Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-23
je23- m, tf-63

! he does, yet they are satisfied of his pa
| triotism and of his aim to do what is best
| for Cuba.
| On their own part they want 1t known
| that they also are patriotic, and that they
| are willing to sacrifice their opinions for the
good Of the republic. They will not refuse
| to serve 1t If certain positions Of honor and
| trust are offered them. The reorganization
| and increase Of the Rural Guard, which is
| imperative in order to enable Cuba to main
tam peace and order, gives an opening for
| a number of men who were prominent in
| the Instruction, and who have some mill
| tary training They really can serve their
| country by catching bandits and protecting
| the country people from cattle stealing, and
| at the same time they may accept reasona-
| BILE pay.
| Ali these things indicate that Cuba's exec
utive and his advisers are not without the
| understanding of practical politics. The
| situation Is not exactly similar to that in
| which President Lincoln found himself dur
| ing the civil war; yet President Palma does
| encounter very serious condition. 1t il
| the broadcast craftsmanship on his part to
head off discomfort by satisfying the discon-
tented individuals. Practical politics of this
| sort Is not unknown in the United States
| today. Its application In Cuba at the pres
ent time is a good example of intelligent
| imitation.
An Opposition Party.
While the patronage is proving legiti-
mate and a useful means of preventing the
formation Of political groups of discomfort
| ed personages, something like a real oppo-
| sition party is beginning TO develop in the
! Cuban congress. 1t has not taken name
| yet, nor is it entirely coherent, because it
| still rests on the academic notion Of THE
| opposition as something which can be ere
| ated artiticially. But it is beginning to
! form. and its first development is in the
| tendency to charge the executive with seek
| ing to ignore the legislative branch of the
| government.
In the constitutional convention the ques-
| ton Of representative or ministerial sys-
| tenn was freely discussed. Some members
| championed the English parliamentary sys-
| TEN of ministerial membership in the con-
| gress, while others favored the French idea
| of ministry which could be given votes of
| lack of confidence every day in the year
Neither Of these ideas prevailed. Instead
| the American system was adopted almost
| az a copy.
Now it comes about that some of the
| members of the government with their
Latin ideas and training seem to think that
| the ministerial system actually prevails
while some of the congressman believe that
| the executive department is the mere in
! strument of congress. They even resent the
| introduction of measures as coming from
the administration, and insist that it is
solely the business OF congress to originate
| legislation, and that too. without sugges-
| ton or recommendation from the execu-
| tive.
One of the members, who is new at the
business, was in perplexity, and asked me
| how the representative system was work.
ed out in the United States / told him that
| the President made the recommendation to
| Congress-, and that the recommendations
| were acted on through the committees
| Also that the President did not send bill
| to Congress nor ostensibly did any of the
| members of the cabinet, but that measures
| embodying administration policy usually
were drawn up in the different departments
and then taken as basis for legislation by
| the committees of Congress. He thought in
time this system would work in the Cuban
congress, but said that at the present pc
| ROD there was too much jealousy of the
executive influence to encourage its unre-
| stricted application.
No Serious Difficulty Expected.
| However 1 do not think that Presiden,
Palma is going to have serious difficulty
in getting the Cuban congress to enact
! the legislation which he may think de-
sirable. Some projects put forward as rep
| resenting the views of cabinet members
| are strongly combated by the congress
| men. But these propositions are likely to
be modified materially before they are sub
| mitted as recommendations Of the execu-
tive.
! The opposition, as the developing germ
likes to be called, already is strong on the
| constitution. 1t is in favor of strict con-
struction. but in talking with members 1
! have found that their opinions are widely
apart as to what strict construction
| means. Some believe that their own DOW
ers are unlimited, while the authority Of
| the executive is very narrow. Others seem
| inclined to give little Importance to their
own functions as legislators leaving to the
| executive almost the powers of dictator
which were exercised by the Spanish cap
tains general Some day the Cuban su-
preme court will have a test case on the
| construction Of the Cuban constitution and
that will be very interesting case.
In the opposition as 1t sees itself reflected
| as in a looking glass; is the anti-Platt idea
| A very few of the avowed opponents of the
| Palma administration want themselves an
| nounced as 'ant-Plattists" To the Cuban
| public this has no meaning, for the Platt
amendment long since was accepted as a
| fact and, once accepted, no refinements of
casnstry interest the mass Of the people.
Yet there is the effort to base something on
| this reasoning.
Juan Gualberto Gomez, through his news
| paper. announced that the opposition which
he represented recognized the actually of
| the Palma government but not the legal
Hy, because 1t was constituted under the
| Plat amendment. His colleagues showed
a disposition to take a humorous view of
this distinction especially when Editor
Juan Gualberto promised to sit in I'M
| friendly but impartial Judgment on the ad-
| ministration. By unfriendly he simply
| meant that his criticisms would be those Of
| an opponent of the government, or one of
| the outs Yet he has not been unfair or
petty, and he and the Palma administra-
| ton are get ting along very well together
/ One weakness of the opposition in con-
gress in so far as relates to .impressing
! itself on the Cuban public Is the manner of
copying the meaningless distinctions of the
Spanish cortes and the French assembly
| One member was explaining to me the posi-
ton of himself and some Of his associates.
I'VE members of the right he said.
'are not fully in accord: but we cannot
| agree at all with the members of the
| left"
| What do you mean by the 'right?' I
asked. Republicans, democrats, prohibi-
| tionsts or populists?
| He has lived in Paris and Madrid but not
in the United States, and he did not know
about prohibitionists and populists; but he
4 thought that 1t added dignity to the cam
/ ara or house of representatives to have a
right" and a left" even though he really
| meant atiOnals and republicans, for that
/ is the political division, SO far as one ex-
| lists. CHARLES NJ. PEPPER