The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-11-23
NEWS IND COMMENT

A letter from a prominent Cuban resi-
dent in Matan2as to "A friends in Philadel-
phla draws this picture of present condi-
tions In the ever faithful isle: '"rhe state
o. affairs here Is chaotic. No one knows
thing about anything--even as TO
events that occur at our doors. The pub
lie press is muzzled; the press censorship
| absurdly strict and stupid. The mengre
news, often contradictory, that tho papers
are permitted to publish fills tho mind
with errors and confusion. The very life
of the country Is in suspense. Agriculture
is agonzing. Commerce is exhausted and
mistrustful; Industry paralyzed. Hunger
decimates our people and misery de-
grades them. The military power still
rules absolutely, with all the fears and
uncertainties that are engendered in die
tatorial power. Civil order is annulled;
municipal authority without action; the
IdborCr without work; the man of science
| inactive: the multitude without bread;
dead bodies lying on the streets for hours;
the doors OF hospitals half closed; the
sick without food and medicines, and, will
you believe It. my friend, in the midst
1t these horrors, of so much misery and
such frightful iniquity, rot q single rob
berry, not murder, nor tumult, nor
ma!ediction, nor complaint Women
and children perish ON the pavement
| quietly, as If they died upon their beds
| VI Htiut CbUllnOn allrncnt. MCn look ul'OIl
II with MahOmmedan resignation"
Replying to the anti-expansionsts who
say we should not pay Spain q cent for
the Philippines, W. Il. Curtis calls thei-
attention to the fact that we have bought
or fought for the greatest part of our
territory. and up to date have invested
S1,WO,OOO in real estate speCulations as
nation. In 1903 we paid Napoleon Bona
hn rH
| for nearly 900 square miles of terri
| tory west of the Mississippi river In
| Guiding Louisiana, Arkansas. Indian te'-
| ritory, Missouri, Iowa, the two Dakotas,
| Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma. Wyoming,
Montana and tho larger part of Minncso-
| ia. In 1919 We bought Florida from Spain
| for 100000. In 1878, after we had whipped
| Mexico and held her practically at our
mercy and could have demanded the gra-
| tuitous CCssion of any territory We want
| ed we showed our generosity by paying
S5,000000 in money and assuming prVate e'
! claims to the amount of 50. 2J00 900 and more
for California. Nevada, Utah, Colorado
and the northern part Of Arizona and
New Mexico. Five years later in order
| to rectfy our southern boundary, we paid
| Sl0,0000OO for the remainder of the two
| tcrrit ories last named in what is known
| as the Gadsden treaty. Alaska was bought
| from Russia in 1867 for 81 200 O0O 1t is
reasonable to suppose that Spain will get
| something from us for those portions Of
| the Philippines which we had not cap
| tured ere the protocol was signed.
How important New York is as a ship
| ping center is indicated by the statistics
| for the last fiscal year, recently made pub
| lie. The total tonnage of vessels engaged
| in the foreign trade entering that port in
| the year ending June 50 was 1,76l,i1 The
| tonnage that cleared amounted to 1876, go
This is an increase OF i93 932 tons entered
| and 631. .S9j tons cleared as compared with
the preceding year, and is the largest
tonnage on record. Considerably over
| one-third of the total tonnage engaged m
| the foreign trade in all parts of the Unit
| ed States enters and clears from New
York, which is now the greatest shipping
| center in the world or very close TO It,
| In 1896 the total tonnage entered and
| cleared from London was 15,jS2 195 In
| the same year the total entered and
| Cleared from New York was l3, 46i 1896 But
| in 1897 the total was 1533I1i2 or within
| 245,0j3 of Londons aggregate of the year
| before. London's statistics for 1897 are
not yet available.
In 1890, when the first census was taken,
| there were only seventeen states In the
| Union, and in their order their population
| "a