The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1901-12-28

a concession shall be made from the |
tariff duties now imposed by the
United States upon the principal
Cuban products.
sThe prosperity of Cuba depends
upon finding a market for her prln-
clral products-sugar and Tobacco
at a reasonable profit. Under ex.
listing conditions, or any conditions
which are to be anticipated, she can
find such a market for her sugar,
and to great degree for tobacco,
only in the United States. Under
the existing provisions of the Unit
ed States Tariff law, the prices
which can be realized for Cuban
sugar and large part of Cuban
tobacco in this market are not suffi.
cient to pay the duties, cost of
transportation and production, and
yield living profit to the produ-'
Ger.
81 beg to refer to discussion OF
this subject IN my annual report
of lS9 9, and confirm, in the light
of the two years which have elapsed
the conclusion therein stated in the
following words:
Gas the United States ls the
great market for Cuban sugar. and
the prosperity of Cuba depends
upon that market it is highly prob@.
BILE that however competent and
efficient may be the government OF
Cuba, into whose hands we surrend-
er the control of the lslani, the
first measure of self-preservation
which that government will be COM
PEELED to consider will be to under
take to secure from the United
States some tariff arrangement un-
der which Cuba can sell her suga.
at profit. The uncertainty wheth-
CT that arrangement can be made
now stands in the way of the revlv.
al of the sugar industry in Cuba
1t cannot be doubted that. when
the question of future relations
between this country and Cuba
comes to be considered by the re
representatives. of the two countries
the United States will deal gener
ously IN all respects with the PEG
pie for whom ~she has made sucl
great sacrifices.
s.In reliance upon fair and gener
ous treatment by the United States
the Cuban planters have made siren
uous efforts to revive their great in
dustrs, and have raised their pro
duct Of sugar from sos, 900 tons il
1899 to els, 900 tons in 1900, Will
the output for the present year i
estimated at something over 500,
OOo tons. Inclted by our precep
and trusting to our friendship, the
have struggled to retrieve the dis
} asters under which their countr
J had suffered. All the capital the
] had or could borrow has been II
vested in the rebuilding OF thei
mills and replarting Of their land
More than half of the people of th
island are depending directly or II
directly upon the success of ths
industry. If 1t succeeds, we ma
expect peace, plenty, domestic OF
! der, and the happiness Of free an
I and contented people to reward tb
sacrifice of American lives an
f treasure through which Cuba wa
set free. If 1t fails, we may expe.
that the fields will again becom
waste, the mills will again be di
man.led, the great body OF laborel
! will be thrown out Of employment
!. and that poverty and starvation
: disorder and anarchy will ensu'
q that the charities and tie scho;
which we have been building q
i will find no money fer their SUI
> port, and will be discontinued; thu
i the sanitary precautions which ha,
!. made Cuba no longer dreade
source of pestllence, but one Of Il
most healthy island in the world
/ will of necessity be abandoned, an
our Atlantic seaboard must agal
: suffer from the injury to CONNER,
{ and the maintenance of Quaral
tines at an annual cost of man
. millions.
/ .Cuba has acqalesced IN OF
4 - Al