The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-10-21
Editorial Section.

Editorial Sc
the treasury for Impractical and Wis
able way. One Of these was the plan
to set up national theater in Havana.
You know there is theater in Havana,
which few years ago was one of the
ten greatest in the world. Some people
formed company and bought. it and
then lobbied bill thru congress APP
propriating money to buy 1T and make
it national theater.
Give It to Schools.
'sThe president said: What do we
want with national theater? If we
have a million and half to spend
let it go for schools and harbor i'm
provements and roads and other public
works. So he vetoed the bill, and yet
they tell us that the Cubans have dem
onstrated their incapacity for self
government. Does that look like itq
''The national theater scheme was
only one of many, but none got thru.
| The lobbyists were as thick in Havana
as they are in Washington or in any
state capital, and just as busy, yet they
got less than they do in many state
Capital in this country at every bien-
NAL session. Is our success in keeping
the grafters out of the treasury to be
held up against us as an evidence that
we cannot govern ourselves9
"This present disturbances Bless
you, that does not prove anything.
Remove the militia from any state in
this union and let me have plenty Of
money, as did the people who organized
this uprising in Cuba, and could give
you a duplicate Of it in less than four
weeks.
"You must remember that the reve.
nues Of the island were not expended
for standing army. They went for
schools and public works. There was
no government military force to speak
of, and in the cities but few police.
Under those circumstances fifty armed
men could take any city or village at
will.
Who Backed Rebellion?
"The facts as to who was behind
the movement in Cuba and financed it
are not yet we'll known, but they will
be, and when they are the people of the
United States will revise their opinion
known that about 100000 was spent
in organizing bands in various portions
of the island. For what purpose? I
assume for speculation. No other rea-
| son seems logical to me.
Think what a vast sum could be
| made by those who knew Of this thing
and the extent Of it and the certainty
| of its temporary success. President
Palma thought at first it was simply a
local disturbance which could be put
down by few volunteers armed with
guns still to be brought from the
United States, but he soon found his
fully organized scheme, with money
enough behind it to make it certain
to hold out for definite time. So he
asked for aid from this country. In
the meantime there were the stocks of
the railroads, sugar companies and
other Cuban corporations tumbling
down the pricelist like an avalanche.
-"Of course, there were some dis
gruntled politicians in it. That you
would find to be true in such a scheme
in any country. But they did not orig
Left to themselves, without means
they could not get up such a disturb
ance.
Crookedness at Polls.
"The ordinary people of Cuba are
not SO different from those of the
United States, and you do not find peo
the government because some politi
clans were disappointed at the polls
Neither will you there. But you cal
organize an armed force there Just al
you. can gang of Pinkertons in the
IL United States to do almost anything
| if you offer good pay and protection.
"There was crookedness at the poll
in the last election. Undoubtedly ther'
was. So there is in elections in thi
country, but you do not see that i
causes an armed revolution. Peopl
in states where things have happened
to which it will not be discreet for M
to refer have had as much reason a
the Cubans to make armed resistance
to the government, but they have no
done it and never will unless someon
comes along and finances an uprising
"But you let a man go into som
state or district here when there ha
been a rotten election, and with al
armed gang Of paid men at his bac]
, declare all uprising and how the one
who were defeated at the polls woul,
point to it as an evidence of their owl
, virtue. You better believe they would
And they would take advantage of i
to dicker for their own advancement
zoo, just as nave the dlsappolnte'
politicians of Cuba.
7 Vultures are Blamed.
"There is nothing in the presen
situation to prove that. revolution wa
:, intended or would have resulted. TIL
country was simply seized, outside o
> Havana, by small bodies Of armed men
and as they were the only armed me-
in the country, they necessarily ha
: : their way for the time being. Wha
would have happened if the Cuba
: government had been equipped to cop
:. with them is an altogether differen
, story, and what would happen if Cub
i had been left to her own devices Nigh
also have been different story whe
/ the e people were once armed an
equipped to support the government.
| 'The truth about Cuba is that it
( a wonderfully rich country and man
hunger to exploit it. The propert
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