Vbe Conservative * 9
1890. With plenty of gold to satisfy
the do mauds of those who want moro
"money of first redemption , " and with
an established foreign trade sufficiently
large to keep our industries going , the
arguments used in 1890 for free silver
fall to the ground.
We may also remark that whatever
may bo said about imperialism and ex
pansion , and however those two terms
may be confused , trade expansion is a
reality and has como to stay.
The report from which we have
quoted also presents some interesting
figures as to our trade with Cuba , Porto
Rico , Hawaii and the Philippine islands.
In 1890 exports from the United States
to Cuba amounted to $7,530,880. There
was a steady increase from that time
until in 1890 the exports amounted to
$18,019,377 , and in 1900 to $20,513,018.
Exports to Hawaii in 1890 amounted to
$3,985,707 ; in 1900 to $13,509,148. In
1890 our exports to the Philippine islands
amounted to $102,400 ; in 1900 to $2-
040,449.
The Hawaii islands are now a part of
the United States , the Philippines are
for the time being at least our pos
sessions , and Ouba is practically under
our control. "Whatever may be the
final outcome the people of the United
States will be free to trade with all these
rich islands , and it goes without saying
that our trade therein will rapidly in
crease from year to year. Richmond
Times. ( Dem. )
OUK FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION
IN CU1JA.
While the rascalities in the postoffice
in Cuba are widely discussed , it ought
not to be forgotten that the department
in which these occurred is a very small
part of the vast interests administered
by our military officers there. The
island treasury , while it has had nothing
to do with the postoffice , has for more
than eighteen months received and dis
bursed all the Cuban revenues from
other sources , mainly from customs ,
amounting for the first half of 1899 to
$5,000,000 , and from July 1,1899 to July
1 , 1900 to $18,000,000 more. It began
the last fiscal year with a cash surplus
above obligations of $1,400,000 , which
increased by January 1 , 1900 , to about
$3,000,000 , and still remains at nearly
that figure. It has paid out during the
twelve months , on the average , $250,000
a mouth for schools , $100,000 a month
for police , large but varying sums for
sanitary work and improvements , for
the repair , cleaning and maintenance of
prisons , for permanent military posts
and for many incidental public services
The collections and disbursements have
been made in all parts of the island am
in sums varying from a day's wages for
a laborer to many thousands of dollars
upon large contracts.
When the treasury was established
the use of checks in Cuba was prao
tically unknown. MajorE. F. Ladd , the
iroasurer , who was instructed to organ-
zo his office on the lines of the inde
pendent treasury of the United States ,
went to work with only the statutes and
egulations to guide him. He found it
lecessary under these , and for the safety
of the funds , to introduce the use of
checks to make them universal , although
t seemed at first hopeless to affect such
a revolution in custom , and to educate
he people to confidence in the system ,
t is interesting to know that the change
ias already been generally accepted ;
ihat no money can be drawn from the
; reasury except upon a responsible
check , and no payment of public money
anywhere in Cuba , beyond twenty dol-
ars , can be made save by check.
The result of this and other American
methods practised in this office has been
that every dollar of the moneys collected
jy the treasury is clearly and satisfac-
; orily accounted for and the commis
sion which has just investigated the
accounts for our government has found
nothing in them to criticise. The ad
ministration of the treasury has proved
to be a model of accuracy , economy , and
efficiency. It is , perhaps , alone among
accounting agencies of similar impor
tance and difficulty in never having had
to charge a dollar to "profit and loss , "
no such account being opened. There
ias been no defalcation , no error of
payment or reckoning , no forgery , no
raised check , no loss of money in transit.
Of the sixty thousand checks sent out
through innumerable agencies , three
tiave been lost in the mails and stopped.
The entire force of the department con
sists of about ten men , three of whom ,
in important but subordinate positions ,
are native Cubans , who are steadily ac
quiring the training for higher responsi
bilities. The late assistant treasurer ,
Rodriguez , an upright and highly edu
cated Cuban , formerly chief of staff to
Gen. Gomez , was trained by faithful
service here , but became on July 1 , by
popular election , mayor of the city of
Havana.
Cuba is confronted with financial
problems of great difficulty , which can
be permanently solved only by her own
statesmanship. ' The ability to grapple
with those has not as yet appeared
among her citizens. The belief gains
ground that the island is growing poor.
The imports exceed the exports by aboul
$50,000,000 a year ; and fear is expressed
lest an intolerable debt accumulate.
The United States government , indeed ,
is expending about $9,000,000 a year
upon its own establishment there , which
may be regarded as a gift to the Cuban
people. Large amounts of capital have
been sent there for investment , also.
But there is nothing as yet in the sta
tistics of trade to indicate increasing
wealth. Meanwhile , the public reve
nues are derived almost wholly from
customs , a wasteful and inequitable
policy , especially for a poor country. A
more soientiffio method of taxation is a
necessity , if permanent prosperity is to
bo achieved. Yet the influential natives
are almost to a man resolutely opposed
o the reform. The future in this re-
pect is uncertain ; but whatever finan-
ial policy the native government may
lereafter adopt , the essential basis for
ts wise formation and successful devel
opment will be found in the methods
and principles upon which the treasury
ias been organized by our military au-
ihorities. Evening Post.
DEMOCRATS AND POPULISTS AT WAR
Mr. Bryan is needed in North Carolina
[ 'he ' democrats can get along without the
lelp of the populists in that state , hence
hero is a total absence of the brotherly
eve which has been built up between
ihese two parties in Kansas , Nebraska
and South Dakota. The parties that
lave fused in doubtful states are fight-
ng whore the democrats think they are
powerful enough to go it alone , and in
tforth Carolina the war between them
threatens to become more or less bloody.
Just now there is a prospect of a duel
between United States Senator Marion
Butler , populist , and Congressman John
D. Bellamy , democrat. Mr. Butler has
paid his respects to Bellamy in this wise :
"You are quoted in the Raleigh morn
ing papers as saying in a speech at Wil
mington yesterday that the democrats
should forcibly expel me from the state.
Now , if you think I should be expelled
from the state I suggest that you under
take the job yourself.
"You are one man and I am one man.
If you mean what you say and have any
courage ( except when you have a mob
of "red shirts" behind you ) I suggest
that you proceed to Raleigh aud begin
the expelling business at once. If you
have not the courage to undertake this
job then I suggest that you have the
decency to keep your month shut. "
Both men are full of what , for want
of a better term , is called southern chiv
alry , and people who know them regard
the letter as nothing more nor less than
a challenge to mortal combat , which is
pretty sure to be accepted.
Mr. Bryan should hurry to North
Carolina and make peace , or at least
forward thit celebrated plaster bust of
himself , so that the faithful might bow
before it and be as brothers. If the
populists in South Dakota , Kansas and
Nebraska find out that members of their
party are being mobbed by democrats
in North Carolina they may be inclined
to let some of the fuses fizzle.
Mr. Bryan cannot afford to permit
this to happen. He must not stand
around with his hand on a sheaf of oats ,
getting photographed , while populists
are shooting democrats or gangs of dem
ocratic hoodlums are forcing populists
to run for the woods.
If North Carolina were a doubtful
state the tar-heel populist would not
need to hide when he saw a democratic
procession coming down the street.
Chicago Times-Herald.
