Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-28

new government can only be surmised.
During the last five years l have seeu
many surprises in Cuba. so many In
stances of self-restraint and so much ca
pacity for endurance that my own guess
would be that Cuba is going to get through
somehow. 1t would be touching on the
tender subject of politics to guess further
that If she does get through without the
United States having aided her the prestige
and influence of this country will he great
~ decreased and the difficulties of the fu-
ture Cuban policy be immensely increased.
This is said with hat off and with due hui
mIlity in the presence of the SURPRISING
wisdom which has marked the Congress OF
the United States
1t is a subject for dispassionate analysis
because the roots reach deeply. Naturally
in Cuba there is not the same cynical
calmness that seems to obtain in Washing
ton. If out of its overlooking prosperity the
United States has nothing but chaiice OF
bitterness to offer Cuba. something of bit
ter feeling may be looked for among the
people of the island.
Within the last day or two I have met
good many public men who were sorry
for Cuba" but who wanted to know what
difference it would make a hundred years
from now. Probably none, but it may
make good deal of difference hundred
days from now.
To the Cuban government and the Cuban
people. the reasons. explanations and apol-
ogies for the American Congress adjourn
ing without granting the promised reciproc-
ity meaningless They simply know the
hard fact that it is going to adjourn with
out action
1t reopen a controverted point to speak
of reciprocity as pledged. but to the Cuban
understanding ii was pledged, and the
course they take naturally will be govern
ed by the belief AS mite of individ-
ual testimony on that point. 1t would be
well for some American public men to re-
fresh their memories by about fifteen
months and to recall the conditions in Cuba
and the circumstances under which the
Plat amendment was appended to the con-
stitution.
Concerning the prospective adjournment
of the American Congress without action
on Cuba. it will be found to be almost the
universal opinion in the island that all
this is part of settled policy to force an
neXation through wreck and ruin. Pro-
tests and even the knowledge on the part
OF the American people that this is not so
VIII not change the Cuban belief, at least
for while.
To Force Annexation.
Those who believe that the irritating
Cuban question is the more quickly dis
posed of by forcing annexation may find
comfort IN the view of large American
property owner in Havana. He was there
n Spanish times and his holdings are city
real estate. 50 that he is not one of the
class who have gone in to buy sugar lands.
In mild way he has been sympathetic
toward the Cuban aspiration for independ-
eDce- It's a id outrage he said, but
we've got Cuba into the corner where she'll
have TO ask annexation. l wish it could
have come in a decent way, but since it
had to come maybe it is just well to
crowd them. Palma will have to throw up
ms hands and quit inside of four months
reverse view was given me by a Gu
ban who is fortunate enough to have Amer
lean railway bonds as we'll as a Cuban ST.
gar plantation. A year or two back he was
unpopular among his own people because
he was known annexationist al
though he wanted a temporary period of
Cuban independence a preparation 1t
Is hardly ten days ago that this man said
10 me. L hoped to live to see Cuba an
American state. Now / hope that my BOYS
never VIII live to see it. You have tried
10 drlve US in and you will fail. If there
Were TO be such a thing an annexation
pIeDiSclte L would guarantee you that on
my plantation not one man would vote for
This Cuban-American has none of the
Latin excitabilty. If he ever had il he
lost ii during a long residence in New York
He spoke as calmly if he were discuss
ing a subject in which he had no interest
but his bitterness was intense
Other evidence that the belief in an effort
10 crowd them TO annexation may have the
opposite effect appeared shortly after the
introduction of the Senate resolution for
annexation Most of the newspapers the
first DAY purposely spelled the authors
name wrong. Others omitted il entirely.
Let him be nameleSS, said one paper
In It's editorial comment on the resolution
itself. This caught the popular mood LAS
nameless as the assassin of President Nc
hlnley. was the supplementary comment
ana this. too. touched the popular feeling.
So it is the nameIess senator as far as
Cuba y concerned; exaggerated sentiment
no doubt. yet having significance
neither eighty million can crush a mil
hon and a half * not a debatable O Jestiou
any more than whether the small body
could withstand the impact of the larger
body. but if the larger body misses the
smaller body. il may go rumbling into
space and the impact be lacking The Gu
bans are wary people. And nimble. Their
present move is toward self-preseryation
from what they think is the purpose of the
eighty million.
Action of European Nations.
Whether in the larger view of irterna-
tional politics the United States is the gamer
by the non-action Of Congress is open to
XSrV In