Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-01-18
GEN. WILSON INTERVIEWED
Desire and Expectation of the
Cubans to be Free.
SOLUTION OF SUGAR QUESTION
Affairs in Matanzas and Santa
Clara Provinces.
Gen. Wilson WIN Remain In Wilmington
Until To-day. when He+wtn Go To New
York ON Husiness. ana witb,n IA Week Of
That Time .e viii be at Hrs Post Again.

l AhhE iiIub "iit bn AT ttt AEhtus
Tho desire and expectation of the
Cubans to be free, the importance OF
favorable solution OF the sugar ques-
tion. whereby the Cubans can make
profit en- that product and the fact that
the provinces Of Matanzas and Santa
| Clara, Cuba, are governed not by
American soldiers, but by the civil
authorities ihereof--ail these are points
which stand out in statements made
| to representative of the Gazette Sun
day night by Brigadier- General James
III. Wilson, United States Volunteers,
/ tBreveted Major General in the Regu-
lar Army who is military governor of
the provinces, of Matarzas and Santa
Clara. ,Gen. Wilson arrived in Will
mington ON Saturday afternoon and is
the guest of his daughter, Mrs. Henry
b. Thompson, OF No. 1905 Rodney
street. He will remain here until
today, when he will go to New
York ON business, and within a week
of that time, he expects to be at his post
again, his headquarters being at
i Matanzas.
The general has 6een in Washington,
| where he was called for conference
|
but he declines to discuss this confer
ence, which was had with members of
the administration.
Before becoming military governor,
Gen. Wilson was in command of the
First army corps at Lexington, Ky,
which was removed to Georgia and
thence to Cuba, where the general ar
rived January 10th last year. Tho
volunteers were gradually mustered
out, leaving the regulars under Gen..
Wilson s command, the forces now COM
prising the Second and Tenth Infantry
and the Second Cavalry. At first, Gen.
Wilson had charge of the province of
Matapzas, but early in May, Santa
Clara was added. He has personally
been all through the two provinces,
visiting the towns and villages, and
country districts, by trains, by boat and
on horseback He interviewed leading
people and gathered information by
personal observation and contact with
every important man. So thoroughly
did the general make his arrangements,
that he was accompanied by stenog-
raphet, who took down the questions
and answers aud great quantity of
material was secured, much Of which is
contained in Gen. Wilson's annual
report to the Acknowledgement
His two provinces form nearly one
third of Cuba and INCLUDE nearly half
the populations, having about 500, 600.
They ship half the sugar, have more
; large cities than other provinces and
| sell large proroI tion of tobacco. In
the past year they raised 80 per cent
of the tobacco grown in Cuba, gain
, | of 20 per cent over the previous year.
Tobacco is product which RECEIVERS
rapidly, and docs not require large
capital: man ard his family can fur
nish enough labor to grow crop of
tobacco.
Sugar, on the contrary, requires a
large capital and cannot recover so
rapidly. In addition to the bad effects
, OF the war, sugar was held back by
the unusually dry and unpropitious
weather of this year and last. IA
] The sugar question:" said the gen.
eral, is the great question of Cuba,
and when it is settled, it settles all
other questions. The commercial war
: not only Jamaica and Trinidad, Guada-
loupe, and all the English and French
West Indian Islands, but also Cuba.
! The two revolutions in Cuba are di-
lecty traceabe to The horrid depression
> due to the fall Of the price of sugar,
while the beet sugar industry was heing
stimulated in Europe,
Some figures wero mentioned by the
, general TO illustrate differences in the
!, prices of sugar. Years ago, sugar sold
at $3.50 to $500 a ton, yet il has dropped
to S35 and $40 ton. This fall in the
! prico has marked the ruin CT tho cane
: sugar industry whara ever II has existed
in Cuba, Porto Rico, Jamaica, Gauda-
oure and the British and French
, Guinens and other eastern tropics.
Ii is Just as it would Ee in this
, country, said the general, if tho price
!, of zig iron wfs reduced to $40, and
only ono man in tho country could
make it pay at that price; the others
would have TO quit business. 1t costs
about two conts pound to produce
!, cane sugar, and when the ptice gets
lower than that the producer loses
money. when tho depression became
so great that the planter was forced tc
/ lower the wages of his employees st
. that they could not meet their take:
:. and tho expense of supporting theil
families, trouble came. e
"Whoever," said Gen. Wilson. "make.
I, the conditions such that sugar will bt
? freely introduced and tho Profits vii
/. 20 to the grower and merchant, vii
8 solve the political MS we'll as economical
V questions.
q "If tho United States wore to make
free sugar it would give the Cnbans
!: very large profit on their sugar ant
, greatly stimulate production. Hal!
q tho present tariff rate would also help.
i Tho important thing is that q mat
: may be enabled to have the profit from
4 his own labor and produce. "
/. Tho speaker said that the island is
!. in IL peaeeable condition as far as ht
:. can see There is no want, or starva
i. tion; tho government has been lit'era
!. and the people arcsanxions to get bacl
! to work; tho soil is hountiful. There
Il are many widows and orphans; thi
latter arc in institutions, but their nc
!: commodations might be better. Happil,
n none are in want.
! The island is worry short of cattle
!. The people, used to export hides ant
: tallow, but now they import when thel
/ can afford il. They probably hac
!, 8, 3,O00, 600 cattle before the war began
: il is doubtful if they have mofe thai
/. 150, 600 now. In Gen. Wilson'S provinces
/. there were formerly l,260,0 GOO; nov
there are 7S,000 and many of them arr
imported. Cattle are used extensiyel,
in plowing, some large plantations re
/. uuiiing 1900 head. Mulns have beer
d tried, but they arc not us satisfaction.
" as cattle.
..4nsrc has been great deal of mis-