Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-06-02
CIVIL WAR IN CUBA.
w. j. Bryon Predicts Early Strife in
the Island.

| Special to IlmeS-RepuDllcan.
Washington. June 2.-1 predict tina
| Cuba will be the scene of civil war, tina
internal strife growing out of dissensiol
among the political leaders will tenn
porarily paralize the industries of thu
| island
Such is the opinion formed by VIII
lam Jennings Bryan as the result of hi
trip to Cuba as the special correspon
! dent of Golfers Weekly.
| In his article in Golfers Weekly o
June 9. Mr.. Bryan will$say:
THAT the people of Cuba are capable
of self government is not question o
dispute. Henry Clay declared, in hi:
defense of the independence of the
South American Republics, that Coo
never made a people incapable of self
government; that it was the doctrine
of thrones and a reflection on Jehovah
to say that He created people Incapable
of self government and left them 10 the
government of kings and emperors
Clay's logic is sound.
Capacity for government is not {
thing to be acquired or to be bestowed;
it is inherent in the people. AS individ-
uals differ in wisdom, in self restrain
and in moral character, so nations diff
fer but it can not be said that any ma
ton has reached perfection in the
science of government or in the art OF
administrations neither can it be sale
that any nation is SO low down in the
scale of civilization that it needs for
eign master
when Jefferson was invited to sug-
gest laws for a French colony whicf
located in the United States early III
the nineteenth century, he declined, anC
gave as his reason that laws were the
outgrowth of the history and habits OF
the people and that no alien could be
sufficiently informed about. or suffi
GENTLY in sympathy with, people to
make their laws for them. Self-goN-
eminent is in itself developing pro-
cess and growth in capacity comes with
the exercise of human rights under
self government.
But one who visits Cuba and be-
comes acquainted with the people need
not rest upon abstract principles, Tor
he is convinced by observation that the
Cubans not only have the right to gov
ern themselves but also have the ability
to do so. That they will make mistakes
is certain, but have we not made mis-
takes in the United States?
THAT they may some times resort to
violence instead of reason is possible,
but have we not done so in the United
States? It is even possible that the
island may occasionally be the scene OF
civil war; but have we not had civil war
in the United States? The child Will
stumble and fall in its effort to walk,
but is there any other means by which
is can learn 10 walk?
Cuban independence will not give
the people a government free from
fault, but it will give them a govern
ment as good as they deserve to have
a government that will improve as the
people themselves make progress in
virtue and intelligence.
Free government does not mean that
each citizen will have just such gov
eminent as he wants: it simply means
that the people will have such gov
eminent as the, majority desire. and
that each individual can present his
views to his fellows with the confidence
that whatever is best for all will ulti-
r,ately nrevail"