The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-03
SECRETARY ALGER's SUGGESTION.

A feature Of the annual report of the
Secretary of War IS the suggestion that
il would be a good investment for the gov
-crnment to build a railroad from one end
Of the island Of Cuba to the other. Only
few days ago Gen. Longstreet. one of the
Pacific railroad commissioners, recom4
mendcd the building OF double track rail-
road from Kansas City to San Francisco
an air line railroad. Both The Secretary and
the Railroad Commissioner seem TO forget
that the people have a very lively recoi-
lection of the governments experience with
the Pacific railroads. After years Of effort
it has succeeded in getting some of the
money it put into those roads, but there
was no lack Of effort 10 cheat the govern
moi be with the consent of the people if any
more Of the public money is put in rail-
roads, either in this country or in Cuba.
The Secretary says he thinks the invest
meut would be a good one; that it would
eventually pay a good interest. 1t would,
probably, if 1T Were honestly managed. But
ii would hardly be built before some of the
smart hnanciers of this country would
want to build branches to II, and put mort
cages on it TO get money with which 20
build the branches. 1t would not be long
before the shrewd fnanciers would have
the road mortgaged 10 the fun extent of
its value and they would own the bonds
and the branch roads. The cost of the
branches would be something enormous.
That was the method adopted to cheat the
government out of its interests in the Pa
cifc roads.
The Secretary says that if the govern
ment doesn't build the railroad which he
suggests it win have to furnish the Gu
bans employment in some other way, or
else supply them with food free for an in
definite length of time.
II can hardly be so bad as that. Food
crops can be grown in Cuba in two OF
three months, and there ought to be plen-
ty Of work on the plantations even now.
Besides. if the railroad scheme were to be
adopted il would be several months before
it could be undertaken on a sufficient scale
to afford employment for any considerable
NUMBER OF men. AS matter OF ldcl tn6
Cubans are not anxious TO work, if the
reports received from Cuba are to be relied
upon. If free rations were to be distributed
among them it would be impossible to get
the plantations cultivated or the ruined
towns and plantation buildings rebuilt
But if a railroad the whole length of the
island of Cuba would be such good in
vestment why not let private capital have
a chance to invest in it? There is any
quantity of idle money in this country
awaiting safe investment There are ex-
perienced railroad men looking all the
time for promising openings for new rail-
roads. If this Cuban enterprise is all the
Secretary thinks 1t is. it viii not be long
before a company will be formed for build
ing the road. 1t is better from every point
of view that it should be built by private
parties. If the government should under
take it there would be scandals. If the
government wants to keep clear Of scan
dals, like the credit mobiler scandal for in
stance, it should have nothing to do with
building railroads in Cuba or anywhere
else