The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-27
THE COMMERCIAL REBUILDING OF
CUBA

Foreign countries and the commercial
terest the progress of American efforts to
establish healthy business conditions in Cuba
The result of these efforts will be a criterion
by which American methods will be Judged
and, owing to the difficult conditions, it will
be a severe test Merely to enforce order in
Cuba, to suppress lawlessness and brigand-
age and to establish a new form of govern
ment will be easy compared with the res
toraton of confidence and the rehabilitation
of domestic and foreign trade. There is
reason to believe that the island has never
enjoyed anything like the prosperity and
trade it is entitled to by reason of it's great
natural resources of soil, climate, products
etc. 1t has been more prosperous at some
times than at others and during some of it's
longer periods of peace its trade has reached
comparatively fair proportions, but it has
never been what it should have been and
would have been under good laws and a
stable government administered by honest
officials in the interest of Cuba, instead of
a bad government, administered by COR
morants, bloodsuckers and thieves in the
interest of Spain and themselves If the
United States succeeds in pacifying Cuba
not only in military sense, but in busi-
ness sense, restoring confidence and trade
and rebuilding the industries and commerce
of the island and giving it the place in the
commercial world to which its natural re-
sources entitle it, the whole world will rec
ognize the achievement as a signal victory
for American methods and American talent
for organization and administration.
1t will take a good while to accomplish
this, but it will be done. A start has all
ready been made and some results are be-
ginning to appear. Almost every day brings
Information of some new reform. Yester-
day it was stated that on Feb. there would
be established in Havana system Of
bonded warehouses, hitherto unknown there
and which would be largely patronized and
prove a great convenience to commerce.
This is only one of many new features all
ready introduced by Collector Bliss a Ha-
vana. In fact. since Colonel Bliss and his
staff took charge of the customhouse at
Havana it has been completely reorganized.
Long-standing abuses the results of Span
ish incompetence and corruption, have been
reformed and new methods introduced An
estimate made by the customhouse officials
a few days ago showed that the receipts are
now at the rate of $13OOO,0JO to SIS, O00. 600 a
year, against about 100000 under the
Spanish regime. THE warehouses are
packed to overcrowdng with goods" says
u correspondent. land a number of ships
have lain at anchor in the bay for many
days over their regular time because of the
absence of a sufficient fotilla of lighters
with which to transship the consignments
from craft to dock" Business men in Ha-
vana are beginning to understand that the
days of smuggling, bribery, extortion
Matchmaking and corruption of all kinds are
past, and as they become acquainted with
American methods they appreciate the
change. In time this feeling in Havana will
spread to other places and throughout the
island. 1t already exists in Santiago even
to a greater extent than in Havana. The
conduct of comparatively a few malcon-
tents or unreconstructed insurgents can
not prevent the spread of this feeling among
the mass Of the people. especially among
the better class. who, with the backing of
the Americans will be the ruling class. in
Guiding Spaniards as well as Cuhans. and
IT will not be long till confidence will begin
to revive all over the island. With the SUI
gar and tobacco industries restored and the
planters protected as they will be. business
of all kinds viii improve and Cuba viii en-
ter on career Of development and prosper
ity such as she has never known before