The San Francisco call., 1901-12-05
CUBA FINDS
A FRIEND IN
ROOSEVELT
President Working Hard
for Relief Of the
Island.
Governor Wood Aids Him
in Enlisting Strong
Sympathy.
Some Measure of Reciprocity on Su-
gar and Tobacco Should, They
Declare, Be Immediately
Granted.
Special Dispatch to The call.

CALL BUREAU, 14O6 G STREET. N
W., Dec 4.-President Roosevelt, with
able and persistent support from Secre-
tary Root and General Leonard Wood, is
forcing to the front the question of relief
for Cuba 1t will speedily become the
absorbing question before Congress and
afford the first test of the new Presidents
influence with the legislative branch. He
is urging immediate action in order to in
sure the tranquility and prosperity of the
island and aserts that unless something
is done within month the consequences
will be serious.
Furthermore the administration takes
the position that responsibility for the
peace and happiness of Cuba now rests
with Congress and that 1t is the great
moral question Of the hour.
So urgent is the President in this mat
ter that he is taking every possible oppor-
tunity to put the situation before the SEN
ate and House leaders and General Wood
is here for the purpose Of explaining
Cuban conditions to the lawmakers.
To-day Wood was at the Capitol in long
consultation with leading Senators, urg-
ing some immediate measure of reciproc-
ity on Cuban sugar and tobacco. particu-
larly the former.
Wood Talks of Cuba.
General Wood has come to Washing
ton from Cuba at the request Of the
President and Secretary Root and last
night he met at Roosevelt's table such
we'll known protection Senators as Hanna,
Plat of Connecticut, Elkins, Kean, Bev-
eridge and Scott and explained to them
the necessity for immediate relief.
General Wood admits frankly that he
has radically changed his views in regard
to the Cuban situation. He formerly held
the opinion that Cuba would soon become
prosperous in spite of lack of reciprocal
relations with the United States; that she
would work out her own salvation, once
free, and in fact that there were no clouds
in the Cuban skies. Personal observation
of months and close contact with leading
business men have, however, convinced
him that something must be done by the
American Congress before any commercial
advancement can be made Part of the
sugar crop in the island is ready to be
ground and the rest is ready to cut. Un-
less some arrangement can be made for a
market in the United States a tremendous
loss will be the result.
Cubans Entertain Hope.
The Cubans are waiting and time is an
important factor. They point to Porto
Rico and say that under the present COM
mercial relations sugar plants there are
yielding 40 per cent on the investment.
They point to the fact that Cuba buys
annually s37, OOo, 900 in goods from England
and Germany because the United States
markets are not open to their products
and they pointedly ask why we should
spend blood and money in freeing
Cuba and then allow others to reap the
reward. All this Is from the standpoint
of Cuban, as related by General Wood.
The administration takes the position
that relief for the island does not in
volve a question of revenue at home. 1t
is not matter of much Importance to
any great industry in the United States,
but it is everything to the Cubans 1t
means prosperity or panic hope or de-
spair, tranquility or uprisings.
Hardly had the Presidents recommend
ations regarding Cuba been read in Con-
gress when he began reinforcing his
message by direct and indirect appeals to
the leading members. 1t is not denied
that these have been effective. and SEN
ator Proctor's support and possibly that
of Senator Aldrich, a very important
man, are said to have been gained
President Urges Relief.
One argument prominently advanced by
the high tariff public men is that any
concessions to Cuba now would put the
inhabitants in position of so much in
dependent prosperity that they would
never desire to come into the United
States should we need them or care to
| have them. The President insists, how
ever, that the present question of relief
shall be considered entirely independent
of the possible future annexation That
is question of the future and manifest
destiny. Our duty now is to help Cuba