation and the for
 nal assumption of the government by the | Cubans. Closely following the induction
 or the new government will be the ap- | pointment of a minister to represent 1t at
 Washington. As soon as this has been
 done and representative appointed from
 the United States to Cuba, steps will be
 taken for the drafting of a treaty between | the two governments embodying the fea-
 lures outlined in the Platt amendment,
 which has been made an appendix to our | constitution. This will include provision
 for naval station probably at Guantan-
 amo, although this is not settled, and the
 establishment of coaling stations at points to be mutually agreed upon"
 Artillery Will Not Interfere. General Palma said the 800 United | States artillerymen were to be kept in | Cuba for while with the consent of the Cuban government. He added: They are not to interfere in any way with Cuban affairs. They will be retained until the Cuban government is ready to replace them with force of its own men. The latter now has about three hundred men who have been drilled in artillery practice and to these 1t is contemplated adding about one hundred more As soon | as they are sufficiently familiar with the duties that will devolve upon them they will take the places of the Americans. The Americans, then, presumably, will be sent to the naval and the coaling stations provided for in the treaty to be ratified be- tween the two governments"
 CABINET DISCUSSES
 THE CUBAN QUESTION.
 Washington, 25.-The Cuban question oc-
 cupied nearly all the time of the cabinet
 meeting today, the details of the transfer | Of the island to the new government be- ing considered at great length It Is de- | sirous of the administration to provide
 as fully as possible for the absolute and
 complete turning over of the government
 as soon as the Cuban flag is raised. Considerable time was taken up in
 reading in full the instructions given Governor General Wood for the with | drawal of United States sovereignty | This government Is anxious to maintain | the big million dollar dry dock at Ha-
 vana, to establish and maintain one or | two naval stations, to continue the sys- ! tenn of weather stations which already
 have proved of great efficiency in giving
 ample warning of storms approaching the ] United States. and vice versa, and other l independent meteorological work, but l these details while fully discussed are
 matters subject to negotiation and dis | cussion between the representatives of this government and the Cuban represen- | tatives who have been in conference here 1 during the day. The postal service is one important branch whose transition into absolute control of the Cubans will occa- sion no difficulty. The chain of postof- fees now in operation are in public build
 ngs belonging to Cuba and the postal service of this government has no prop erty worth mentioning on the island. The postmasters, except possibly at Santiago. are natives and there will, therefore, be no occasion for changes in the personnel unless the new Cuban government has reasons for them, not now anticipated.