El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-05-07

Teller amendment" declared it's pur-
pose of establishing and preserving Gu
| ban national Independence. Later it be-
came necessary TO secure from other ma
tions the recognition of the independ-
| ent sovereignty of the new Cuban re-
public. To accomplish this it was nee
essary for the United States TO guarantee
/ the preservation in the islands OF a
! government adequate o. protect life,
| property and individual liberty. and to
| discharge treaty and financial obliga-
| tionS. This guarantee, recognizing the
| right OF the United States to intervene
] in case OF a failure OF the Cuban gov
| eminent to live up to these obligations,
! was incorporated in the PLAT amend
| ment."
The PLAT amendment" was present
ed to the Cuban constitutional conven-
! tlon and was made a part of the con-
stitution of the new republic, and be-
came a treaty obligation on the part
OF the United States. In diplomatic Ian
guage, this peculiar relation between
! the two countries has been described
a. the buttress by which the sovereign
ty and independence of the Cuban re-
public is supported and sustained, and
nat a Limitation upon that sovereign
ty and independence.
American Intervention.
1t was under the terms of the PLAT
amendment" that president Palma,
when unable to cope with the revoluu-
ton OF 1906, called on president Roose-
welt for aid. The American govern
ment responded by taking charge of
Cuban affairs and maintaining a pro-
visional government until such time
as the republic was again able to
make its own way. 1t has been but
little more than n year since the second
American evacuation of Cuba took
place, and already the Cuban govern
ment has TO deal with revolutionary
propaganda based upon the terrible pos
sibility of an irrecOncilable race con-
flict- 1t is not difficult to foresee the
possibility of another appeal for Amer
lean aid and third American occupa-
ton. And president Roosevelt said, and
the whole world agreed with him, that
II the Americans go into Cuba a third
time they will go to stay
The objection of the Cubans to an
neXation Will have little weight when
considered in the light Of their COM
plete failure to conduct stable gov
eminent adequate to insure peace and
tranquility The objections OF the
American antiannexationists probably
will receive slight consideration, in
view of the failure of the philanthropic
experiences of the past. and against the
desires of those American business in
terests which are concerned with sugar,
tobacco and IRON
Scandal OF Americans.
The administration of affairs in Cuba
during the two American regimes was
not entirely free from scandal Indeed,
the Cubans have been so outraged by
the acts of certain Americans that they
are unable to give the Americans as a
no Ton,
been accomplished. There have been
public service corporations franchise
scandals: there have been rumors of
contract grabbing graft: and there |
have been American adventures who |
have grown rich in Cuba since 1899.
But even If these charges Of Ameri- |
cna graft be true, and they have not
been established, Cuba still owes to the |
United States a tremendous debt of /
gratitude which probably never will be |
paid. Twelve years ago Cuba groaned |
under the burden of a despotic and ty-
rannicai government which employed /
all the cruel ingenuity of the middle 1
ages in the business Of depressing the |!
people. There was no security of life !,
or property for the Cubans. There was |
no such thing as peace Corruption in /
public office was universal and un- /
blushing. Taxes were enormous, yet |
the revenues were not used for the pub |
lie benefit, but were diverted to the |
1rivate purses of corrupt officials |
There were few conveniences of modern |
civilization. There was no sanitation, |
and the people always were in dread !
OF pestilence.
fragrant Abuses Abolished.
Under American rule and by the aid |
Of American counsel and advice. the
more fragrant abuses of government
have been abolished, every man has
been made equal in the eyes of the
law and last but not least. American
sanitary science has rid the island COM
pletely of the dreadful scourge OF yell
low fever. Materially and morally the
Cubans have advanced further under q
years Of American influence than they
had under four centuries OF Spanish \
domination. Politically. their advance
has not been so marked. Yet the Gu
ban people still are patriotic. still they
aspire to a national life as a self-gov-
erning nation, still they object to the
of a foreign power. But
business in Cuba and business in the
United States agree in predicting the
annexation of the island of Cuba 70
he territory Of the United States of
America. And business is business
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