Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-24
Cuba Entering Upon a Campaign for
Reciprocity.
SYSTEMATIC And WE'LL ORGANIZED
Backed by the Agricultural and
Commercial interests.
IMPORTANCE OF AGITATION


Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
HAVANA. January 1s. 1901.
Cuba is entering upon a systematic cam
paign for reciprocity. II will be two
years campaign. perhaps longer. 1t Is as
full Of meaning for the United States as
for the Island. The movement is gaining
surprising Roadway 1t has as its basis
organization. Supporting it are the agri-
cultural and commercial interests of the
island. Even tho political interests are
drawn into it
The condition which gives rise to the move
ment is an economical one, and the full
force Of economic causes is working. The
strength thus far shown has been due to
the realization on the part of the Planters
and commercial Glasses that their only
hope is in organization.
one phase of. this agitation cannot be
overlooked in the United States. This is
the demand -of the Cuban industrial and
commercial classes for equality OF power
i'm making the tariff arrangements between
the. two countries. They are likely TO MAKE
themselves heard in protesting against the
United States utilizing the military power
Of belIigerert rights to make tariH let
ing in American products AZ us own ia .e''
while taking refuge in the inability OF the
executive To fix the rates under Whfh
sugar tobacco and fruits arc admitted INTO
the 7 nited States unless sanctioned oy tile
/ the Discrimination against which the
pla nters arc protesting most energetlcallE
Nobody is likely to suner because ioI
ten or twelve months more -four ana other
breadstuffS lard, bacon and similar PACK
tine-hotise products are admitted into CuDt
AT the low rates fixed by the military tariit'
while sugar and tobacco imported INTO tue
United States continue to pay the Dlhs;ey
rates But during this ten or t"efEe
months the agitation To show me lhequal.
jty of this arrangement is going TO De kept
M steadily. If the beet-SroWlnS ana TO-
hacco-raising interests in the states an
tagonIze the movement. as they ait
threatering' to do the hope of the CUBAN
.producers Is that domestic Phase OF 'ue
subject will be brought home TO the Ai.le i,
can, people. and the Mississippi valley. VIZ
its hreadstuffs and packing-nouSe PIouuIla;,
and the manufacturers OF New hnsiailo
and the east will combine their influence
10 see whether the Cuban market Is 10 De
kept open on the present Advantageous
terms. ;.a,i,,,
an, its political side will be the agitation,
f,r the acceptance of the constitution anu
the. early election of cuban coIsieea
which will have power To impose Tai '
make commercial treaties
Reaching Clear Conception.
IT has taken some time for the planters
aud the tobacco growers and the CONNER
cal bodies 10 get their exact bearings III
:, me points they still show confusion eut
th. difference between the Legislative and
81 oxacutiya functions in Washington
,I,I,eir nresent movement is dire cted on tne
Inc of securing tariff conc sssiohS MhiIi'
will place them on an equal plane Win thc
other West India Islands which nave ne
rotiated reciprocity arrangements. iHeS
yjlI ask more than this. for they want lhe
same commercial privileges with respect "
tobacco and sugar that have peeh gwen "
f,prto RicB The planters have just begun
hn
capsed those reciprocity arrangements 10
be hung up in the United States senate
Trey are seeking to have. their own de-
r,;nts PLACED before Congress at TINS Ses-
sior With the knowledge that no action
1siII be taken on the other West India prop
nsitions they will be content % get their
case where. Congress and the American peo-
pie will understand that 1t must De coilsld-
- I'd during the nine months interval.
Whatever the political conditions may
prove 10 be, there is nothing IN Cuba to
Justify the expectation that a period OF IN
dJis,riaI calm may he looked for as soon as
congress adiourns The mortgage extern
sion decree which originally was made by
General Weyier, and which was extehueo
for two years by General Brooke, under
direction from ashington. expires on MAY
4 This decree was an absolute prohibition
of foreclosure of mortgages IL was JUS
tilted by the distress and bankruptcy whlch
existed when American control was assun-
ed though il did work hardship on the
creditors The creditor class III Cuba had
been in the habit of getting such enormous
interest that II received no sympathy when
this decree WAS enforced. but a point now
has been reached where its rights have 10
be taken into account. and there is no
probability that The mortgage decree viii
be extended beyond May /.
This years sugar crop. with the good
prices which are obtained, is going to help
many OF the planters to save their cs
tates. provided they can see some assur-
anCe for two or three years ahead That
assurance can come from the knowledge
that Cuban sugar will be admitted in the
| -nited States at reduced rate. This hope
is powerful impetus 10 the planters keep
ing up an organized agitation for what Mr.
Lacoste. secretary Of agriculture. calls
compromising concessions. They also
have the advice of some American capital
lists. who have been buying large tracts of
virgin sugar land in the central and east
part of the island These capitalists
are keeping in the background They do
not want too much company. Publicly they
take somewhat gloomy view of the indus
tAil future of the island, and discourage
others of their counLrymen from making
Investments because of what they call the
political uncertainty. But they keep on
buying cane land for themselves.
Strong showing.
The full Significance of this reciprocity
movement will be appreciated later AT
present ii makes a showing which entities
ii To respect. The Planters Association. the
Union of Cigar Manufacturers. the Mer-
chants and Manufacturers Association the
Economic Society and the produce exchange
all are enlisted In it. while the tobacco
growers of Pinar del Rio support it. as do
the municipalities throughout the island.
The three political parties are the repubii-
can. the national and the union democratic.
Complaint is made that the latter organiZa-
ton is TOO forward. because its platform Is
an American protectorate, with the expecta-
ton of ultimate annexation. This platform
i based on the theory that Cuba already is
commercially annexed to the United States.
The union-demOcratic party is not very
strong and probably will not prove a great
factor In the reciprocity campaign for the
present
How far the action of the planters and
other associations is going to draw the
country people with them into a political
movement is yet uncertain. / am in
clined to think that the immediate results
in this direction will be disappointing.
Actually the movement has more value in
awakening the planters and the CONNER
cial classes to the knowledge that the
American government helps only those VINO
help themselves, and that only by organized
and persistent demands on Washington will
they be able TO procure the compromising
concessions" which are the basis of reci-
procity. ----s-e
C..S..lH- nR V....s