Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1898-02-24
HIS REAL POLICY.
President Wants to Buy the
Island. Scheme Of a Big
Syndicate
With Concessions Said to Be
Already Made. Millions
In 1t.
The United States to Guar
anree Bonds. A CONNER
cial Matter Only.

anree Bonds. A CONNER
c,aI Matter Only.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22.-Some of the
best posted newspaper correspondents
in Washington say that President Nc
K,uley's real Cuban policy is to aid o
syndicate of foreign and American
monied men to buy Cuba, and to have
the United States guarantee the bonds.
The recent accidental events of the De-
Lone letter and the blowing up of the
Maine may interfere with this plau. The
presidents policy is declared to be one
of q commercial nature only. A dis
patch says:
The scheme to free Cuba for a mone-
tary consideration is almost boundless
in its possibilities.
The Wall street syndicate, headed by
Plerpont Morgan and represented here
by John J. McCook, has already secured
franchises for street car lines, telephone
lines, lighting privileges and the supply
ing of water in all the principal towns
of Cuba.
The agents of the sugar trust have
obtained optional leases on number of
the largest plantations On the island.
The syndicate has millions of dollars
10 Spanish bonds bought at ridiculous
ly low figure, which will be converted
into cash at par or exchanged dollar for
dollar for the guaranteed Cuban bonds
when the latter are Issued. The latter
bonds will be payable in gold and will
within sixty days from their issue COM
mand a premium in the market Of at
least 20 per cent.
The administration has overdone iteelf
in the efforts to chow that the Maine was
destroyed by accident.
Nobody is so unkind to the president
as to cay that be has done or is doing
these things willingly. Such state-
ment would be both unkind and untrue.
Mr.. Mckinley has acted in the way he
has because he is not free to follow bis
own convictions.
The price to be paid for Cuba will be
not less than S250,0OO,000. AID it may be
as mitch as s5OO,OO0,0O0. 1t is more
likely, however, to be 100000.
The resources Of Cuba are many AID
the fertility Of it's soil is practically IN
exhaustible. With normal conditions
restored on the island. cay. st the end Of
two years, ss much as s4O,O00,00O year
could be paid on the purchase price.
At that rate the debt would be wiped
ont in less than twenty years.
The idea seems to be to give the great
advantages in the plan to synd,cste,
which would use the United States for
tho purpose, and to compel the Oubans
while free from Spain, to fulfill their
share OF the contract of purchase. The
New York '',lngo" papers yesterday en-
dorsed the plan, indicating the propri
etors have been let in on the ground
floor by the Syndicate.
The plan includes this government's
control and collection Of Cuban custom
duties and sort OF governmental pro-
tectorste on the island to guard Ameri.
can and foreign interests, but to leave
the Oubsns practically free in self gov
ernment OF local affairs. It is we'll known
the president favors the purchase Of the
island, but has not yet made it the cub.
ject of an official message. The past
inaction of this government IN all
Cuban affairs may be explained by the
desire to let Spain exhaust itself and be
more ready to submit to terms proposed
by the syndicate through the admlnis-
trstlon, aud the Oubsns also be forced
to accept United States offers for the
island With the other features Of the
plan. It is also believed that if the
president should submit the proposition
to the senate it would be rejected by this
body with sosut courtesy.
"The spolog,sts for the administration
offer two excuses for the conduct Of the
president and the heads OF the state ard
navy departments.
First, it 10 urged that Mr.. Mckinley
has set bis heart on purchasing peace
and independence for Cuba, and he
dosen't want bis plans interfered with.
HE 10 opposed to war anyhow, and he
thinks it would be good deal better for
the United States to lend it's credit to
Cubs for the purpose Of restoring peace
on the island and securing freedom for
the Cubsns than to indulge in the tre-
mendous expenditures which wonld be
involved 10 carrying on war against
Spain. .....
I'm the second place the friends OF the
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