The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-06-22
SUGAR TRUST MAY
PURCHASE CUBA
Evolves or Accepts an Ambitious
Suggestion
Understand the Island is For Sale,
and Ready Cash Would at Once
and Forever Settle All Differences.

New York. June PA dispatch to
the Herald from Washington says: A
story is current that the sugar trust
has evolved or accepted an ambitious
suggestion that Cuba is substantially
for sale and might as well become d
sugar plantation for a gigantic corpO-
ration. supported by the sympathy and
the interest of our country. In other
words, that We might have West IN
dian company, as England had. and
Hudson Bay company, each of which
aided vastly in the extension OF the
British empire. 1t is said that the
Spanish minister to the United States
cabled recently TO Madrid reports of
the disposition Of our government TO
decline TO interfere by force and also
to support Cuban autonomy. and that
this cable prevented the recall or Wey-
Ter when change in the Spanish min
istry was in the air. 10 send to Cuba
CampOs, who closed the ten years war
with cash in hand and might do the
same job now by the same means.
much cheaper than Spain can keep
200. 900 soldiers in the field Immediately.
Colonel ]. ]. McCoOk is the gentleman
credited with the imagination to con-
ceive the capture of Cuba with cash
as a measure of peace. This. as Colonel
McCOok understands il, is merely
matter of business.
The idea runs this way:
Spain has already charged tc Cuba
debt of $400, 900. 900. and under Spanish
dominion the island can never yield a
revenue amounting TO One-half the in
terest. Cuba. without a post or town
or ship, has national debt, and yet
there are many who think the credit
of the Cuban should be as good if not
better than that of S9ain-
suppose there was company COM
manding money to take up the whole
Cuban debt. with the war debt
of such as charged to Cuba,
at its market rate-say $50,000.
e0O-and S50.OO0,OOO for the Span
sh rights in Cuba and the Cuban
rights in the forests and mines. and
in settling American and Cuban claims
against Spain and the United States
would guarantee bonds to the amount
of $780, 600, 900 at 3 per cent, and super
wise and administer the customs OF
the ports of Cuba for the payment Of
the interest, the government holding
the bonds as security. would not lib
erty and peace and prosperity for the
island be accomplished at the cost OF
100000 a year, taken out of the Gu
ban customs house?
Incidentally it would seem there must
be an immense tax to the managers of
what might be called the Cuban trust
The advantage TO the SpaniardS
would be peace and the extinction OF
some hundred millions of hopeless debt.
for the creditors of Spain would be
glad to scale her obligations and she
could have a large sum Of money in
hand instead of a Cuba of blood and
a loss on her hands.
The gain 10 Cuba would be a
government by a corporation, linn
tied instead of crown abSO-
lutte, and there could be a con-
tract guaranteeing civil liberty 10
the people on its models There would
be money for roads and schools and
sanitary measures. and there would lie,
as a necessity of internal administra-
ticn. sucn measure OF self government
as would maintain order through a po-
lice force. with American and Cu1an
to deal with brigandaSe.
The municipal problems could be
dealt with by the municipalities. ard
made for the administra-
ton of justice and payment of worthy
With the Introduction OF
American energies and the security of
capital, made plain by the visible pres
ence Of security. Cuba would yield
wealth beyond the dream of avar-
ice" The revenue in the days IF Ie-
ciprocity with US was in excess Of
$50, 00O. 900 and it would rise far beyond
that figure within a few years of this
business management.