The National tribune., 1909-02-04
CUBAN CONDITIONS.

The United States Government has
never been given sufYicient credit for
the magnificent and unselffsh work
which 1t has done for Cuba end which
came to a conclusion on Jan. 2s, when
the American troops were Withdrawn
from the island and the Government
handed over again to the Cuban pco-
pie. History may be searched In vain
for another instance of such broad
minded, absolutely unselfsh generosity
Of one people to another Of alien race,
language and customs. The American
Intervention in behalf Of the oppressed
Cubans was prompted by the very high
est humanity and everything that our
Government has done since then has
been upon the same elevated plane. Be
sides giving the Cubans their liberty
and relieving them of intolerabie op-
preston the United States has deliver
ed them from the even greater curse of
yellow fever and given them a wonder
full education in popular Government.
Those chronic howlers who are contin-
ually bewailing the coldbIooded selfish
in this something to comepletely belle
their ordinations. How well the Gu
bans will do with their restored auto
nomy remains to be seen, but they have
certainly made much progress in self
government in the few years that have
elapsed since the abolition of the Span
ish dominion
The recent elections were conducted
in q very orderly and pacific manner.
with every appearance Of trying to ar
rive at an expression Of popular will
and abiding by the same.
In taking leave of Cuba Gov. Magoon
points out conditions that will have to
bee hanged in order to give the
island the development 1t deserves.
The first thing is to develop that class
which is the backbone of every popular
Government, the small Independent
farmers. Unless this class can be made
the dominant force In Cupa the stabil-
ity Of the Government will be very pre-
carfous. At present only about one
fifth of the arabic land Is under cultiva-
ton. and this Is mainly held in i'm
mense estates which are free from tax
pie have absolutely no stake in the
country. They are vagaoonds who only
find employment during a few weeks
each year when th9r services are nee
essary to gather the crops. After that
they are left to their own devices, with
nothing to occupy their time or call
forth their energies. II is very much
as IL In this country the factories were
only rim four OF five months in the
year and their employees would be left
idle for the rest OF the time These
idle men are the ready prey of the revo-
iutionist. and any bold, unscrupulous
man who wants to raise disturbance
finds entirely too much material con-
venient to his hand. The remedy for
this is land tax. which will diminish
the size of the estates and encourage
the people to take up small holdings
and develop them. Encouragement of
cattle raising Is one method proposed.
and another is to encourage the people
to so into raising tobacco, fruits. and
early vegetables. A man who has few
acres Of ground which he can call his
own and which he is being constantly
to improve will make 1t in
the highest degree productive. This is
a strong safeguard against Instructions
and revolutions. He Is pledged to law
and order by the very circumstances of
the case. and the larger proportion Of
these that there 10 In the population
the greater the insurance OF order and
the steady progress Of the country.