Omaha daily bee., 1899-06-22
As To FRANCHISES IN crRA.


The indications are that strong
pressure will be made upon the next
congress for the repeal of the provision
In the army appropriation bill of the
last congress declaring that no prop.
erty franchises or concessions of any
kind whatever shall he granted by the
United States or by any military or
other authority whatever in the island
of Cuba during the occupation thereof
by the United States" 1t Is apparent
that syndlcates and corporations want
ing concessions in Cuba are preparing TO
urge the repeal of this provision ana
have already enlisted the support of
some newspapers and government of.
ficials. The ground upon which repeai
is urged is that the provision is a him
drance to the development of business
in Cuba.
This amendment to the army appro-
priation bill was proposed by Senator
Foraker of Ohio, was thoroughly dis
cussed and was adopted in the senate
by a vote of AZ to II. There was no
opposition to 1t in the house. The
amendment was suggested by the eX,
ccutve appointment of an advisory
board "to investigate and report upon
taxation, franchises and concessions in
Cuba and Porto Rico" In the debate
on the amendment Senator Foraker
said that 1--WE do not want the granting
of any franchises, either interprovincial
or otherwise, in the island of Cuba"
and Senator Lodge declared that 1t
seemed to him to be of "the last I'M
portance that congress should say by
statute, and say to all the world, that
while we are holding these islands by
military authority we are not going TO
have them exploited for commercial
purposes" 81 want to see this amend
ment go upon the BILL" said the Massa-
chusetts senator, "because want to say
plainly to all the world and to all spec
ulators and to all adventurers who are
trying to get concessions or franchises
there that that business is not going on
while we hold military authority; that
it is not to be done until those people
have a legal, constitutional and proper
government. / think that is just and
n righteous action for the United States
to take" Other senators spoke In Il
similar vein, the opposition being chiefly
on the ground that the amendment was
unnecessary because it was not the in
tention to grant franchises or conces-
sions.
The reasons urged last March in sup
port of this legislation are as sound and
valid now as they were then and 1t Is
not to be doubted that the decisive ma
jorty by which it was adopted will be
found opposed to repeal. There has
been no change in the Cuban situation
to Justify the slightest departure from
the just principle embodied in this ac-
tion of the last congress, namely, that
the granting of franchises should be left
for the people of Cuba when they shall
have established their own government.
The United States is merely in military
occupation, for the purpose of pacifying
the island and enabling the people to
form an Independent government. In
that capacity we should, as was said
by Senator Lodge, hold ourselves alb
solutely free from the slightest sus-
picion even that there is jobbery or
corruption, or that we are trying to eX-
ploit the island for the beneni OF In
dividuals or of corporations. 1t may
be a fact that this policy will retard
business development, but the remedy is
in the hands of the Cuban people and
our obvious duty is to leave its applica
tipn 10 tban, cir oil
efforts to induce them to apply it as
soon as practicable.