THE CUBA REVIEW 



15 



There seems to be no reason why the 

 prospect of a treaty of commerce between 

 Cuba and Spain should not be regarded 

 ill this country with approval and even 

 with gratitication, says the Xczt.' ]'ork 

 Tribune editorially. It is said that the 

 proposed convention does not in any way 

 clash with the existing relations between 

 CuIki and America. That should be a 

 matter of course, since it is obvious that 

 any such interference would be a violation 

 of Cuba's obligations, of which we could 

 not suspect that country of being guilty, 

 and an invasion of our indisputable rights 

 which we could not tolerate. The relation- 

 ship of this country to Cuba which was 

 foreshadowed in 1823, which was made 

 explicit in 1840 and which since 1S9S has 

 been reaffirmed and specialized in the most 

 formal and explicit manner, is not to be 

 abrogated or impaired. 



Outside of the limits thus indicated, 

 however, it is not only proper, but highly 

 desirable for Cuba to enter into suitable 

 and profitable treaty relations with other 

 nations, and particularly with Spain. It 

 must be remembered that Cuba is in race, 

 speech and spirit, and in the closest of 

 social and personal ties, a Spanish country. 

 It will never return to Spanish allegiance, 

 but it may and it should cultivate social 

 and commercial intimacy with what is to 

 it the mother country, for the direct benefit 

 of both. Cuba's need of immigration may 

 advantageously be supplied from Spain 

 with such fine specimens of intelligent 

 physical efficiency as have served this coun- 

 try so well at Panama. Spain has no 

 colonies of her own which offer "attractive 

 fields for settlement, and in the lack of 

 them she may better direct her surplus 

 population to Cuba than to some less favor- 

 able and less friendly land. 



The negotiation of the treaty will also 

 serve to mark the healing" of the wounds 

 of 1898 and the complete acceptance by 

 Spain of the accomplished and irrevocable 

 facts. 



Acording to La Luclia of Flavana there 

 will be no treaty. It said recently: 



"Those W'ho know state that they can 

 guarantee that nothing will be done in the 

 end, because on one hand there is the lack 

 of a fixed purpose and decision on the 

 part of the Madrid government, and on 

 the other hand the lack of willingness on 

 the part of the Cuban government which 

 is fearful of hurting interests which are of 

 more importance." 



Negotiations have been going on for 

 three years in the interests of this treaty. 



On December 24th last a cable from 

 Madrid to the Nezv York American said 

 that the Spanish government has finally 

 settled upon the basis for a provisional com- 

 mercial convention with Cuba, which would 

 not clash with United States interests. 



Cuba has done pretty well in its dozen 

 years of self-government. Every year of 

 peaceful progress has strengthened the 

 new repubic in its power to make further 

 progress and in the respect and confidence 

 of other nations, says the Springfield 

 (Mass.) Republican. It would be a pity, 

 it says, if Uncle Sam should feel called to 

 take hold a third time to untangle a po- 

 litical snarl and help the country to a fresh 

 start. 



• It is not to be believed, however, it says 

 further, without further evidence, that Cu- 

 ban patriotism, which underwent so much 

 for liberty, will lightly risk putting aside 

 its real fruits for temporary and doubtful 

 advantage. 



The senators having asked for secretaries 

 to attend them and save them from arduous 

 routine work. La Liicha is inclined to look 

 upon the demand in a spirit of compassion. 

 It says : "We understand that there are 

 senators who write 'hojo' for 'ojo,' on 

 the principle that the 'h' is silent in the 

 Spanish language, and when they strike 

 the word 'hilo,' which has the 'h,' they 

 drop it and write 'ilo.' So the private 

 secretaries may be indispensable, in order 

 to modify the' Spanish as it is written by 

 the senators." 



The- Philadelplna Ledger comes to the 

 defence of Cuba and says: 



"If half the stories that are brougiit 

 from Cuba are true, the moral state of the 

 government does not differ greatly from 

 that of our own country a few generations 

 ago, w'hen legislative and executive corrup- 

 tion flourished with a far more flagr;int 

 disregard of decency and right than any- 

 thing of which the present has cognizance. 

 The Cubans are now in an elemental stage 

 of self-government. It is, perhaps, too 

 much to expect of them that they should 

 attain at the beginning of their experiment 

 to a stage of efficiency and honesty to 

 wdiich many older self-governing commu- 

 nities with more than a century of experi- 

 ence and training have not reached." 



The Cuban peasant lives from hand to 

 mouth, working intermittently, and loafing 

 when his means permit, says Forbes Lind- 

 say in Lippincott's Magazine : 



"It is well enough to say that the peasant 

 might be much better off if he were con- 

 stantly industrious and thrifty. The 

 simple fact is, he has never had any in- 

 ducement to accumulate in a country where 

 property had no protection, and pros- 

 perity prompted persecution. The habit, 

 inherited by him and created in his fore- 

 fathers by environment and compelling 

 circumstances, is not to be eradicated in a 

 generation." 



