Evening star., 1901-06-10

| anu no one Is OlSpoSeQ make serious
complaint Of them, but when comparisons
are made with the cost Of the constitution
al convention the comparison Is in favor
Of the delegates
are disposed to complain that. they are
not responsible for certain misunderstand-
| ings which the cable dispatches indicate
have arisen. They do not understand why
Senator Platt, If correctly reported, should
have grievance over the publication of
his letter, which was laid before the COM
mittee that visited Washington. The COM
mfttee did not go there in a personal ca
Pacity. 1t went as the representative of
the convention. If it's members had tried
| to suppress anything that was laid before
them they would have been received with
dlStrust and suspicion by their associates.
Senator Platt's letter was not given out
by President Capote to any Havana news
paper. 1t was appended to the report made
by the committee which visited Washing
ton and became public part of the con-
Vention proceedings. This was weeks ago.
and the Cubans are hardly to be blamed IL
| they failed to understand why at this time
the news OF its publicity should excite in
dignation on the part of the Connecticut
| senator or the Washington officials.
Effect of the 'Platt Letter.
Actually the Platt letter has been one Of
the potential factors in strengthening the
conservative forces in Cuban politics. Sup
plemented by the senator's reported declar-
ations In favor Of reciprocity it has served
to encourage the mercantile classes to CO.
operate with the Cuban politicians in favor
of definite support of American policy.
Ihe real tight which Is to determine
whether the radical or the conservative
| forces shall control may bring out some
recrimination among members of the con-
vention, but these are not likely to settle
the main Issue. At present the radicals are
less aggressive than their talk would fndi-
cate. l have noticed a peculiar fact re-
garding them. This is that some of the
most violent ones are what is known as
Weylerites. The recent municipal cam
pafgn brought out pretty clearly the biog
raphies Of about everybody who was TAX
ing hand in politics. Naturally 1t was
proved that good many of them had rob-
bed their grandmother's graves and had
done other reprehensibe things, but when
allowance was made for the eXaggeraIions
of political campaign it was still dis
closed that many of those who We're seek
ing to be classed rabid revolutionists
had become such only after the tnited
States had driven Spain out of Cuba, and
they were on record sustaining Weyler
In his policy. 1t is not all of this class
who now are clamoring for independence or
death, but they form a distinct element
among the ultra-radicals and their thirst
for Independence is unquenchable.
Lately l heard a number of inquiries re-
garding the possibility of the American
Congress meeting before the regular ses-
sion in December The inquiries were
called out by the newspaper dispatches in
the Philippine question. They reflect feel
ing that it would be possible to get the af
fair Of Cuba again before Congress and
that the tariff concessions which are
sought might be secured in this manner.
Some of the American commercial interests
are advocating this course, though not
openly or actively. Perhaps 1t would be
harsh to charge that they have sought to
encourage the Cubans in holding out
against the Platt amendment. but it is IN
questionable that they contemplate dead
lock with equanimity. 1t is also striking
fact that some of the ultra-radical Cuban
newspapers could not live if they We're not
sustained by parties closely allied with
these commercial interests. Anybody who
wants to keep Cuban newspaper running
can do so if his purse holds out, but the
purse must be long one
Delay In Improving Havana.
From the question of political relations
General Wood sometimes turns aside weari-
ly to another chapter of disappointed Amer
lean expectations. This relates to the long
promised and longer-deferred drainage and
paving of Havana. In the future some one
is going to raise the question Of why moth
ing was done, and nobody will be able to
charge that to the Cubans or the Span
iardS. They not enthusiastic and
never will be this subject; yet what the
American authorities have been able to do
in the way of street cleaning and SANTA
tion has brought them to the mood where
they are willing to acquieSce in any rea
sonabe measure, The clause in the Platt
amendment which provides for sanitation
never aroused a ripple of comment pro-
test.
The trouble now is with the American
capitalists who have arranged to finance
Contractor Dady's plans for sewerage and
paving. 1t would be putting it mildly to
say that these American financiers are
greedy. The public no longer has an inter
est in knowing whether the engineer corps
was determined not to allow Havana to be
severed except under its own auspices.
That stage of the controversy is past but
the Havana people and disinterested Off
cials are thoroughly convinced that s13,-
100000 Is by far too high a price to pay
for this privilege. That the latest Dady)
bid, having been disapproved by the en-
gineer officers and the municipal council,
will be approved by the military governor
is improbable. The work of advertising.
specifying and passing on plans all will
have to be done over again Whether it
will be possible to secure competitive bids
Is a problem, but the American admins
tration, anxious as it is for the sewerage
of Havana, will be fully justified in refus-
ing to award a $1400O,000 contract for
work which can be done for a considerably
smaller figure and still leave large mar
gin Of profit.
A retired New York capitalist who has
interest in the contract told me that
$o,O0O,OO0 paper profit on contract of this
kind was not too great for the risk in
voved. That also is the plea of the cap
italists who are back of Colonel Dady. Yet
there is a very strong belief on the part of
experts that the work can be done for
much less, and If the American authorities
continue stubborn in this conviction the
flnanciers will have to yield or else the
sewerage of Havana will have to be left
as legacy to the Cuban government and
1t is violating no confidence in saying that
the men who are likely to control the Gu
ban government do not want such a leg
acy They are entirely sincere in hoping
that the United States during its period of
NIL nrff nd 11Sjn will ha
work under way. But If the United States
should undertake it on the basis of S14,-
100000 the future Cuban government would
be apt to find fault and complain that the
contract was eXorbtant.
CHARLES NJ. PEPPER
Arrnngcs for Independence Day.
At the meeting of the Oldest Inhabitants
Association at the Corcoran building We'd
nesday evening the subject of celebrating