The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-05-18
WANT WAR TO END.
MEMORIAL WILL SOON BE PRE-
SENTED TO CONGRESS.
Magnitude of American Commerce
With the Island of Cuba-Strug-
gle For Freedom Has Seriously
Disarranged Commerce.

| New York, May 17.-Firms and indi-
viduals in this country who are inter
ested in trade with Cuba, and who de-
sire peace in the island as soon as
possible, sent today to the secretary OF
state a memorial setting forth how
! their business interests are suffering
and giving facts about the struggle in
J Cuba in the hope that measures may
| be devised to terminate the war in the
| island. The petition says:
The subscribers to this memorial,
citizens of the United States doing
business as bankers, merchants. man
ufacturers, steamship owners and
| agents in the cities of Boston, New
| York, Philadelphia, Savannah, Charles
| ton, Jacksonville, New Orleans and
other places, and have been for many
| years engaged in the export and i'm
! port trade with the island of Cuba,
! finding that their several interests are
suffering severely from the long con-
| tinuance of the struggle now going on
/ in the island of Cuba, desire to pre-
sent for your careful consideration, the
| following facts in the hope that you
may find in them sufficient justifica-
ton of this memorial and may be able
to devise measures whereby the termi-
nation of the struggle between the
may be fastened and the sufferings and
losses of your subscribers may be re-
lieved and commerce may be re-estab-
lished between the United States and
the island of Cuba.
The magnitude of the American
commerce with the island of Cuba is
readily shown by citing the volume of
our trade with that island for the years
1893, 1894 and 1895 in each of which
years the value of our imports from
Cuba exceeded S75, 1000 900. Our exports
to Cuba ranged from 25.000000 to $780,.
000.0 a year during these three years
and had been ever greater in previous
years during the reciprocity treaty of
the United States with Spain. The
struggle in the island has continued for
more than two years to the serious de-
rangement of our commerce with the
island, our imports from Cuba shrink
ing in value to some $50, 900, 900 in 1896
and our exports to Cuba in 1896
amounting to only 100000 so far as
aScertainable.
Many of your subscribers have large
interests in Cuba, either as property or
holders of mortgages or in the shape
Of business credit advances, and your
subscribers see these interests already
seriously injured now threatened with
humiliation by the continuance of a
state of affairs under which we can
neither operate any business in the is
land nor take the precautions possible
in ordinary times to protect our in
terests.
The third rainy season since the
commencement of the instruction is
now at hand in Cuba, and as military
operations of any magnitude are made
virtually impossible for the next five
months by reason Of the tropical cli-
mate and rains the relative position OF
~ -
greatly altered during the summer
months.
It appears to your subscribers that
for the reasons above cited they may
venture to lay these facts before you.
most appropriately at this time, and
they sincerely hope that you may be
inclined, in view of the magnitude and
Importance of the American CONNER
cial interests that are involved, 10 give
careful consideration to the serious
blow inflicted upon our commerce AMI
trade by the present disturbance in
Cuba and to determine upon the eX-
pediency of taking measures which
may facilitate an honorable reconcilia-
ton between the contending parties.
The restoration of Peace in Cuba now,
or with the coming rainy season, would
not only probably rescue from destruc-
ton the large interests of Americans
there at stake and serve to re-establish
an important branch of our nations
commerce, but would prevent further
loss of life, destruction of property.
widespread distress, hunger and suf-
fering that are inevitably increasing
OF armed conflict such
as has existed for over two years now
in Cuba.
Your subscribers especially solicit
your speedy consideration of this mat
ter, desiring relief for their own large
interests involved and desiring also to
aid in securing the inestimable bless
ings for one and a half millions of the
residents of the island of Cuba.
THE great cause of true humanity
will be furthered jointly with that of
commerce by such meas
ures' and actions as your subscribers
trust you may deem expedient at this
juncture.