The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-11-30
The Cuban White Elephant.

giants over the administra-
tion's proposition I" confer
preferential duties on cuban sugar
and tobacco seems already assured.
The uape,s which reflect III" St"i'-
n"nts of the beet sugar and h"In" TO-
harco interests are iull of nn'innus
port.nis. and they are receiving en-
co,iraarnl.nt from other strongly pro-
trcted interests which fear that ''"rip-
rority with cuba might be used as the
opening w.d.. in IA campaign for the
withdrawal of some ni The high duties
no longer necessary for protective pur-
poses. a good idea Of the sillia tio!' AT
Washington upon this subject Is sup
piled in an interview had by Walter
Welin,an with an influential senator
wh., masks behind anonymity.
Il confess" he is quoted a. saying:
that am in one nf the greatest
uuaudareS OF my whole public career
II is true that We are in certain
sense responsible for cuba. Secretary
Root is right when hs says that W.
have guaranteed cuban independence
and that II is our duty to maintain il.
not only by force if necessary. hu, by
such ecnunmic dispositions as will ru-
able cuba to prosper. easily per
csive the force of the argument that
Cuba cannot stand alone and maintain
a r.ac.fuI status that will Il" credit
to our handiMnrk in the Upbuildins of
that young stat" unless the Cuban
sugar growers can have "a fair market
for their produce iu this country.
further believe il to be true that unless
We max. concessions 10 cube On her
sugar. so that prosperity and peaceful
conditions may cui," /" her. the am
n"Xatim movement will gain such
healway that il will y" almost impuS-
sshle 10 stop il. | have no sympathy
with the i'"; that it Nn,l, b. our duty
tn annex cuba if thu CubauS w-r" 10
ask it. HnG | hay" no hesitation in
saving that III. senators who joined
with m" in putting through lh- Plalt
amendment t" the army bill We're
largely conservatives who want no an
ucNatiou of any Of our outlying terri
tory. The best way 10 prevent annex
;,tun is To- :;iv" cuba Industrial pros
pnrity. and that can only b" done by
means of taking off u, least II part If
the tAN on Cuban sugar coming to this
country.
'Rut her" come oar beet sugar far
n"rS of the west. our cane sugar men
Of Louisiana. the tobacco growers uf
Connecticut, Wisconsin, aud Other.
states declaring that i, is All very
W"ll /" talk of being generous to cuba
IN, that charity should begin ui home:
that III" ,nhunr have much less rieAt
10 consideration nr III" hands of con-
gross than hnv" the men who live in
this country and who. in many m-
s,aneS under The l-uderShiu of the
United States ,I"nartmrnt ui auri,ul-
,ur", HAY" built lp u new Industry for
~hich they Mere promised III" Drn,-,'-
ton nf oiu tariff system. They have
iiahl On their side, 100, AMI IL Is "A uiuSr
difficult thing To reach Il conclusion
between III" two contentious. | con-
i"Ss that | am unable iu tor-Srt. The
outcome, Probably il will md in am
other ''omnrunlisr. a. most such mat
tors do The tnbanS came here askiu.
that all of IN" dury be- taken Oft. Now
hear they will be satisfied with a
20 rcr cent, reduction. Possibly in IN.
end congress may "nurlul- /" give
them ~ p"r cent.
much viii d"prnd upon the thrts ua
they ar" presented I" congress. The
i,ArI Ib,n,,i, III l,N,. Ia, ,I,
Whai "vtrn, reduction of the tax on
tn" cuban product Will injur" them.
according 10 IN! notion their attitude
is not altogether consistent. They claim
on the on" hand that II reduction uf
tn" cuban sugar ti'N viii greatly mjurr
their business This could b" done only
by lowering t.e price al sugar 10 the
consumer IN tllS "ouitrN. ,In the other
hand they claim lhu, if congress takes
nn some uf III" tax rNnly dollar of re-
duclion win fad is way, r"t into the
pockets Of the colsumers through
cheaper sugar. bul into The treasury of
the sugar trust. which controls all The
sugar innorrations and which. accord.
lne 10 their views. is behind this agl-
,allon and using the cuban planters aS
'atsplWs Now l cannot see how both
IF thes" claims can be well founded II
~ asslule tbat the trust vOckets the
tax reduction. then the price of sugar
n this market is nor lowered. and the
lome producers are not hurt. II On the
,thet hand tho price nj sugar b. re-
iuced. that brings in the rights Of The
'unSu Sumpr, and thpy are worth Soui.