The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1898-08-29
ABOUT OUR NEW PRESENT AMID FUT WRE
WHAT UNITED STATES
HAS AT STAKE IN CUBA
Conflicting Interests Force Many Complications That Il
Will Take Much Time to SettleIhe Financial
Condition of the Island.

In putting Cuba on its feet the United
States is confronted with difficulties of a
nature fully as serious as those Whlch
arise from the islands wretched physical
condition, which The Constitution mas
already described These difficulties are
financial On us must. of necessity, fail inc
burden of establishing some sort or Il
stable government In the country when
now has three unstable ones, all ruhhs
or irving to rule at the same time, anu
In doing 1t we have undertaken a Jop tn'h'
may wen cause Washington to hesitate
Cuba's accounts are in 4 Dad way. ilio
latest statement of the so-calied 'upai,
debt was issued on January list laSt' anu
Il practically represents today the amounts
which Spain. in her blind struggle TO
retain possession of the lSlahu' "o. ~
u.i+b the Cuban revenues as security. 1t
onne.e+s of three classes of bonds, IN al
dition to a floating debt The statement Is
as follows ,o, oco
Bonds Of 1856 G per cent. slid d ISt'S S"o
Bonds of 1890, per cent =. 1o" c60 oo0
Bonds of 1896 . per cent. - - - ''iooy,oD-
Total bond loan. 80. .S51 zo' 6 650
Add floating debt. Jan. l, 1888. 6''S''""
c,, .o.,, .$5O3 $50. 24O
Since the first of the year this floating
debit has increased very largely and IS cS-
+imated uow-amd | think correCtly-at
STA 600 600 It's main items are the heaVy
arrears due to the army ana navy an"
civil officers and army contractors IN
Cuba. and the enormous total Will amount
to fully 1925 per capita for the entire pop
uIation of the island-a condition OF az
fairs too astonishing to be easily appre-
W does
from personal observation how slight is
the earning capacity Of the inhabitants at
the present time and how long 1t will take
to paw Il all off. Should IT be Saddleu on
the Cuban republic that is to be, the unfor-
tunate little nation Will start out in lire
with a load that many a European power
could not carry, and which would staggec
America itself.
During the years of peace which inter-
ycncd between the close Of the ten years
war and the outburst Of the present In
surrection Spain Wrung annually from
Cuba in taxes about 500 100000 At thar
time the islands exports amounted to
$50 GOO 000 consisting almost entirely of az
ricultural products and fruits, and. as the
natives We're all engaged in some uSefuI
ocCupaton the awful tax rate was NAM
tanned with little difficulty. But from the
up to the surrender of Santiago SPANS
ability to collect taxes steadily leSscncd,
and the area that could pay them grew
smaller and smaller until it became prdc-
tically confined to the fortified cities The
Spanards and insurgents both swept the
provinces with torches and macheteS,
burning and destroying the handsome
plantations from San Antonio to Cape
Maysi. and leaving behind them a wake
r1-ha tOb1pCD
cotton and sugar ana coffee had grown
under native cultivation, The planters, or
ingenos took refuge with their families
in the United States; the small farmers and
tenants were driven into reconcentrado
camps to- die of starvation; the field
hands Joined the insurgents, and so were
broken up all those prosperous little com
munities which had in the past been able
to respond to SPANS inordlnate demands.
The ingenios, with large mills and build
inCs for sugar refining. nave always been
and doubtless viii be agaIn-the most i'm
portant industrial establishments of the
island. Though his former lordliness and
GcudaI magnilicence underwent, Of late
years. more or less modification, the great
sugar planter was still q prince of agricul-
ture up to 1895. He had an immense ad-
vantage over all his foreign competitors
In the fertility Of his soil, which seemed
practically exhaustless. Not all the boun-
~ stimulated and cheaper production of
beet sugar in Europe had been able to
displaco Cuban sugars in foreign mar
kets, though competition from this source
speedily reduced the profits in raising
them The Introduction of modern ma
chlnery requiring large capital more than
coAunteracted that natural tendency to
subdivide great holdings of lana which -
usually observed when system of slave
labor gives place to Il Tree one, and even
aided to crowd the smaller planters TO the
wall The average value of sugar export
co annually amounted at one time 70
S53,0oN 600 and Of moasses to $1,000 COO, fully
50 per cent Of which went to the United
States.