The National tribune., 1906-09-27
THE CUBAN IMBRGGLIO.

It looks now as If the visit of Secre-
tary Taft and Assistant Secretary Ba-
con to Havana VIII result in some sort
Of a settlement OF the differences and
a further trial of Cuba as an independ-
ent Government. Just what the nature
of this settlement will be cannot be
known, as there has been astonishingly
little indicated as to the grievances,
purposes and wishes of the insurgents.
They have specified no grievances be-
yond that the elections were unsatis-
factory and the voters controlled in the
interest of the administration. The only
specified demand that they made was
that the present administration retire
from office and new elections be held.
Furthermore, some of the leaders have
said that the present form of govern
ment gives the executive officers too
much power with too little responsible
ity. Pine Guerra. who has somehow
mysteriously come to the front as a
leader and spokesman of the insurrec-
toes. has written long article for pub
lication, which, however, leaves the
real grievances and aims of his party
as hazy and intangible as before.
Messrs. Taft and Bacon arc holding
prolonged conferences with all sides
and getting expressions of opinion. Mr..
Taft has already expressed an intention
of composing the differences and giving
Cuba a further trial of self-government.
with the warning tina. If there is an
other failure the United States Govern
ment will have to intervene decisively
and annex the country in some form or
another. This warning is useful both as
an admonition to the Cuban people and
as q measure of security for the bus-
ness interests of the island. 1t seems
ha IDLY likely, however, that any further
trial will result differently from the ex-
pertinent which has led to this condi-
ton of affairs. The Cubans have the
most rudimentary ideas of government
and none of these correct. 1t will take
many years of tutelage before they be-
come educated to the point where their
Government can be safely intrusted in
their hands, and in all probability the
additional time which will be granted
them will only lead to another insur-
rection like the present.
However, the longer annexation Il
STAYED off the better it will be. II we
| had annexed Cuba Immediately aftel
the conclusion of the war with Spain
we should have probably made the mis-
take Of trying to make the Cubans al
once full-fledged citizens of the United
States, as we did the negroes after the
war of the rebellion. The longer. with
in reasonable limits, the annexation is
deferred. the more thoroiy our people
will understand that We cannot make
State out of Cuba or put her at all OF
the plane Of our other States. We will
recognize that the Cubans are essen.
TALLY different people from US; tina
the Latin law is better suited to them
than our common law, and therefore
that such institutions as the habea.
corpus, the trial by jury and othe,
things which are very dear to the An
| glo-Saxon heart are absolutely unsuiteC
4 to the Cubans, and it would be a mis-
take to enforce them upon the peopl,
of the island. If we take Cuba we mus
govern 1t as a province, and more IL
accordance with the Latin than tn,
| Anglo-Saxon idea. In other words, w,
must adopt whatever Is good in tn,
u Latin system of law and modify it bu
very slowly and carefully as knowledge
shall develop.