The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-10-12
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Gen.
eraI Topics from
the Capital.
October G. 1906.

State Department the utter inca
pacity of President Palma to deal
with the sitpatiou i'm Cuba. The
letters and kilograms which have
passed between the State Depart
meut. Consul SteiuhaIt. of Ila
vaua. and president Palma, since
the j,h of September. shows that
this government was asked to
intervene weeks before the final
step was taken, and bear out the
old Porto Eican saying that
Palma is "a man without teet h. =
What the ultimate outcome Will
be it is hard to say Official adj.
vices state that the disarmament
is proceeding satisfactorily in
nearly all the provinces, while
unofficial dispatches say that il
proceeding satisfactorily IN only
few of them. Governor Ma
COON was only selected AT the
eleventh hour as the Provisional
Governor of Cuba, owing to hls
familiarity with the Spanish laws,
which were worked up IN the
War Department into a code for
Cuba before this government let
go its hold i'm Havana and turned
the management over to the
natives. The record of Governor
MagOon Is that he is a Just man
and good lawyer. CubauS are
used TO neither one nor the other
in pubic office, and it Is doubtful
if they can comprehend any ar
TaNgements that he may make
for the holding Of fair and i'm
partial elections in the island.
They are used to corruption in
office and they expect it from all
Office holders. and they have
never been disappointed, except
during the brief period of Amer
lean occupation. There is but
little doubt that the majority
OF them would welcome anneXa-
ton and a strong handed admin
iStration by this government if
ii could only he assured, but it
will be impossible for the United
States to do more at this juucture
than to set the Cubans on their
totteling road and annexation,
If 1t comes will have to await the
next smash up.
In this connection one story
may he admissible as showing
just the mild surprise felt 10y the
Inhabitants at the comparatively
just and decent government given
them during the American Occu
patton. General Wood had ST
lected Cuban as Mayor of San
tlago as soon as he was appointed
Governor OF the province. The
mayor TOOK once gary aha among
other mumclpal assets was sup
plleu Win large consignment
OF kerosene lot street llShllhS'
1here had pceh street lamps lor
a loug ilhle' As the erection OF
ramps meant graft l"r the span
lSh governor, out lor the HrSt
tihIe IN ears theN were clealed
u ana IL ll'ed WINE tue Amer
lcahS had charge oil tue clty.
Every IhlhG was Illuminated ana
loNelS lot ABOUT " week. ana lhere
was Such an over PluS OF cne"p
e'oNel'e III '' y" 'e muses. a. n"u
never oetu hno" oeIore' Al'eI
ABOUT week the street ramps
went our ana "heh the mayor
was cdI''u l" ll'le 10y tue Amer
ryan "u' lorll'eS' ne adhltea' con
Hu'h lal'A 81 course, out al the
same ''li'e win emu IKE lllI'o
cf"'e' '"'t ne Hau oeeh se'llh@
the muhlclpai supply 10 ever!
corner grocery IN town at cut
rates. lie ana not see that there
was anything wrong III II oe
cause every other Mayor had
done II. aud the mere Tact that
there was no OIL Tor street ramps
was minor consideration WIN
MN ana not glowled al partlc-
ulaIly ny the PoPu'ace' Ie"PIe
VINO nave oeeh hStu 10 TINS Soi'