BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-10-03
sAEl JUAN, OCTOBER 3
The Cuban Situation.

In his address to the Spanish war We
terans in Detroit President Roosevelt
found tongue and opportunity to
plead for reciprocity with Cuba, coinc|-
IDENTIFY with a discussion Of matters Phi
Ii opine and Porto Rican. and the re
statement of his now familiar gospel OF
h)pe. 1t was in a sense carrying the
war into the enemy's territory, for the
Michigan delegation in Congress COM
prised, perhaps, the strongest opponents
of the Presidents Cuban policy OF last
winter. If, as is reported Representa-.
tives Corliss and William Alden
Smith of Michigan have now sur
rendered to the President and fore
sworn their opposition to his demand
for Justice for Cuba, it is most encour-
aging indication of the growing
strength of the Presidents policy. even
in beet-sugar States. We cannot but
hope that from this time on the affairs
of Cuba will have TIE promiaeace in
this campagn to which they are EMIT
led and which has thus far been denied
them. If President Roosevelt should
urge reciprocity with Cuba ii every
speech that he has yet to make, he will
be true to himself ard strengthen the
hands of those who, like bi1n, place the
honor of tne United States before the
selfish interests Of few sugar eet gro
werS.
It not, however, our trade relations
with Cuba which exclusively demand
the Presidents attention, important aud
urgent as they are, since suffering, star
vation, and death lurk in the back
ground President Palma, it is announ-
ced has officially appealed to our Govern
ment for the removal of the United Sta
tes troops now stationed in Cuba. Ia a
recent interview given 10 The New York
g Tribune's = Havana correspondent,
President Palma sa IS; "It viii be
source Of gratitude and rejoicing for
the Cuban people when the American
troops are all Withdrawn, and hope 1t
will be soon. They are not needed
Their presence has bad moral eff ct.
It looks to some as though the United
States had no confidence in the ability
Of the Cubaus to maintain peace and
govern themselves" President Palma
then pointed ou. thar if troops were.
needed because Of international compG-.
cations they could be landed in Havana
within two or three days. Even this
possibility is SO remote as to be hardly
worth considering. Certainly no one
can maintain that the troops are desir-
able becaos of internal turbulence.
Since the evacuation of the island in
1898 there has never been a serious di-
sorder TO call for interference on the
part of the American troops. No AM
glo-Saxon country cCuld have been, as
a whole. more peaceful ard orderly,
despite the fact that Cuba Was reduced
to state OF governmental anarchy by
the revolution and the war OF the Unit
ed States with Spain.
That there is some bligandage is IN
deniably true. But that was exis' ent
when Gen. Wood was there, despite the
fact that he made every effort to hush
up those instances of cattle-stealing and
personal violence with occurred uhder
his administration.
But the existence Of sporadic instance
Of lawlessness does not call for the use
Of the military arm, but Of the civil law
officers. Hence the afford not the
slightest excuse for keeping foreign
troops upon Cuban soil. AS it is, Pre-
sident Palma would have been justified |
in using much stronger language and |
calling their presence the grievous in
suit to the young and struggling repub-
lie which it is. But it is more than
that is the worst kind of a handicap /
for it tends 10 convince all classes of
Cubans, ,semi-dependent upon lis by the
Platt amendment. This they accept
ed :, the President says but only in
the sense in which one " accepts the
attentions of a highEay robber while
facing the inuzzle of his revolver
There can be no doubt ti3at. the Gu
ban situation as whole gives ground |
for considerable anxiety to all who wish
the island well in its career as an indie
pendent nation, even in the face Of Fge- (
sident Palma S rather too optimistic sla
tenlent to the s 'fIribaue of the rcpu-
blic,s condition at tbs end Of lis hrst
four months. II is none fhe less gra-
tifying 10 know that thus FAR his Co
veInment has paid all its expenses and
increased its Surplus. 80 add still fur
Lher to the public revenue, he has been
making a study of internal taxes, with
a view to levyIng upon cigars, cigaret-
tes and other luxuries With all Pre-
sident Roosevelts celebration of our {
achievements in Cuha, it IS a faes that a
Gen. Wood left The island without aGy h
proper Tepen1e system or p6lscy. Il
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