The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1903-05-22
ONE YEAR OF CUBAN


A year old and doing quite as well
as could be expected, says the New
York "Sun." So might run Cuba
message to the world. 1t is true that
sundry dark clouds which overhung
her cradle have not all disappeared,
and that she has not escaped various
ills to which s~elf-governing communi'
ties are always subject. But she can
at least look back upon a year of peace
and order, broken only by n brief in
cident, and can point to a very cheer.
full little balance in her national treas
ury. Her record for the first year
presents much that is deserving 'oi
commentator and little that justifies
criticism.
Independent Cuba has survived for
a twelvemonth and is even developing
a little set of teeth which she shows
from time to time, not aggressive'y,
but with gentle mildness, just to prove
that she has them.
One or two disorders have made
themselves manifest in her body poll
tic, and while they are not immediate
~ serious, they are a cause of uneasi-
ness. To avoid a dreaded centraliza-
ton of power in the hands of her ma
tional organization, her Constitution
provided for a system of provincial
government and prescribed the duties
and the functions Of the minor organ
ization. This established a cumber-
some and unduly expensive system,
and recent attempts to make it eftec-
tive have encountered protest and op-
position from nearly all except the i'm
mediate beneficiaries. As matters now
stand, it would seem that Cuba must
either let a whole chapter Of her Con-
stitution lie practically dead or risk
some sort of internal CONFUSION. 1t
is probable that the former course will
be adopted.
The other difficulty appears in a
now growing apprehension that it will
be necessary to defer the proposed
payment of the soldiers of Cuba's So
called liberating army. While these
men did not actually liberate the is
land from Spanish control, they In
doubtedly did make it possible for the
United States to step in and do the
work. At any rate, thousands of them
bit, bled and died for their country
on many a field, bloody and otherwise,
and now want a little bunch of pesos
for their services, just as other patri-
OTIS have done all over the world. The
demand is popular, the people in gen.
eral approve it and tue Cuban Con-
gress and President have Endorsed it
by legislative and executive act. But
there is a hitch in the proceedings, and
the payment is now little short of GER
tain to be indefinitely delayed.
Had the veterans of the War of In
dependence received less of encourage
ment in their hope for a speedy pay
ment, it is probable that they would
now be less impatient and that sundry
hotheads would not have issued their
recent call to their old comrades to
take to the maniyua, which is a local
form for a threatened uprising. This
movement is not at all likely to prove
popular. Those who might dare to
participate in it would quickly rur
afoul of such men as General Maxine
Gomez, not yet too old to fight for the
peace and honor Of his country, anC
General Jesus Rabi of Santiago, thu
strongest man Of war in that old cen
ire of d~isaffection, though little known
to the American people because Of hi
success in emulating the example of
certain Roman named C~incinnatus. /
any such trouble arose, these two OLE
battle axes could be counted on t.
round up a bunch or two Of their oil
followers and make matters quite in
teresting for the men in the woods.
Aside from these two little clouds
Cuba's skies are to-day fairly clca,
Whatever the outcome of her expe
rience, whether she develops into
sturdy national life Of her W o
whether she some day merges into til
life of her great neighbor on the nortt
all honest friends of Cuba will extern
to her their cordial congratulation
upon her life thus far and their sir
cere hopes for her future peace, pre-
gress and prosperity.