Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-06

of Cuba are a law-abiding people; they are
industrious; they do not get drunk: they
do not fight; they will do their duty If they
are well treated, and are exceedingly fond
of amusements. The government should al
low them all the diversions possible.
Traits Of the Cubans.
Il once heard a man assert that II you
would give him a circus with couple Of
elephants and few trick riders he would
break up any political revolution that might
be organized. He said that he would place
his tent in the neighborhood of the army
and fill it with free admissions the first
day; then he would move it daily few
miles further of, still Offering free admis-
sions, and keep moving until the whole in
surgent army would follow him and forget
all about the insurrection.
This is. of course, an exaggerat1on. al
though 1t illustrates the childish love for
amusement that prevails not only among
the Cubans, but among all the Latin races.
They are also very keen in their sense OF
injustice and the treatment of the labor
element by employers throughout the is
land is not fair; that and the failure OF
the common people to get justice In the
courts are the fundamental causes OF the
instruction habit. When they find that
authorities in the ordinary way, they APP
peal to their political leaders. who are
usually influential enough to secure redress
for them. and that creates an obilg atom
which they. repay by their fidelity. That's
the secret of the influence of the revolu-
tionary leaders. The iiliterate and Ignorant
people depend upon them for justice ana
for protection and appeal to them when in
trouble instead Of to the regular authori-
ties This sense OF dependence should be
transferred to the courts and to the om-
Gals if the latter are honest and imparuaii,
mo, we don't want any more rural
guards and we don't want any army. Inc
rural guards are already sufficiently nu-
merous to patrol the country districts ana
police the plantations. They are an eX-
cellent set of men, with a sense Of duty,
a soldierly spirit and more than ordinary
intelligence. They were used as a Polticai
machine during the last years OF the rama
administration. That created great deal
of dissatisfaction and in measure de-
stroyed public confidence in them IEey
should be kept out Of politics entirely ana
confined to ordinary police duty. can.
not say how many men are necessary, out
the force should not be large and the men
should be shifted from place to place ire
quently in order to prevent them from
forming local prejudices and attachments
or falling under the influence of local
political leaders. They should be just as
free from personal and political influence
as the police in our cities.
No Standing Army Needed.
mo other army is needed. 1t is not neces-
sary to protect Cuba against foreign IN
vason. 1t is not necessary to protect Cuba
against the United States; 1t is not neces-
sary to protect Cuba against Its farmers,
merchants or manufacturers, nor against
the working people of the island. The
only danger we exposed to Is from the
very politicians who are advocating an
army and from the men who seek com
missions in that army. The politicians Will
fill the army with their friends and fol-
lowers and they are the only persons who
are capable of disturbing the public peace
or show any inclination to do so. Inc
Industrious element of the population only
want to be let alone to pursue their occu-
pations in peace. They do not need or
ask any military protection. They Will
not need 1t If there is good government,
and if there is bad government an army
will make it very much worse. We do not
want military despotism, such as we have
seen in some Of the other Latin-American
countries. And in case it is necessary for
the United States to intervene in the af-
fairs of Cuba again, We do not want an
army to fight your soldiers when they try
to come to our assistance.
The only possible advantage OF an army
would be to the politicians who will hold
the commissions and draw the salaries and
to their illiterate negro followers who will
fill the ranks and draw good pay. The
project for an army submitted by the
leaders of the liberal party estimates the
cost at 81, 100000 year. That money
could be spent to much greater adj
vantage by employing the same number of
men in building roads. bridges and other
public works, in building school houses and
employing teachers. Both roads and school
houses are very rIuch needed in Cuba, while
an army is not needed at all. No harm
can possibly come froom building good
roads and school houses. and a standing
army would be a permanent peril to the
island.
The Presidents Attitude.
president Roosevelt Is quoted by several
Cubans who have recently called upon him
as saying that he felt that Cuba ought to
have another chance at self-government,
but he warned them that another revolu-
ton will be fatal to Cuban independence.
He told them so they say, that the next
intervention will be permanent, and l I'M
derstand that this has made the leaders of
the liberal rty all the more anxious to
get into pow before that occasion comes,
so as to have the advantage of possession.
We have here a certain Gen. EstenoZ, the
gentleman who threatened to bring the
Japanese army over to help drive the
he will take the field pretty soon unless he
is given an Office and unless the negroes,
who composed so per cent Of the rank and
file of the insurgent army of last summer
and the voting force Of the liberal party,
are recognized by receiving their share of
the offices. He would be perfectly con-
tented If he were given a commission as
one of the major generals that have been
proposed for the standing army and if his
negro followers we're enlisted in the ranks
But President Roosevelt will not permit
such q thing, l am sure He Is too shrewd
q man to willingly place arms in the hands
of an irresponsible mob, which may at any
time be used against the authority of the
United States, and he Is too prudent to
expose the people Of Cuba to such a per-
manent peril.
What Cuba needs is quiet and an assur-
ance that her commerce and industries will
not be disturbed by instructions which
have no cause and no excuse except a crav-
ing for office by lot of irresponsible poll
ticians. This can be avoided by. prolong-
ing the present provisional government and
permitting the army of pacification to stay
in its present camps. 1t is not necessary
to tell anybody how long the statu quo
will be maintained; it is not necessary to
decide that question until the island is per-
fectly safe from another outbreak. If any
body asks the President, he can answer:
POGO tempo"
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