12 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



PRESS AND INDIVIDUAL COMMENT 



MATTERS 



ON CUBAN 



UNREST FOR MANY YEARS 



An enlightening article on the real cause 

 of the trouble in Cuba appeared in the 

 Churchman, of New York, from the pen 

 of the Rt. Rev. Albion W. Knight, bishop 

 of Cuba. He declares that the recent dis- 

 turbance in the island was not a case of 

 blacks fighting against whites — it was no 

 mere race riot. It was a protest of armed 

 men of one race against constituted authori- 

 ties of government. As the law stands the 

 the negro, though he is given political 

 rights by the constitution, cannot form a 

 political party. "One can readily see," 

 says the bishop, "that could the negroes 

 organize a political party they would have 

 through this provision a large portion of 

 the representatives in Congress to speak 

 for their race. According to the census 

 taken by the United States in 1899 and 

 again in 1907, about 30 per cent of the 

 population is black or mulatto. This is a 

 much smaller negro percentage than is 

 usually accredited to the population, but 

 it is sufficiently large to obtain about one- 

 third of the congressmen did not the Morua 

 law stand in the way. The negroes them- 

 selves insist that they form a larger pro- 

 portion of the population, and that they 

 make up 85 per cent of the armies which 

 in the past have fought for the freedom 

 of Cuba." 



The comment of the Chattanooga (Tenn.) 

 Times on this article is as follows : 



"We of the south are hardlj' in a position 

 to argue that the Cuban negroes should 

 have a larger representation in the govern- 

 ment, but with the different conditions 

 prevailing over there the justice of the 

 grievance of the blacks cannot be denied. 

 It is a problem that is going to cause un- 

 rest and outl)reaks for many years. Preju- 

 dice against the negro is not as strong in 

 Cuba as it is in the United States, but it 

 is becoming greater, due, in part, perhaps, 

 to the American influence. It is but an- 

 other illustration of the established fact 

 that the negro and white races cannot mix 

 successfully in a national life. One must 

 prevail, and it will always be the stronger 

 white race. Cuba must be either a white 

 or a negro republic. In its governmental 

 affairs it cannot exist half white and half 

 black. The western hemisphere is not the 

 negro's country, and if he live here he 

 must be content to be governed practically 

 Avithout representation." 



The San Francisco Chronicle advises 

 President Gomez either to repeal the 

 Morua law or enforce it less harshly. 



EVEN NOW A PROTECTORATE 



The revolt of a portion of the colored 

 population of Cuba against the Gomez 

 government had come to its desired end. 

 That which was to "set the island ablaze 

 from one end to the other" has been prac- 

 tically subdued. There would seem to be 

 little left of this latest revolutionary move- 

 ment, whose threat induced Uncle Sam to 

 despatch a naval force to Havana as well 

 as to our station Guantanamo. The trouble 

 has been virtually suppressed, and the 

 Morua law, which forbids the organization 

 of a political party along purely racial lines, 

 remains on the statute books of the Cuban 

 government — an enactment whose necessity 

 the outbreak now disposed of has demon- 

 strated, and no one can doubt, says the 

 J^icksburg (Miss.) Herald, that under the 

 Piatt amendment to the Cuban constitution 

 we are exercising a virtual protectorate — 

 that is, guaranteeing a stable government. 

 This, it says, is vastly better for us than it 

 would be to have Cuba directly under our 

 control, as it should be more agreeable to 

 all concerned there. 



CUBA S DEBTS 



The Washington government is said to 

 be watching somewhat closely, which is to 

 say with interest, the discussion in the 

 Cuban Congress regarding a proposed loan 

 of $11,000,000, for the reason that the 

 United States will have the privilege of 

 saying whether or not the loan will be per- 

 mitted. While that would seem to be a 

 proscription of the liberty of the Cuban 

 republic, it may be a good thing for the 

 Cubans, for they are now burdened with 

 as heavy a load of debt as the revenues 

 of the island can pay interest on, says the 

 Rochester (N. Y.) Herald. 



We do not believe, however, it says 

 further, that the United States should be 

 an overbearing big brother. It does things 

 itself pretty much as it pleases, and the 

 example has not been lost upon the smaller 

 governments. It would probably refuse 

 to permit Cuba to try to increase its revenue 

 by any increase of taxation, either tariff 

 or internal. It has got Cuba tied hand 

 and foot by the Piatt amendment, and the 

 only help for the little island is to inaugu- 

 rate a system of rigid economy in the con- 

 duct of affairs. 



In the island of the chubby, dark skinned 

 Cuban girls and boys the banana tree is 

 called the royal palm, because it is the 

 king of their trees. — St. Paii,l Pioneer Press. 



