Arizona republican., 1901-12-03
CubanS |mpOrtunate for Im-
 mediate ACtiOn
Cannot Understand Why the Presi- dent and Secretary of State Can Not at Once Give What They Want.

to all of her products If not entirely free. then the lowest possible tariff rates.
 ] The war with Spain changed great
 many things; among them, the point of view Of the Cubans. Before they re-
 volted against their mother country.
 and during the revolt. their products
 were subject to tariff duties in Spain which was never leniently disposed in
 such matters, even levying ''octroi' duties at the maginary walls of every i imaginary town. Cubans had to bear
 also the burden of tariff duties upon their sugar, tobacco. molasses and
 other products when they were shipped
 into the United States. The high rates
 of duty and the numerous "octroi"
 taxes still hold in the land of the casta-
 net, and of ''manana,'' and of Weyler: | likewise the duties that this country
 has found necessary to levy upon ocr-
 tain products of Cuba and other trop- ical countries to protect similar prod
 ucts of the farmers of the United States.
 But the Cubans are demanding that, since the United States has delivered
 them out of the hands of Spain, she should go to the full length of magma
 nimity and remove the tariff on sugar. 1 tobacco and molasses, and make sweep | ing reductions all along the tariff line. | If a prohibitive tariff were levied on | logic. the Cubans could have been ad-
 mitted at any port of the United States.
 They have come to Washington repeat | edly with the most impossible proposi- | tions. Today another delegation head
 ed by Francisco Gamba, president of
 the General Society of Merchants and Business men of the island of Cuba. | and presented e petition to the presi- | dent, to the secretary of war and to other officials-to whom it may concern | as well as to the senate and house of
 representatives, to reduce at once the
 duties on certain Cuban products. | In vain has Mir. Roosevelt, the sec
 retary Of war and Governor Wood as-
 sured the Cubans that the war depart
 ment. which is temporarily in the sad
 de in Cuba, has no authority to reduce | duties on articles coming into this
 country; thnt the president has no such
 authority. and that congress, even. cannot do so except in regard to an
 independent government. But this is logic, and the Cubans do not want logic. They insist upon the reduction of duties.
 ! Molasses and raw sugar up to No. IS, Dutch standard, they want admitted
 free. They plead for heavy reductions
 on tobacco in all forms, and on alcohol, | spirits and rum Cby-products of sugar | cane), and ask that mo internal rev
 enue tax or impost annulling the con- sessions above solicited be established
 in the United States"
 The most remarkable portion of the petition is. however. the statement that
 the remedies asked for must be applied ! at once. The economic condition is
 such, the delegates say. as to admit of
 no delay. To the assertion that no one l fO they at
 once. To the argument that only con- gress can remove tariff duties, they
 say. remove them immediately. To the protestation of the president that even 1 congress cannot act. save with respect
 to an independent country and an es- | tablished government. they say, let l somebody remove the duties instantly. ! Cuba's oituatio Is critical-almost ! hopeless. The soil has not yet been
 won back to its former fertility; the | farmers-those of them who survived
 the long struggle for Hberty-have not been able to till the old farms with
 former success. The crops of sugar
 and tobacco have fallen behind. far be- ! hind, those of former years. It will be ! several years yet before the island can
 possibly produce it's accustomed yield
 of any of its great harvests. h the
 meanwhile. no matter what the tariff | | Cubans must suffer.
 | They will suffer the more the higher l these tariff duties are; but the inexor-
 able argument of the tariff is that it is | levied to protect the home and not the
 outside world. But Cuba wants to share the protection of it, without
 the necessary qualihcation-membe | ship in the American union.
 Cuba will not be put off with the as- ! @ -Df4
 do anything in the matter until after the Cuban government has been or
 ganized, SO that we may treat with ar | independent nation. If the war de- | partment can reduce or remove duties
 on imports into Cuba now, they say
 why it not remove or reduce duties
 on exports from Cuba? They won't
 understand the answer. that it cannot. | They are fast In the belief that some
 branch of the government-either the
 president, or the war department, or
 the governor of Cuba, or the senators, | or the representa- tives, or some two or ! three of them. or half of them, or all of them, before congress meets. or after, 1 or before Cuba becomes Cuba. or after
 now, al once, and off-hand-can re- move and reduce duties, with the stroke of pen.
 The president could only assure the Cubans that he thought they would find
 his message to congress satisfactory
 reading in respect to Cuba The secre-
 tary of war repeated that he would give the petition his careful considera- 1 ton. but could not act at this time.
 Congress has not yet been heard from. It is a sad situation. and one with
 which Mr- Roosevelt wishes that he or
 some branch of the government might
 deal. but his hands are tied by the con stitution-an instrument with which