Show ISLE OF CUBA Se retary Root Talks to I President His Recent I Re-cent Visit OfFICIAl IS SATISFIED I i Affairs Ire in Exceptionally Good Shape 1 POSSIBILITIES OF PEOPLE Question of Ultimate Independence of the Island Came Up During His Sojourn There but Ho was not Prepared Pre-pared to Say When Uncle Sam Would bo Willing that this Should be a Reality Matter Uppermost tho Cuban Mind is tho Formative Step that will Bring Independence AboutHolding of Municipal Elec tions at an Early Date was Thor I oughly Canvassed by tho Secretary and with United States Officials in I tho IslandTalk with Leaders of Revolutionary Movement Washington March 20 Secretary Root this afternoon gave to President McKlnley the results of his observations observa-tions of affairs in Cuba during Ills recent re-cent trip to the Island Subsequently the Secretary consented to talk for publication I pub-lication as to existing conditions in the Island and the possibilities of the people peo-ple In the direction selfgovernment The Secretary expressed himself as satisfied on the whole with what he I saw Naturally the question of the I ultimate Independence of the island came up for discussion during the Sec retarys visit to Cuba but he was jio t prepared to say Just when the United State Government ould be willing that this should be a reality Incidentally this matter which is I uppermost In the Cuban minds arc time formative steps that will bring It about The first of these viz the holding of Iho municipal elections at an early dale was a subject that Secretary Root discussed dis-cussed freely parllcularly with the United Stales olllclals on the Island 1 These elections said the Secretary will be Cubas first effort toward popular pop-ular government Unaccustomed as they are to these things they are as the babo unborn and have everything to learn The whole plan for municipal suffrage has to bo carefully worked out and time people J Instructed In all the details de-tails This involves a vast amount of I labor and takes considerable time but ultimately the plan will be worked out and the elections held I hardly believe however that the authorities will ho quite ready for holding the elections by the 1st of May Secretary Root was not prepared to venture an opinion as lo Just when he believed this Governmcnl would grant complete Independence to the Cubans Tho d9claratlon In the joint resolution of Congress however granting them full Independence would be carried out He pointed out how it would be necessary that the municipal governments govern-ments should bo llrmly established on IL working basis after which attention would 1 bo given to Lime 1 selection of a constitutional convention for the purpose pur-pose of framing a constitution for the Island and Us adoption by 1 tho people Following this and the establishment of a firm government In the island time Secretary felt would be time for time formal recognition of the independence of time Island and the withdrawal of the troops and supervision of the authorities au-thorities of the 1nlted SUites Mr Root made It a feature of his visit to talk with the leaders of what has been known as the revolutionary movcmcnt of tho population and those who are oppoHd to annexation to the United States and he says they are not impatient over what are regarded as necessary and reasonable delays in the formation of a wellestablished government gov-ernment realizing that these are a necessity ne-cessity |