| OCR Text |
Show THE CUBAN ELECTIONS. A good deal o'f jubilation is expressed in Eastern newspapers over the quiet and peaceful results attained during and after tho recent elections iu Cuba. Those elections were held under the new election elec-tion law regulations established by Governor Gov-ernor Magoon, under the jurisdiction of our War Department. A muj'or' and board of conncilincn for each of the eighty-one municipalities, and a governor gov-ernor and council for each of the six provinces were elected. The fact that these were peacefully elected, that there has been no trouble since the election, aud that every one seems to bo pleased with the result, is to bo taken as -a vindication both of Governor Magoou and his policy, and of the desire of the better class of Cubans for peaceful and satisfactory elections, Ono factor in tho caso. however, is that in many of the municipalities and at a large number of the polls there woro a great many entitled to vole who did not vote. Tho estimate is that not more than sixty per cent (some sny as low as fifty per cent) of tho legal vote was pollod. What this shortage of votes means, it is hard fo sa'. It may have meant indifference or it may havo meant tyhnt the turbulent classes kept out of it altogether, and that their keeping out was what made the elections elec-tions peaceful and encouraging. The results achieved aro held 1)3' Eastern newspapers fo givo good augury for I he general Presidential election in December Decem-ber next at which fhe Cubans arc expected ex-pected to make a new start for themselves, them-selves, President Roosevelt having announced an-nounced the definite dato of February 1st next, when the American control will be withdrawn. After that dale will come the I est . So far the present .lost has not amounted to anything as a gauge of fhe Cuban capacity for-self-governmeul. .; 'ft has never been (louhtod that under un-der American supervision,, regulation, and control there could bo peaceful elections held in Cuba, in Porto Rico, in tho Philippines, or anywhere else where nn election was desirable. The elections held in the first place iu Cuba were peaceful enough under American control, and there was no reason lo expect ex-pect the utter fiasco thai followed when fhe Cubans undertook to hold the elections elec-tions for themselves and under fheir own authority and managcmenl. The fact is that thoro is a very large, and probably the most inlluontial, clement in Cuba that does not want the American Ameri-can control withdrawn at all; that is. the enterprising, iho progressive, the business class of the population: 'That : , . class heretofore has exhibited a profound pro-found distrust of the methods and good faith of tho Cuban politicians, nnd will not co-operato with those polif icians at all in any matter in which they havo in view. The fact that Iho Cuban elections under un-der American supervision wore quiet, orderly, and satisfactory, now is nothing noth-ing more than could havo boon said at tlfo time of the first elections whon the Americans wore first preparing to withdraw with-draw from the island. The general election elec-tion in December, also, will be hold under Americau auspices and supervision. super-vision. That will mean another fair and orderly election. But after that, what? Tho American control being withdrawn and tho Cubans loft to themselves them-selves to hold elections, will history not repeat itself, and will thcro not be another sudden and panicky call for American interposition to snvo the peace 7 Wc look for just that lo happen. And wo do not consider that elections held under American auspices in Cuba, afford any guide whatever as to what to expect from tho Cubans when I hoy hold and manage their elections for themselves. |
