Omaha daily bee., 1899-01-04
NElKLEJOHN IS KEPT BUSY
War Department Confronted With Many
Taxing Problems.
VARIOUS FRANCHISES ARE APPLIED FOR
Many Conditions Have No Precedent
Upon which to Base Action-Cus-
toms viii He Collected mt
Much Smaller Expense.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3.-tSpecial.)-T
new year opens with greatly Increased re-
sponsibilties resting upon the shoulders
OF Assistant Secretary OF War Meiklejohn
There is no official connected with the gov
ernment outside OF the president and one
or two members OF the cabinet who feel
the added burdens incident to the newly
acquired territory more than does the as
sistant secretary OF war. Upon him will
devolve the settlement OF a great many
weighty questions which now confront the
United States by reason OF the possession
OF our colonies. The granting OF frachises
in Cuba and Porto Rico has been placed by
the president in the control OF the secre-
tary OF war and he In turn has transferred
all the responsibility to his assistant Sec
tectary.
Many OF the questions with which Mr..
Meiklejohn will have to deal are without
precedent so far as the laws Of the United
States are concerned. Upon him will de-
volve the responsibility OF blazing the way
for the solution OF insular affairs, the COL
iectlon Of customs, the granting of fran
chises, including all matters coming under
that term electric railroads. electric
lighting systems. gas companies. steam
railroads, wharfage facilities. In fact every
thing which the American mind regards as
q money-making venture. Applications for
concessions have already been made from
eyndicatos and organizations representing
from SIC, 600. 900 to $25 900 900 Of capital, and
these applications for franchises do not
come from any one section Of the country,
but represent all sections, the American
people generally, so far as the question OF
concessions Is concerned, seeming to rec
ognize that the possibilities OF the develop
ment Of Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philip
pines are unlimited.
Mainly the franchises sought for look in
the direction OF electrical improvements,
such as street lighting and transportation.
These are modern conveniences which the
islands lack and which the American peo-
pie are in position to supply.
Many Tourists Visit Cuba.
Applications are also coming In from all
over the United States from individuals
asking for permission to visit the islands
and look them over. Requests for passports
are also coming In, but In talk had with
the assistant secretary he stated that pass
ports were not required. as Porto Rico was
now q part Of the United States and that
Cuba was under American guardianship
until such time as the people Of that is
land could get together and in constitu-
tional convention proceed % do those nee
essary things looking to the establishment
OF a stable government. So vast are the
interests devolving upon the government for
consideration that the secretary OF war will
undoubtedly order Mr.. Meiklejohn to pro-
coed to Cuba early in January to look over
the field with a view Of being better ac-
quainted with the needs OF the Islands of
Porto Rico and Cuba.
Upon the question of a comparison be-
tween Spanish and American administra-
tion, Mr.. Meiklejohn stated that 1t had
cost the Spanish government about $780,
900 year to collect the customs duties
which aggregated in 1897 $15.OOO,OOO. The
List Of employees, at the sixteen. ports ip-
cluding Havana, he stated has been un-
necessarily large, mainly for the purpose.
apparently. OF affording places to persons