Evening star., 1898-10-22
Those Who Were Old Residents and
the New Corners.
CAUTION AND BUOYLNCY SHOWN
Resumption of Sugar and Tobac-
co Raising Waiting.
5 0 NJ E T. PICAL CASES
Copyright. 1895. 10y Charles NJ. Pepper)
eciai From StaT Correspondent.

''AH ." ''hah NpiItslsfhu'nt
HAVANA, October H. lSlS
In the coming of people from the United
States to Cuba one class has been over
looked. This is Americans who hay. b,.. ,
mere before. They enjoy the enthusiasm
and the ignorance of the newcomers vhil.
forming a kind of old settlers colony OF
their own. They hold reunions. but il ISM
for the purpose of telling yarns ahplt
pioneer days. These American old settlers
IN CUBA talk of the present and the future.
instead OF the past They are not hostile
10 the fresh arrivals. These are welcomed
with the CHEEKY word that there is room
for more, and full information is given
them of the most promising fields that NAV
be opened up throughout the island This
Is always done with warning against
looking for immediate results Buovant
confidence is the leading trait of the new
conner Caution is the sign of the man who
has had experience through previous resi-
denCe.
The personal fortunes of MANY of th.
Americans who formerly had property and
business in Cuba is, by their own showing
AT a low ebo. l am ready to credit all they
say 1hree years of guerrilla warfare dur
ing which Cuban insurgents and Spanish
troops We're engaged chiefly in destroying
property, could not have left them other
wise But have not met a single of
these Americans who has lost heart
Inough they have not the means of re-
building at once. they are not discouraged.
Most OF them have "expectancies from
the claims they have filed with the State
Department. While the amount of these
claims is presumably exaggerated, and
while some may he fraudulent the expec.a-
ton OF realizing something from this source
with which to rcdevelop their holdings is
not an unjust one.
sample Condition.
One of the Americans who owns a sugar
D!aQtatiOD in "a of Afa.
gave me an account of his financial condi-
ticn. AS it is typical of others, L repeat the
substance of his statements:
Il m going out 10 visit my place" he said.
Haven't been there for nearly two wears
saw the cane burning then. Pleasant feel
Ing 10 see your plantation burning But l
was pretty lucky. Nobody ever heard M.
talking against the Insurgents and thav
We're pretty decent The machinery was
not destroyed and that's the main thing in
raising sugar Cost ma something, mostly
in promises, but they protected me- I've
h&d word and the mac chinery is in good
shape"
shall you grind any cane this year?r
Grind cane this year! Good Lord, my
friend, you don't know much about sugar
production. If L can get 100000 right
away, two years from this coming Decen-
Der I'll b. able to grind big crop of cane
and pay the money back. But it'll take
two years to realize anything from the
plantation"
You won't have any trouble in making
the loan, 1 suppose?
You suppose. do you? Then if you know
anybody who wants TO lend s2iop1 on a
plantation that's worth a million lust bring
him around. I've been hustling a month 10
get that S2DO,Oc1, and haven't a dollar of il
yet, though a plantation worth a million
ought to be good security"
Value of Sugar
By way OF depression 1t may be said that
there are no sugar plantations in Cuba
worth less than 100000. At least | never
heard of one. This valuation seems to be
one of the effects of the tropical climate
Whoever has sugar mill and cane fields
speaks of them with a deprecating wave OF
the hand, as though they were of no more
account than an ordinary corn patch in
Iowa, or wheat field in the Dakotas But
when inquiry is made as to their value, II
is always "a million or So" While the
MatanZas planter may have added few
hundred thousand to the value of his place
and while he may be seeking a larger loan
than is needed to redevelop it, he does net
deceive himself on one point. This is the
length of time that will be needed to put
his plantation again on a paying basis. As
for the rest, he will keep hustling till he
gets together $4,000 or S3o1t0 and Will
start in without waiting for the halarce
of the s2oo,GU which he thinks he wants.
Tobacco Raising.
Tobacco raising does not call for the
amount of capiial that is required in sugar
production. The crop can be planted, har-
vested and turned into cash in a much
shorter time. Americans who were en-
gagged in the tobacco business, while they
suffered during the revolution. were 10y no
meahs so badly off as those whose money
was invested in sugar estates. Now that
Spanish rule is dead and the new order rs
to be established in Cuba, they are not un-
der the necessity of borrowing money.
Their complaint is that they cannot find
immediate use for all their capital Some
of ii has been idle for three years and they
fret at the circumstances which interfere
with greater activity.
The situation was explained to me by
an American buyer, with whom in times
past had journeyed in the tobacco regions
of Pinar del Rio. the Vuelta Abajo dis
trict. He said: I'VE had dull times for TWO
years, and after the protocol was signed
L came right down, hoping to make up
some of the losses our firm has suffered.
have been disappointed. It's too bad that
the United States could not have taken
possession at once. The tobacco farmers
in the Vuelta Abajo are having a hard
time of 1t.
what cattle they have. Many of them have
driven their oxen to the camps of the in
surgents, who have promised to protect the
animals until the Spaniards leave. That is
only one of good many troubles. The
tobacco farmers need a little money badly
but no business man can afford to give
them the loans they want. / have made a
few advances, but il was more charity than
business. They have been able to put in
only a small crop this season and they
won't receive much from the harvest in
December"
How long will this condition last-two
years?'
'Oh, no. Tobacco isn't like sugar. In
six months / hope to be using all the capl-
tai that L have invested I'm the business.
Get the Spaniards out and settle the tariff
and we'n be able to help the farmers and
make money for ourselves. / hope in fit-
ting the tariff rates the authorities in
Washington will remember the producer as
well the manufacturer. The Spanish
government kept adding to the export tax
until il reached seven and eight cents.
That is too heavy for the small tobacco
raiser. 1t ought TO be lowered for his
benefit"
The number of Americans in Cuba who
were engaged in actual commerce was
never large. The retail and wholesale trade
was in the hands of Spanish and foreign
houses. who were customers Of American
firms. There were exceptional cases OF
mercantile business carried on by citizens
of the United States. / saw one of these
ba