Albuquerque citizen., 1908-06-15

All these things, however were of
a purely business character. II re-
quired only time and ability to handle
them properly. But there was an
other matter to be taken care of be-
fore these could be undertaken, and
IL was of decidedly different ma
ture. The Hay-varilla treaty with
Panama had secured to the United
States all the rights necessary for
complete control of the canal zone.
and 1t became of the utmost import
ance to insure the maintenance of
friendly relations with the people of
the isthmus republic. 1t would GER
tainly greatly increase the ordinary
difficulties of building the canal IL
our people had to encounter the hos
tilities of the Panamanians.
Here was a problem largely similar
to that met by Mr.. Taft in the Phil
ippines, and calling for the exercise
of the same qualities of tact, sympa-
thy, Justice and patience which he
had exhibited in the far east.
1t became his task to convince the
Panamanian people and government
that the United States had not gone
70 the isthmus to build a rival state
ii
war department. and the superior of
the canal commission, he has con-
Quoted all the affairs of this govern
ment with the republic of Panama
since the ratification of the original
treaty, and has succeeded in keeping
our relations with the isthmus uni
formly pleasant. Always, at least
once year, he has made a trip to
the canal zone and examined affairs
there with his own eyes. He has Just
returned from the isthmus, the presi-
dent having sent him there to settle
a number of questions which re-
quired his personal consideration on
the ground. Perhaps some concep-
ton of his responsibilities on the 18TH
mus may be had from the fact that
since the actual work of canal build
ing began there has been spent on 1t
upward of $S0.000,000, and every
dollar of that expenditure required
and received his approval
Real Self-Government for Cuba.
Aside from the Philippines and the
canal, the greatest call that has been
made upon Mr.. Taft since he became
secretary of war came from Cuba.
THIS was a case largely similar to the
Philippine problem. The American
people have so long imbibed the the
ory and practice of self-government
with their mothers milk that they
have developed a tendency to believe
any people fitted for il who desire II.
To us liberty is -governm but
to many a people with neither expert
ence nor tradition of anything but
practical autocracy government is
only license. So it was with the Gu
bans. When our Intervention had
freed that island from the Spanish
yoke we deemed 1t sufficient insur-
ance of successful government for the
Cubans to require them to adopt a
constitution before We turned the ISL
and over to them. We ignored the
fact that Cuba had no experience of
constitutions or understanding of their
functions. SO when CUBA had con-
formed to our requirement we sailed
away from Havana and left her to
work out her own salvation unaided
and untauPht.
The result of that folly was inev-
liable and not long delayed. The
Cubans having adopted a constitution
they had not the slightest idea ot
to govern under the only system of
which they hal any knowledge. The
proclamation of the president took
the place of the old royal decree. He
created by his fiat the departments
of government which should have
been established by law of Congress
under authority of the constitution.
Freedom in the American sense was
unknown in Cuba. Justice was a
mockery because it was a matter of
purchase, and government was op-
preston.
Order Out of Chaos.
The experiment was aimed toward
chaos and its expectation was quick
ly realized. In September, 1906, the
United states had to intervene again,
and the task fell on Mr.. Taft. Fortu-
nate it was both for the United States
and Cuba that it was so. With his
experience of the Filipinos as a
guide and the magnetism of his per-
sonality as a lever Mr. Taft placated
the warning factions and secured
peaceable Intervention. Then he de-
vised and set up a provis onal gov
ernntnt which all the Cubans accept
cd
1t was the intention then to main
tain that government only long
enough to give the CuDans a fair cleo
tion at which they might select their
own government by full and free ex-
preston of their own will. But al
most Immediately the provisional gov
ernment discovered the fundamental
mistake made by the earlier American
administration. 1t found that the
CuOans had been attem mpting To ad-
minister a government which never
had been organized and existed only
by virtue Of the pres dents will. Pa
tiently The provisional government set
TO work. under the direction of
Mr., TAFT, to provide the organization
under the fundamental law which the
Cubans had never known was the es-
sential of successful government.