Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-03-08
SITUATION Al SANTIAGO
Cubans Talk About Declaring War
Against the United States.
Complexion or P0iIiionI n fairs Grad.
uaIIy Change Business Men <;Ium
Over Condition OF ATnirs-Gcr-
many Enyors Cuban Independence
Correspondence of the Associated
PreSs)

Correspondence of the Associated
Press.)
Santiago de Cuba. February 2s.-The
complexion Of political affairs in the
province of Santiago has been gradual
ly changing since the beginning of Jan
uary. This is due to more than one
cause. but the main reason is probably
the fact that the people themselves are
out of sympathy with everything, even
a benefaction. that comes to them
through Havana. Men who Il few short
weeks ago were enthusiastically in ia
vor of annexation are to-day talking
about declaring war against the United
States If the troops are not removed
from the island by July LIST.
BUSINESS MEN GLUM.
The business men OF Santiago are
very Glum over the condition of affairs
and say that it is Impossible for people
to invest any large sums of money in
the island until some settled form of
government is established. and that for
Cuba to be an independent republic
would mean the utter ruin OF the island
even suppos!ng that the Cubans We're
better able TO govern themselves than
any people in the world. for at one
bioN INC sugar ll!uuSLTy would ne ami
hi!a;ed as the United States Is in pos
session of Porto Rico an the one side
and Of Hawaii on the other, which are
also TWO great sugar producing islands
and the sugar from those places would
go into the United States free Of duty,
whereas. even on the best terms, the
sugar OF Cuba. unless the island was
annexed, would have to pay some duty
and would be entirely unable 10 COM
pete with that of the other islands.
GERMANY DESIRES CUBAN IN
DEPENDENCE.
Herr Schumann, the German Con-
sui here. an influential business man,
says that nothing would please Ger
many. more than for Cuba to become
independent because it 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. but.
from a purely business point of view.
he thinks 1t is impossible for the is
land to succeed in any way unless an
neXed to the United States.
MERCHANTS ARE FAVORABLE.
Other merchants here are favorable
to the Cubans getting home rule. in
the way that any State in the Union
has, believing that they should have
the right to govern themselves in mat
tiers of loca! taxation. elections and
everything of that nature. But it is
absolutely impossible in Santiago to
lind 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 ot annexation to the United
States. not as Il matter of sentiment.
but as matter of purely business
common sense, though many OF them
agree that had Porto Rico and Hawa .
not been annexed. they would have
been in favor Of Cuba being an in
dependent republic.
MANY IDLE MEN.
Many thousands of men have grad
ually drifted into the city expecting
work. This. however, it was impossible
to supply them with, for the work that
was to have been given them had to be
suspended owing TO the complaint from