The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-05-20
THE NEW REPURLIC.

| joint resolution of Congress, in which
il was said that the people of the ISL
and OF Cuba are and of right ought
to be, free and independent" was APP
proved. To-day. May 20, 1902, Cuba
will become a republic and will take
her place among the nations of the
| Western hemisphere. The United
States have done their promised part
honestly and well. By making such a.
broad declaration as they did in the
foregoing resolution they put
it out of the power OF
ether nations to assume that their
purpose was a selfish one and throw
obstacles in their way. They gave
freely of their blood and treasure to
establish Cuba's freedom, asking moth
ing in return, and there is no doubt
pable of looking beyond their own self
ish interests are grateful, and they con-
stitute the great majority.
On the part of some there is a 1ispo-
| sitiOn to criticise the United States for
! imposing upon Cuba what is known as
the Platt amendment. 1t was adopted
| with the understanding that the United
States would have to be ready to
| lend the young republic a helping hand
| if she should meet with serious trou-
bles, domestic or foreign, and stand by
| her until she reached a position where
there would be no doubt of her abil-
ity to take care of herself. 1t may
turn out therefore that the new repub-
lie will not be hampered by the re-
| strictions of that amendment. On the
contrary, the adoption of the amend
ment may prove to have been an act of
wisdom.
The United States have not yet done
for Cuba all they are expected to do.
| and not all that it is necessary for
them to do to put her on a firm founda-
ton and insure her prosperity. Cuba
is an agricultural country, and without
profitable market for her products
she will sooner or later have internal
| troubles. While she was a colony of
Spain she had a good market for her
products in that country. That mar
ket is closed to- her now except upon
terms enjoyed by other nations. Cuba
therefore looks to this country for a
market for her sugar, which is her
chief product. A bill to reduce the
tariff on the sugar which she sends
us has been pending in Congress for
months and the probability is that it
will eventually pass. If it should not,
it is practically certain that the Pres
ident would negotiate a reciprocity
treaty with her that would admit her
sugar to our markets on terms much
more favorable than it is now admit
ted, and it is probable that such
treaty would be ratified.
Opinions OF course differ as to wheth-
er the new republic will be able to
weather the storms which it will en-
counter. 1t has in it's favor the fact
that it has a president who is thor
Cughly honest and patriotic, a man who
will do his utmost to make the new
government stable and popular. He has
called into his cabinet able men, who.
/ it is believed will work in harmony
with him. OF course the administra-
ton will have opposition, and it will
! require great firmness to resist the
pressure that viii be brought to bear
in favor of all sorts of schemes for
getting money out of the treasury and
in behalf of devices of one sort or an
other requiring franchise rights. 1t
would be strange indeed if the new
government had smooth sailing from
the very beginning. 1t is among the
probabilities that it will have dark
DAYS when there will be doubts as to
whether it will survive it's troubles, but
there are enough patriotic men among
the Cubans to sustain it and insure
the continued existence of the repub-
lie.
One of the things with which the re-
public will have to contend is the SEN
timent in favor of annexation to this
country. The freedom of our markets
will weigh strongly against patriotism,
and the time may come when the Gu
bans will ask to become citizens of the
Union. But that is not likely to hap
pen until independence has been given
pretty thorough trial. In the mean
time the American people should give
their sister republic all the encourage
ment they can.