The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-28

Today. In Havana, General Jose Mi l guel Gomez assumes the responsibility 0f the presidency Of tine Republic oi l Cuba. and. for the second time. ths United States withdraws its protecting and directing genius from the admin. istration of governmental affairs ir the Pearl of the Antilles. The inau- guration has been planned on q spien- did scale. Havana Is in the gayest oi moods. and everybody today Is making merry--nor is there one to 'heed the rumble of the distant drum" Tho | Presiden tselect of the United States is there to witness the end of the Am erican intervention which he institut- ed. Many other distinguished Ameri- cans are there. and practically every distinguished Cuban. of whatever po- litIcal faith. has some part in the cere. monies.
 Cuba begins today It's second ex- pertinent In self-government as an in- dependent nation. It knows that the United States is standing ready to come to Cuba a third time if the new government does not succeed In main taining It's authority. Cuba knows that the republic is an experiment No people has ever possessed q greater ambition for an independent national career than the people of Cuba. Yet on every hand there Is questioning and doubt. Today there ia rejoicing and rry-makinE, but tomorrow there will be problems to solve.
 Persons who predict the future oi Cuba are divided into two classes oi pessimists--these who declare that the Republic will fall and the island will be taken by the United States. and those who declare that the Republic will live and the island will be taken i by the negroes. The eptiaists, ths Cubans themselves. do not predict l They assume that the second experi. meut is already a success.
 Almost everybody, American or Gu ban, agrees that successful govern ment in Cuba would be better for the | Cubans themseIves. peter for the Unit ed States. and better for the world Cuba is large enough in territory. Il has the richest soil of any country or | the globe, and 1t will have the popnia' ton if R peaceful and liberal govern ment Is permanently established. Ne disinterested person finds any faull with the Cubans for the ambitions. ant almost everybody wishes them success 1 Yet the question everybody esks lf Havana is this: How long win 1t pc before the Americans are back ir charge of things hefe?' And the reply | ia invariably acquiescent. the time be- ing set at anywhere from six weeks tt four years Rarely does anybody pu | off the next clash beyond four years the period of the next presidentia elections.
 General Gomez has a knotty problem I to solve. If he can divide the puon' l ofices so that the two factions or hi' own party will be reasonably well sat
 isfied and so that he can depend uDoT l ~S I.aa VNaR in Can l Rress. he will have the battle half won That will assure the peace of the country for at least three and hal I years. The Conservatives will not gi Einto revolt under any ordinary ctrcum
 stances, nor under any proVocatioi
 which would not of itself bring aoou American intervention. E
 If. after three and 6 half years General Gomez will be strong enougl to subordinate his own interests an'
 vanity to the good of the country
 if he will permit the elections 70 D' held without interference and withou intimidation, then the other half O
 the battle will be won. Gomez ant 1 his party probably will be voted ou of ofice But if Gomez will submit t' that political defeat peacabiy. he VII have given the Cubans their first great est lesson in the vital principle of re
 publics---submission to the will of thu
 majority.
 Then there are dangerous reef ahead for which General Gomez mus keep a sharp lookout, Immense cor porations have vital interests In Cu6i and they know how to take advanteg' l of the cupidIty of leaders. If the Gu ban. republic shall offend one of these great corp0rati6ns-tte prepared TOT | dissensions fomented by the use ol money.
 Men who have lived in Cuba fol years do not hesitate to say that Cuba l will be annexed to the United Statei tust as soon as the big corporations desire it. Not that the trusts coult control sentiment in the United State' but that they can cause so much trou hle in Cuba that the Americans wouls be forced to take the island to keeI the peace.
 It is a fact that nine-tenths of thu 1 business men of Cuba hope for an naxation. The business men are near ly all SpaniaFde. or other foreigners They have but little faith in the abi lity of the Cubans to. naiRtain strong government, and they dsclar' that the United States might as wei take Cuba outright as to maintain thu system of suzerainty now In force Not | Outy Oo tucy HOpW TUT AhhcAAliOkA' be they believe that 1t is absolutely inc | vItable.
 Many Cubans. of the higher classes also believe that annexation is the ul- timAte fate of their island. Most oi them regret 1t. but they are cOnvlDc' 1 cd that the experiment of national self government will be a failure They would not be willing to surren- der their control of local affairs but they believe that union with Amerl- ca may be effected under such conji- tions as would guarantee local self government, and at the same time obviate the dangers of national dis turbanceB. The Cubans as a people are filled with ambition for a successful nation al career. They wish to keep their hardearAed freedo@ and to stand be- fore the world as an Independent na- tion. Yet while they all agree in this ambition. no leader or set of leaders will subordinate personal ambition for offlcial honor and public salary to the needs of national peace.
 rhA Cubans have had absolutely no training or traditions to fit them for a republican form of government. Un- til ten years ago they were ruled bv absolute tyranny and had no voice whatever in the affairs Of govern ment.s The experiment of Spanish au- tonomv was begun too late to be of actual importance as 1t was cut short after two months by the SpaninEh American War. As a matter of fact 1onO that thA China n q