Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-05

Speaker Cannon, who is now on
his way home, has expressed him
SELF as being extremely interested
in Cuba, Porto Rico and our other
island possessions. He foresees a
possible chain of possessions from
Florida to South America and notes
lesson on the Venezuelan situa-
ton. Constitutions are worthless:
he declares, unless the people are
behind them.
AT SEA OFF KINGSTON, Jamaica.
| March Is. 19O7.-"The tabled Atlantis may
have been here who can deny it?''
Speaker Cannon leaned on the rail of the
promenade deck, his eyes resting lazily on
the indigo waters of the Caribbean sea.
He had seen Barbados and Trinidad. and
penetrated the domain Of President Castro,
and he had viewed the ruins of the earth
quake at Kingston. He was in restful.
lazy mood
Here are the evidences of a past COM
mercial supremacy" unused the Speaker,
land 1t has gone because the people have
anot kept abreast of the civilization"
DO you think that Is possible in the
islands," he was asked.
II hope So" he replied. And the gov
eminent of the English in Barbados and
Trinidad and of the United States In Porto
Rico suggested the possibility. Porto Rico
has had greater physical embarrassments
In the last ten years than in a century, but
the people there are more prosperous and
have made more progress than ever before
in their history.
"A stable government will do wonders
everywhere in this day of investment Capt.
tai abounds in the world. the savings Of in
dutsrious and thrifty peoples, and 1t Is
looking for safe investment, where 1t will
bring some return and at the same time be
as safe as at home. Capital has come into
Porto Rico to the advantage of the people
of the island. even though some of 1t may
be called corporate capital
ut is to me significant that Porto Rico.
with its stable government and its Ameri-
can investment. is the one island OF the
West Indies which is now more prosperous
than in the old days.
Value Of Stable Government.
Our people are coming into Cuba and
Porto Rico. and our capital has made Its
appearance in others of the islands. There
are American street car systems In Trini-
dad and Jamaica. American hotels In sew
eral islands and American fruit lines, and
gradually the business men and the capt.
tai Of the, United States are being felt
throughout the islands.
1T does not seem impossible to me that
the example of prosperity under stable
government and closer relationship with
the United States will prove an attractive
one to the more enlightened and progress
sive people OF the other islands, especially
as they become a burden rather than a
source Of profit to the European govern
ments which control some of them.
CUBA is nominally Independent, with an
| American in control by the direct appeal
| of the people there to save them from rev.
| olution and anarchy. The United States
has assumed serious and at times en-
| barrassing obligation in guaranteeing the
| independence of Cuba, and that obligation
| will be kept, but the present condition Is
unnatural and cannot continue forever.
Looking at that condition as problem
/ of years. there must come in time people
more capable of independent self-govern'