Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1907-04-25
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent /

From Our Regular Correspondent.
Indications accumulate t h a t
this country is going to have a
hard time letting go in Cuba.
The visit of Secretary Taft to the
island has not cleared the situa-
tion 80 much as it might. 1t will
be at least a year before the is-
land can be handed over to the
natives, and it is generally fear
ed that when it is there will be
only a brief interlude before there
is more revolutionary trouble
and the intervention and the in
tervention OF the Uuited States
will again be called for to pro-
tect American property interests.
This country has hundreds of
millions OF dollars invested in the
island, and even this is not as
much as the combined interests
of the therforeigngovernments.
The experience OF the American
ad interem government has been
that the Cubans are easy enough
to govern, but that they will not
govern themselves. 1t is a case OF
too many Of them who are Gu t
out for reporters and insist on be-
ing editors. This government has
been besought by England, Ger
many and France not to let go
ofthe island now under Ameri-
can control, the general fear be-
ing the island if left to itself. will
develop into another Hayti un-
der negro domination. Foreign
governments cannot asa rule un-
derstand that the United States
was sincere in it's announcement
that it did not want the island
originally and was not going to
fight Spain for the sake OF ac-
quiring it. Preparations are be-
ing made for taking a new GEN.
sus preparatory to another elec-
ton, but it will be six or eight
months before that is completed.
Then there will be another six
months before the elections are
held and the new government is
set running. Then there will be
considerable time required for
the evacuation and most obser-
vers do not give the natives more
than a year and II half after that
to foment another revolution. If
the United States is forced to go
back again and take charge of
affairs, it is q serious question
whether it may not decide to
stay permanently, if not annex
ing the island, at least keeping
such a strict hand on affairs that
it will virtually amount to an
nexation.
1t looks now as though t h e
fight in Central America might
end in a tolerably permanent
for the most of the warringstates
down there. There have been a
number OF conferences of South
American diplomats at the State
Department in the past TIVE o
weeks and it is believed that they
will be able to get Honduras Sal
vador and Nicaragua together
on the basis ofapermanentpea
and cement an agreement in vir-
tue Of which there will be quiet
and internal development in the
little republics along the isthmus
and to the sonthward for some
time to come. |
This government stands to all I.
it properly can for the peace OF
the world, and an indication of
this was given this week by the
announcement OF the peace indi-
Gates to the Hague made fir o m
the State Department. The par
ty will sail from this country for
Antwerp about the middle of
May and will include two more
members than was originally in
tended. The scope Of this con-,
ference has been enlarged, too,
and will take another and more
important questions than would |
have been considered had il met