The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-24
The Future of Cuba.


Senior ALFREDO ZAYAs, the leader OF
the Liberal party in Cuba, is the reported
authority for q statement that tho
United States will hand over the govern
ment in the middle Of next year under
exactly the same conditions as IL did
before" Assuming the wisdom and the
safety Of such q course, there is only
n other process that would be 80 gen.
orally satisfactory to the Administration
and to the great majority Of the Ameri-
can people. That would be q reestab-
lishment of the Cuban Government on
the first of January, or even earlier.
The United States did not take charge
of Cuba's affairs because it wanted to do
so, and there is very little desire on this
side of the straits that the provisional
Government be continued for a single
day longer than is absolutely necessary.
There are, however, certain facts which
must be faced, and until the situation
is entirely clear il will be a lamentable
mistake to attempt to fx specifically the
time Of transfer and withdrawal. That
experience will depend largely upon the
behavior Of just such men as Mr.. zAYAs
and the members of the party which he
represents. Their conduct thus far has
not been encouraging. In their words
and their deeds there has been mani
tested only a desire that we get out SO
that they may get in. Mr.. ZAIAs is a
politician of unusual shrewdness, but as
a seer he may be compelled TO admit that
his vision was clouded by his selfish
desires and personal ambitions.
Among a considerable assortment OF
facts which must be faced in our Cuban
policy there aretwo which are Of primary
Importance. One is that we cannot with
even a shadow Of safety get out until our
work is properly done. The other is that
we cannot with even a shadow Of wisdom
leave the island "under exactly the same
conditions that attended the earlier
transfer. IF we ignore those facts it
would have been better had we left the
Cubans TO settle their own row among
themselves. When we left the island in
1909 we left il with the u~nassembled
materials for the foundation Of a rspub-
lie. We assumed that those materials
would be brought together and the foun-
dation laid for a government that would
be stable and enduring.
More than four years passed and little
or nothing was done by the Cubans to
bring their laws and their constitution
into harmony, to provide for fair and
honest elections and to establish a judi
ciary which should not be a mere tool OF
the party in power. A repetition Of the
earlier process would be equivalent to
the rescue of a drowning man only to
throw him back into the water with a
Iessened chance of swimming to safety.
For Cuba's sake and for III own, we
must, before we leave the island again,
do for them what the Cubans failed to do
for themselves. We must establish new
conditions which offer a fair and reason
able hope that a permanent structure
will be erected thereon. The alternative
OF that course will inevitably be an early
return and either an enforced anne1a-
ton or a permanent and effective pro-
tectorate. Our work must be thor
oughly done this time, whether it takes
one year or ten years.
The Cuban Liberals have grossly
abused the consideration shown them
by the Peace Commissioners. They are
now distorting the statements made
to them by Mr.. TAFT and Mr.. BACON,
although those statements were clearly
and explicitly made, and fully under
stood when they we're made. A recent
private letter reports them "a besieging
the Palace demanding the fulflment of
the "~Secretary's promises" The only
promise given them respecting Offices
was that the bestmen would be appointed,
regardless of party afiliation. The only
assurance given them regarding with
drawal is the statement in the procla-
nation Of September 20 that "the pro-
visional Government hereby established
will be maintained only long enough to
restore order and peace and public on-
fdence, and then to hold such elections
a. may be necessary TO determine those
persons upon whom the permanent gov
eminent OF the republic should be de-
volved."
So long as ZAYAs, GOMEZ, AsBERT,
GUERRA, DELGADo and a dozen or two
more aspirants for place and preferment
continue their ~wrangling and scrambling,
a restoration OF order and public conf
dence is utterly hopeless. We are not
this time bound by any pledge to "exer-
else neither sovereignty, jurisdiction
nor control By the very fact OF being
there at all we are bound to do whatever
seems necessary for the establishment
of a permanent institution, and we are
equally bound to stay there uptil our
work is completed. Only then can we
with wisdom or safety set up a new Gov
eminent chosen by the people of Cuba. |
1t is probable that vel then some specific |
pledges Of good conduct must be ex-
acted. and supervision in some form. |
mutually agreed upon, must be con-
tinUed.
II we are really anxious TO make the
:. Il