The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-03-08
UNREST AT SANTIAGO
BUSINESS MEN DESIRE A SETTLED FORM
or GOVERNMENT.
annexation Desired for Business Feasons Ye,
Some People Talk If Declaring War
against Uncle Sam.

| Correspondence off Associated Press
| Santiago de Cuba March THE
| complexion Of political affairs in the
| Province OF Santiago has been gradually
changing since the beginning of January.
| This is due to more than one cause. hut
| the main reason is probably the fact that
| The people themselves are out of sym
pathy with everything, even a benefac-
| ton, that comes to them through IIa-
vana. Men who. few short weeks ago.
| were enthusiastically in favor Of annex
alton are to-day talking about declaring
war against the United States il the
troops are not remoy d from the islam;
by July .st.
Inc business men of Santiago are
very gllm over the condition of af-
| fairs and say that il is IMPOSSIBLE for
people TO invest any large sums OF mon
ey IN the island until some settled form
| of government is established. and that
Tor tuba 10 ne an independent republic
would mean the utter ruin of the island
even supposing that the Cubans were
better able to govern themselves than
any people III the world; for at one blow
| me sugar industry would he annihila-
| ted, rs the United States is in possession
| or forto Rico on the one side and of
| haWail on the other. which are also
| TWO great sugar producing islands. and
1 the sugar from those places would go
| INTO the United States free of duty:
whereas, even on the best terms the SUI
gar of Cuba. unless the island was an
| ntNcd, would have 10 pay some duty
and would be entirely unable to com
pete with that of the other islands.
Herr Schumann. the German Consul
here. an influential business man. saws
| that nothing would please Germany
| fhan for Cuba to become indep ndcnt.
| because il would mean that they would
still be able, with their beet sugar, TO
| hold their own in the United States. He
believes that Cuba has great possibilities
before her. bur, from n purely business
point of view. he thinks it is impossible
| for the island 10 succeed in any way
| lnless annexed to the United States.
Other merchants here are favorable
| o the Cubans getting home rule. in the
way that any State in the Union has,
believing that they should have the
Eight To govern themselves in the mat
tiers of local taxation. elections and
everything of that nature. But il is
| absolutely impossible in Santiago 10 find
any man Of business standing. any man
who owns any large amount OF land.
| or any man Of intelligence. who does
not say that he is strongly in favor
of annexation to the United States. not
* Il matter Of $ ntiment but as a mat
| ter Of purely business common sense.
though many of them agree that had
Porto Rico and Hawaii not been an
neycd, they would have heen i'm favor
| If Cuba being an independent republic
Many thousands of men have grad
ually driftod into the city expecting
work. This, however, it was Impossible
70 supply them with. or the work that
| was to have been given them had to
| be suspended, owing to the complaint
| from Havana chat the estimates are
very large for this province, although
$4,000 of the revenue of the last
month was sent to Havana.
The work of road-making on an ex-
| tensiye scale has practically been stop
ped. and the dredging Of the. harhos
| and numerous improvements that were
intended have hadeto he d layed on this
account
All these causes combined have tended
| 10 raise spirit Of dissatisfaction, 10 say
| nothing of the long delay in the pay
ment of the employees who are paid
from Havana.
In this province in the course of the
next three weeks, there will only be
| the four white regiments and. the Ninth
immunes available. A regiment Of reg
Mar cavalry is very badly neaded in the
department, and We're it here it could
do lot TO prevent any wholesale taking
to the woods by the Cubans.
Al present there are. only two com
| nanies in each rgiment mounted, but
| General Wood hopes to get the cavalry
regiment here within the next month.