. The Cuba review. 14 THE CUBA REVIEW. FROM UNITED STATES NEWSPAPERS. American Ideas Resented. In Cuba tlic race yucsliun u; compli- cated by the fact that the negroes played an active and really important part in t!.e war with Spain, supplying in its later years not only a majority of the men, lighting in the ranks of the rebel army, but not a few of its ablest officers. It IS not unnatural or without reason, therefore, that the black Cubans and those of mixed blood should be partic- ularly sensitive to any denial of com- plete equality, social as well as political, with their white neighbors
. The Cuba review. 14 THE CUBA REVIEW. FROM UNITED STATES NEWSPAPERS. American Ideas Resented. In Cuba tlic race yucsliun u; compli- cated by the fact that the negroes played an active and really important part in t!.e war with Spain, supplying in its later years not only a majority of the men, lighting in the ranks of the rebel army, but not a few of its ablest officers. It IS not unnatural or without reason, therefore, that the black Cubans and those of mixed blood should be partic- ularly sensitive to any denial of com- plete equality, social as well as political, with their white neighbors, and that they should bitterly resent any attempt to establish in the island racial distinctions of the kind which exist in this countrj-. As a Government organ in Havana puts it, "the Americans must be taught by the strong arm of the law that thev will not be permitted to introduce into Cuba the anti-negro sentiments prevailing in the United States," and the same paper in- sists that black and white stand on the same plane in Cuba. That is very noble, from some points of view, but the Cubans might as well realize that there will be certain disad- vantages connected with the acceptance of this announcement as true by the out- side world. Such acceptance would be more apt to lower the white Cubans in general esteem than to rise the black ones, and it would also tend to conlirm the unkind, but rather widespread notion that the white Cubans lack some of the cjualities requisite for successful self-gov- ernment. The dilemma in which the Cubans find themselves is therefore a peculiarly diffi- cult one, and there is a very serious side to the riot caused this week in Havana by the refusal at a hotel kept by and for Americans to sell drinks to two negro Congressmen. The incident ended for the moment in the infliction of a ten- dollar tine on the barkeeper who had thus affronted the l^lack statesmen. The Havana shopkeepers would not be happy if the city were to become one in
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