New-York tribune., 1899-02-10
CUBA'S GREAT TOBACCO MAN.
.uusrAvE BOOKS BUSINESS ABILITY AND
SINGULAR PERSONALITY
y.rs ATTEMPT TO ENTER HAVANA THROUGH THE
BLOCKADE AND HIS FREEDOM OF SPEECH
"A GREAT BUSINESS
Havana. February l.

When the proposed tobacco consolidation
was recently revived everybody in Havana
asked What does Book say about 1t!
What Book said might not he accepted as "a"
and gospel by the New-YorI capitalists, but IN
Cuba England, Germany Russia his opinion
would be taken as conclusive.
The man 70 whom evcrybodys mind turns
when a question comes UP affecting tobacco -
one of The most Interesting personalities IN inc
West Indies He himself docs not know It, II
he did he would not be so interesting The scf-
conscious king Of trade is prone TO be tedious
and offensive bear Gustaye Book in his inter
course is entertaining and instructive, without
a particle Of cgousm. A large proportion Of the
civilized world smokes and to it he is so well
known that an introduction would be superhu-
Gus People in the United States who do not
smoke got acquainted with him through the
newspapers during the war with Spain when
hts efforts 10 run the blockade gave him promi-
nence.
The German business colony in Havana dates
back 10 the first quarter Of the present century.
The Hamburg ard Brcmen merchants estab-
l,shed themselves when Spain made the COM
merce OF the Antilles free 10 the rest Of the
world. They were among the first TO engage in
the tobacco trade. Book came out forty years
ago when he was young man Of twenty-one
iquently suffered from the various malades OF
the tropics His business career was that OF
many Of his cauntrymen on q wider sca.e. He
did not bother with anything except tobacco
In time the Rock factory came % be one OF the
best known n the world. Tic owner was
known through his works. A fcw years ago his
sactory was combined with the Henry clay
Henry Clay IS better known In Austria and two
or three other countries of Europe than the gen
eralty Of American statesmen because the mar
ket OF that brand Of cigars IS In those coun-
tries When Y. :. Calhoun came 70 Cuba IN
the spring Of 1897 on a special mission for
president Mckinley II gave Mr.. Book the great
est pleasure tn have him carry to Washington
a box Of Henry Clays for the President
During the insurrection n was not matter
pf doubt that the Book tobacco interests We're
with the Spanish Government They fought
the insurgents and the insurgents fought them
with varying success and with smaller quaint
ties OF tobacco grown each year on the lands
controlled by the Book factories. Ultimately
Mr. Book took fifteen hundred hands and trans
ferred them 70 the Isle Of Pines where II was
possible for thcm 10 work peacefully, though
the soil was not suitable for tobacco-ra!sing
as IN Pinar del Rio. When the war between the
United States and Spain broke out Mr.. Beck
was in Europe arranging the details Of a plan
'Sor consolidating his own factories and several
'others for an English syndicate. That plan has
since been carried out He left Hamburg and
went to New York and Washington. Represen-
tations were made which secured for him from
the Navy Department permission to pass the
blockadng line and enter Cuba If Admiral
Sampson saw no objections. The German Am
bassador indorsed his application. and General
Fitzhugh Lee did the same. on the ground
of his immense business interests. which were
suffering by his absence. Other personages IN
fuential in business and in public affairs, who
knew Mr. Books personal character and In
tegrity. added their recommendations.
Armed with these credentials Mr. Book came
10 Key West Naval officers and other persons
who were there recall the sensation he caused
The manner in which he proceeded was IN full
keepng with his utter lack Of self-conscious-
ness. Within few hours everybody was In his
confidence. He showed letters and kilograms
which established his standing at Madrid.
He wanted TO return to Havana TO look after
his business interests, and he made no secret Of
it. He also had hts opinions on pending Ques-
tlons and these We're made known with aston
Ssh,ng frankness A few months previously he
had given utterance 70 the view that Cuba was
already commercially annexed to the United
States and this being So he did not think the
United States should trouble Spain further. He
did not think the Cubans were capable Of main
ltain!ng an independent government and he up
held the course Of the Spanish authorities In
dealing with them. In all his talk he was en-
tirely obvous Of the fact that the insurgents
had been eliminated. and that 1t was the
United States and Spain which were at war.
At the time when Mr.. Book appeared in Key
West a strict censorship was maintained on
lpress kilograms. for fear that news which would
be Of service TO the enemy might reach Madrid
and Havana Every possible avenue Of infor
i,nation was closed. Admiral Sampson is reti-
cent man. not given to explosive uttersnces.
When Mr. Books application TO pass tho block
iading line presented he did not say much.
lOther naval commanders who explosive
made comments that sounded like a shell from
an S-inch gun The Admiral saw decided objec-
i1ions to letting anybody whether he had great
business interests or not. pass the blockading
squadron These objections were made known
in positive language If there had been no OBJ
,iection on principle the evidences Of Mr. Books
,loouacitv would have been sufficient 10 bsr him
out. In a half-hour's chat General Banco
any Spanish official would have cleaned every
thing that Mr.. Book had learned In the United
States and the latter would have been uncon-
,scious Of having disclosed valuable information.
He would Just have talked about what he saw,
q I'd would have told General Blanco what he
Thought as we'll
In spite Of the Adrirals prohibition Mr.. Book
continued his efforts 10 run the blockade. II
was all done openly. Finally z sharp order came
from Washington blaclllisting him. Then he
went 10 Mexico. From there he got passage on
the German steamer Gcier but when 4 entered
Havana Harbor the protocol had been signed
and the blockade was raised The business in
terests which he had sought 10 protect had suf-
feed. A thousand oxen had been taken by
iBlanco from the tobacco plantations for the use
Mt Thg - fYf f.f at Afnftr
Fad tried 10 save these oxen. and had failed.
Mr. Book positive that II he had been able
10 reach Havana IN May or June he could have
saved the oxen.
"People said was spy and a colonel of the
ispanish volunteers" he remarked recently g.
speaking Of the incident. Il was neither.