The Washington herald., 1909-01-24

Cuba believes that Angio-Saxon ideas
are greatly inferior 70 Spanish IDEAS. The
Cubans have forgotten and forgiven the
Spanish rulers who shot their school
boy sons and dragged the bodies through
the streets shouting fresh meat. i've
cents a pound" They have forgiven and
forgotten the brutal governors wao sent
them 10 jail without trial, never 10
communicate with family or friends again
They have forgotten the terror OF tyranny
They have forgotten these things because
they are now, back to back. fighting IN
the last ditch against what seems 20 them
an even greater evil-the advance Of the
Anglo-Saxon ideas.
Cuba viii admit that Americans gave II
freedom. II viii admit that the Ameri-
cans have rescued IL from yellow fever.
that they have improved the material
condition of every man in the Island,
that they have abolished fear Of govern
mental tyranny. that they have made
the daily life OF the Cuban safe Cuba
will ask Americans again and again 10
! assure its peace. 70 protect its commerce,
OF 70 buy its produce. And Cuba VIII
| be grateful after the Cuban fashion
But Cuba will not. II It can be helped.
have its morals and manners revamped
/ 10 suit the notions OF some crude Yankees
who come 10 Havana 20 advise the gov
! erumenJ, or 10 Cuba, 10 make money
{ Every lawyer in Havana viii tell with
I bIanched face how the first American IN
ltervention seriously attempted 20 force
Cuba 20 abandon the civil law and the
/ code Napoleon. for the English common
I law That was an act OF tyranny in the
{ ewes Of the lawyers more heinOCs than
I the deliberate shooting Of q patriot negro,
/ for the change in laws would affect al
! the lawyers and the negro who was shot
was only one negro
] These Americans abolished bull fighting.
| stopped the lottery. and placed the ban
! OF prOhibitOry law upon the cock fight
/ Did Spain ever do anything 50 mOustrous
as that? Never. Spain may have snot
some people. may have Imprisoned some
/ people. may have starved some people,
but spain did not interfere with the
peoples pleasure These same Americans
I tried 10 get the Cuban people TO shut up
! shop on Sunday
/ Then these Americans are so crude IN
! their social customs. Cubans have beard,
and some OF them almost believe, that
in the United States young men and
/ Young women, unmarried and not even
/ engaged. are permitted 20 go out 70 the
! theater and 70 restaurants together un-
chaperoned Very few believe such
preposterous report. but Il the Americans
do do these things II IS necessary for the
honor Of every Cuban family that the
invasion Of American social customs be
lrepulsed-
Then the Americans are so rudely In
sisteut upon their ugly language They
have forced the Cubans to speak Eng
Iis- because they have money. and the
Cuban tradesmen must set some CT the
money. The American declines 70 learn
another language; the Cuban must learn
his. So every merchant must needs have
two OF three clerks who offend his ears
By the harsh and grating 5zrgOn which
they besJOw upon American customers.
And such a language, What Cuban
/ iendeavOring 10 find The rules for spelling
or pronouncing English words. has not
given thanks for the superiority Of his
own Spanish. The Spanish language IS
always the same. and the Spanish Acad-
euny has absolute power over II When
the time came 70 reform the Spanish
/ spelling the academy simply sent forth
an edict that X" was 70 be turned into
i There was no more ado about It.
What about such reforms il EnElish2
Did not the ''honourabIe" English news
paper editors make game OF the honor
able Theodore Roosevelt when he at
tempted 10 tx the English spelling by
spelling Il "fxt." and the-eup0n was
'-fxed'- by a people which spoke Ian
guage which has no master2
A Cuban officer in the treasury depart
ment stole SIea0C0 If the public funds.
Il was during the recent presidential cam
: paiSn and the defaulrer was q supporter
Of Gomez, who was elected. The UnfeeI-
. ing American az the head OF the treas
2 u-y. department found out about the Llef.
and called the embezzle- before hlT
The man admitted thar he took The
money. and declared that he used IL Al
. himself. although there Is a weIl-defnes
: iopinion IN Havana that much OF II found
: its way into the Liberal campaign fund
? The man went 70 jail, and there he IS 10
r day.
r But he cannot understand why the
: American treasury Official refuses 10 Pas
/, him his salary. He IS Al of5cer OF TIE
, government and needs IL He has WriJte-
several letters from jail demanding hi'
r pay When The new government comes
! in he hopes he VIII be included II II.
/ general amnesty pardon decree. which
President Gomez Is 20 sign with g gold
? pen. bought for that purpose by the his
! torical Liberal Association of Havana a
r Cuban newspaper argued that The money
was collected from the people, that Il BE-
ilcnged 10 tbs people. and thai the de-
faulter was one Of the people. so tha'
judgment upon him must not be 70,
harsh.
e In one town the hospital was found &
: be in a horrible condition. There was III
: running water. and the filth was dread
2 ful IN the same town. strange 10 say
e the abattoir was found to be IN an idea
? state Of cleanliness. The hospital man
= ager was asked for an explanation. H,
, said the hospital would be fixed Up mex
- week Then he asked the Americans j
) they had noticed the terrible condition
OF the abattOir. The Americans said tha-
( the abattOir was IL a surprisingly goo
{ condition WhereupOa the Cuban threw
up his hands in horror and exclaimed:
Z "But the front OF Z, II hasn't beeI
b painted for three years"
/ The Cuban admits that annexation Z
n the United States would mean peace and
4 prosperity. But he insists upon inde
= pendence. with the dangers Of constantly
recurring revolutions. rather than submit
= TO AnglO-Saxonizati0n. The Cubans wan
s TO be free. that they may preserve thel
. ideals. fight on for their aspirations. Re
q tain their institutions. The American
!. so the Cuban says. cannot understand
these ideals. aspirations. and institutions
Ask the American who has lived long i
Cuba, and he viii soien1nly declare tha
= no such things are IN existence.
e What the end of the battle betwesl
:, these two forces viii be IS easy 10 fore
J, Esee The Latin cannot stand before hi
more energetic and less sentimental rival
y Spain and Latin-America were sUprem
z in their spheres before England an
n .--,o--scn - .-,a-ona fror. SO. an.