The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-17

1t looks as If Spain were seriously con-
sidering the ACCESSIBILITY of abandoning
Cuba. 1t is evident that she is making no
progress towards putting down the insur-
rection, and it is also evident that her
ability to continue the war is steadily de-
creasing. The suggestion thrown out by
one of her most influential newspapers
namely, that the troops called for by Gen.
Weyler shall not be sent to Cuba, but
shall, instead, be sent to the Philippine
Islands, is significant. 1t means that
Spain finds herself unable to carry on the
war in both Cuba and the Philippine Is
lands on a scale necessary to insure sue
cess, and that if one or the other of these
two possessions is to be abandoned Cuba
is the one.
There is another significant thing 1t is
that the Spanish troops in Cuba are being
called from the interior to the sea ports.
Gen. Weyler says that this change in the
location of the soldiers is being made be-
cause the rainy season is near at hand,
and It is necessary to afford them all the
protection possible against yellow fever.
But who is there who does not know that
the yellow fever prevails to a far greater
extent at the seaports than in the inte-
rior? In Offering such an explanation for
ordering the troops from the interior Gen.
Weyler does not give the world credit for
fair amount of intelligence.
The conclusion of careful observers
seems to be that Spain is getting ready to
abandon Cuba. They may be mistaken,
but no other explanation of the foregoing
matters is at all satisfactory. She is and
ing that the war i'm Cuba and the Philip
pine Islands is a greater burden than she
can carry. Her soldiers are complaining
because they are not paid, and she can
not pay them. She is on the verge of
bankruptcy, and her credit is about ex-
hausted. In such a condition Of affairs.
what is she to do but to abandon Cuba?
There is only one good reason for think
ing that she is not going to abandon Cuba
yet awhile, and that is that she could
make terms with the insurgents by which
she could get at least $JO0OO,OOO for grant
ing independence to CuGa. 1t is not i'm
probable, however, that she is considering
the advisability of making a proposition
to the insurgents. 1t will be known with
in a few days whether she is or not.
The business of furnishing water to
vessels on the river is said to be luc-
rative one. A competitor for this bust
ness recently declared that there was
profit of $4,000 a year in it to the COM
pany which then had a monopoly of 1t. This
may have been an over-estimate but there
seems to be no reason to doubt that the
companies in the business have a good
thing of it. Council, in searching for new
sources OF revenue. might find that a rea-
sonahly high license on the business Of
furnishing water TO vessels on the river
would bring a good return TO the treas
ury without working any hardship upon
those engaged in the business. The mat
ter is worth the attention OF the finance
committee. at any rate. An ordinance
providing for licensing the business
would, Of course, specify the maximum
rates which the companies engaged in
the business would be permitted to charge
for furnishing water to vessels
-@-o~s-
rho ration ffv,oo.