* fs * 5 M w 1
Conservative *
three -years ; but with capital , and above
all with sound currency , conies increased
credit , and greater trade expansion. Lit
erally , everything that enters into
Cuban - domestic economy , except
sugar and tobacco is imported , and
the per capita value of the imports
during the period of American inter
vention has averaged $43 , an amount
not equalled by any other people.
I Cuban industry is almost wholly
agricultural , and yet $22,000,000
worth of food stuffs were imported
during 1901. The Island is peculiarly
adapted to the growing of fruit and
vegetables , but $400,000 was paid for
the former and $2,000,000 for the later
last year. Excepting a small quantity
of hats and shoes , everything that
man wears must be imported , aud last
year because of their poverty the Cu
bans spent only $12,000,000 for these
necessaryarticles. . Prosperity being
assured , $50,000,000 annually would
not pay for the clothing needed. In
their poverty they paid out last year
$3,000,000 for house furnishings , when
their health and comfort , if not their
necessity , called -for ten times as
much. The -tastes , customs and aspi
rations which create the many wants
of modern society , are hot unknown
to this people , but are common to all
. classes -among them. There is no
"coolie" semi-barbarous
peon , or- -
class in Cuba , such as is found in
many of the other island of the West
Indies. Wages average as high as in
the United States , and transactions
are based on Spanish gold. Universal
suffrage , decried by many when in
troduced into the new Constitution ,
is founded nevertheless on a correct
! principle. The Cuban laborer , although -
! though illiterate , is not ignorant. He
has a fair knowledge of the world
and a keen appreciation of what the
world thinks of his country. His
aspirations to share in this govern
ment are genuine and intelligent , and
his patriotism has been proved upon
many battlefields. The social and po
litical conditions of Cuba are nearer
akin-to'those of the United States
than those of any other Latin-Ameri
can country , notwithstanding that the
' \ latter may have to its credit eighty
years of' self-government. The lav/
of propinquity is stronger than po
litical systems , and trade is oven
more potent than proximity. The
leaven of Americanism is at work in
Cuba , aud , as in California fifty years
ago , if it isr wisely encouraged , will
convert this' people quickly into a
responsible and responsive America
community.
This is the Cuban case ; and the solo
answer vouchsafed by those Ameri
cans "who are still opposed to closer
trade relations with this Island is
that'the influx . of Cuban sugar "will
' * r * * *
i / " ' *
destroy "a deserving but struggling
hdustry at homo. They fear that
ilie Cuban cane will destroy the
American beet. A cursory glance at
a few sugar statistics ought to dispel
whatever fear there may be. The
United States consumed practically
,400,000 tons of sugar during the
current year 1901 , of which amount
she imported , according to her treas
ury reports , 1,600,000 tons , leaving as
icr own production 800,000 tons , or
precisely one-third of her consump
tion. Of the latter amount , one-half
was produced in her insular posses
sions , leaving 400/000 tons as sup
plied by Louisiana cane and western
beets. The beet sugar did not exceed
30,000 tons. Of the sugar imported ,
Germany supplied 225,000 tons of
beet , the East Indies 800,000 , cane ,
the British West Indies 110,000 cane ,
South Africa 100,000 cane and Cuba
580,000 tons. The balance , 285,000
tons , was gathered together from a
score of , minor producers. In the
face of these conclusive figures , how
can any American contend that the
admission of Cuban sugar upon bet
tor terms , or even upon terms free of
all duty , would destroy the sugar in
dustry of the United States ?
It .must be self-evident that so long
as the Cuban production does not
equal the American consumption , it
cannot .imperil the industry in the
United States. Last year the. Cuban
production was less than a fourth of
the American consumptionand nearly
one-half of the sugar used by the
Americans was imported from coun
tries other than Cuba. This year the
United States will require 150,000
tons more , with no possible way of
raising that much more within her
own territory or in her insular de
pendencies Sugar beets promise
75,000 tons additional , an increase of
nearly 100 per cent , but there is still
75,000 .tons needed , which must bo
bought aud imported from some for
eign country. Cuba , stands ready to
supply the entire increase required.
Cuba .may reach 800,000 tons in 1902.
She cannot possibly exceed that fig
ure. If the Cuban increase in pro
duction shall keep pace year by year
with the American increase of con
sumption , the result will exceed the
expectations of the best informed
sugar growers in the Island. These
expect Cuba to double her output of
1901 in the course of four years , an
increase of about 150,000 tons a year.
They base their estimates upon the
product of 1894 , when the Island was
much better equipped with labor ,
animals , machinery , roads , railroads
and shipping facilities than it is to
day. The yield of 1894 barely ex
ceeded 1,000,000 tons. Assuming that
the United States , shall produce 1-
OOty'OOO tons this year , there will still
remain a quantity to be imported by
that- country double the product of
Cuba. . .
The solo reply of the American ob- .
structiouists- therefore , falls to the
ground. There , is no peril to any in-
ierest.in the United , States from the
admission of Cuban products under
reduced tariff "rates ; 50 per cent
differential on the. Cuban product
will not oven affect the price of
American granulated sugar. It will
not take a dollar from the profits of
the beet sugar producers. It will
affect no interests , except the customs
revenues of the United States ; and for
that loss , possibly $16,000,000 a year ,
Cuba offers in compensation all of her
trade , $100,000,000 worth this year.
She offers her millions of acres of idle
laud to the American investor. Slie
invites in a hundred ways the enter
prise , the capital and the labor of
the great republic to come here and
share the riches that lie undeveloped
and .unknown in her bosom. She
wants to secure in a fair trade Amer
ican food products , clothing , hard
ware , machinery , building material ,
millions of dollars' worth , aud she
wants moreover $20,000,000.of Ameri
can currency with which to place her
financial system upon a sound basis.
She offers all she lias , and much more
than any other country can offer , in-
fair exchange , dollar for dollar , to her
powerful neighbor and protector
Havana Post , Jan. 19 , 1902.
BANK PRESIDENT SUGGESTS IM
PROVEMENT.
The Conservative :
In your issue of March 20th you
outline a proposed method of sending ,
small sums of money through the
mails by making bills payable to the
order of the receiver , aud ask that
someone point out the defects.
Wo would suggest that the plan ,
would bo more popular if sender was
allowed to attach a postage stamp
rather than an internal revenue , as
the former are kept by everyone , but
the latter .can usually Jbe obtained at
[ the banks only. The government
would receive the same income. In
the writer's .opinion the fee is too
low and the government would bo
doing the business at a loss , to fur
nish the bill , redeem and destroy it ,
and receive two' cents only.
To make it a success banks would
have to undertake to bo bothered
with a mass of cash items in which
there is no profit , a risk in handling
an innovation that is in direct com
petition with their own business of
selling exchange ; possibly some
might feel that it was not their duty
to thus accommodate.
GEO. G. HALL.
Burlington , Kan. , March 22 , 1902.
STOPS THE COUGH AND WORKS OFF.
THE COLD.
Laxative Bromo-Quinine Tablets cure
a cold in one day. No Cure , no Pay.
Price 25 cents. - . . . . -
.rate-
'
I
