12 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



UNITED STATES AND CUBAN NEWSPAPER OPINION 



AMERICAN PRESS CRITICISM, COMMENT AND AD\'ICE 



Europe and Cuba 



European statesmen think that all the 

 the United States are looking forward to in 

 connection with the present impending in- 

 ternal difficulties, is annexation ; that they 

 have had their ej-e upon Cuba all along, 

 and that they only have been abiding their 

 time to "take the island over." On this 

 text the Chicago Tribune has the follow- 

 ing to say : 



"The stories of an imminent Cuban revo- 

 lution followed bj' intervention, which are 

 printed one day and denied the next, serve 

 one purpose. The)' give some European 

 papers a welcome text, from which to 

 preach an anti-American sermon. 



"The stories also irritate most Cubans. 

 A feeling of unrest and suspicion is engen- 

 dered. The people are imbued with dis- 

 trust of the Americans. They resent the al- 

 legation that they are managing their affairs 

 so badly that an American army has to 

 sleep on its arms, ready to intervene at a 

 moment's notice." 



To which the Rock Island (111.) Union 

 replies : 



"But Cubans know that we could have 

 had them long ago if we had wanted them. 

 They know that there is no desire to 'gob- 

 ble' them up — that is, they would knoAv it 

 if they only would stop and think. 



"Americans are in a position to take care 

 of their own interests there any time we 

 think they need taking care of without tak- 

 ing over the island." 



No Excuse for Interference 



To Col. jNIichael J. Dad}', of Brookh'n 

 and Havana, the Cuban situation is much 

 exaggerated. He describes Cuban affairs as 

 being on an even keel, the government 

 progressing along lines which to him 

 seemed all right. He says : 



"Aside from what the agitators are saj^- 

 ing, there is no trouble in Cuba now and 

 none in prospect. The island is contented, 

 peaceful, happj' and prosperous. There can 

 be no possible excuse for interference in 

 its affairs on the part of the United States. 

 The Cubans are engaged in minding their 

 own affairs, and ask nothing better than to 

 be allowed to mind them in their own way. 

 And, most of all, they want no outside in- 

 terference in this management. 



"The business of the country is boom- 

 ing. The tobacco and the sugar crops, upon 

 which the island mostly depends for its 

 prosperity, are excellent. That in itself 

 means \er\ much, for it is upon the success 

 or failure of these two crops that political 



conditions largely depend. Poor crops 

 portend a more or less disturbed condition, 

 for then the government must make pro- 

 vision for the unemplo3ed. But, as it is, 

 there is now plenty of work for everybody, 

 and there are no malcontents — that is, there 

 is no greater proportion of the dissatisfied 

 there than there is here, and certainly we 

 are not facing any revolution or needing 

 any interference on the part of outsiders." 

 - — Xew York JVorld. 



Conspiracy in Cuba 



The New York Times says : 



"Cuban merchants are justly indignant 

 over the vague announcements and insinua- 

 tions of political disturbance and lawless- 

 ness in the island republic. Business is 

 thriving, and the majority of Cuban citizens 

 seem to be working out their political des- 

 tiny in the sensible and logical wa}'. The 

 hints about conspiracies, cabals and ill-feel- 

 ing in some of the dispatches convey no 

 valuable information. It is difficult, of 

 course, for a people unused to self-govern- 

 ment to adapt themselves quickly to their 

 new conditions, but thus far Cubans seem 

 to have met their political problems in the 

 right spirit." 



The Baltimore (^Id.) Siui finds much 

 over which to be satisfied in Cuba's last 

 election. It saj's : 



"The present stability of the liberal gov- 

 ernment in Cuba is as gratifying to the peo- 

 ple of the United States as it is to the law- 

 abiding and progressive people of the island. 

 It means that Cuba is growing in self-re- 

 spect, and is working out its destinj^ as a 

 self-governed and free country bravely. The 

 republican idea has taken root strongly, and 

 there is less danger now that when a change 

 of the executive authority from one party 

 to another is thought necessary b}- the vot- 

 ers it will be accomplished by disorder and 

 bloodshed." 



Will Drift to the United States 



Some day, no doubt, Cuba will be part 

 of the United States, says the Indianapolis 

 (Ind.) N^ezvs. But so also may Canada. 

 Let us at least be as circumspect on the 

 south as we are on the north. By the 

 allusion we do not mean that the cases are 

 parallel. There has been hardly, if ever, 

 an instance in history of an island with an 

 alien and weaker people lying close to a 

 great mainland of powerful people that did 

 not in time come under the dominion of 



