The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-05-01
LAURENS. $. c., May 1, 1901.
Our Cuban Relations.

A Cuban Commission OF five dele
gates reached Washington to confer
with the President upon the proposed
relations of that Island to this Nation.
Great courtesy was shown them, but
the receiving committee was mostly
military gentlemen of the War De-
partmcnt, gentlemen with epaulettes
on their shoulders, and stars, and gar
ters. They were turned over to the
war branch OF our governmental ma
chine, Of which President Mckinley is
commander in chief 1t must have
greatly impressed these civil foreign
crs, members Of Il constitutional; con
veHtioD, presumably mild hammered
gentlemen. Lieut-Govcrnor Wood, our
Napoleonic master of Cuba, hurried
home and got to the War Onice ahead
OF them, 1t is well TO have key to the
back stairs while Sergeant Grow and q
half dozen corporals are on guard at
the front and the great man answers
ENGAGED, and the callers toast their
het IS at the hail stove. 1t strikes us,
however, that the poor Cubans, not
withstanding their Elidalgo Spanish
blood ARE already "tamed, 50 to speak"
They Will return no doubt, (aftCr Il SiN-
teen course dinner at the White House
with their heels under the Hanna ma
hogany) and tell their people of the
tentions and that it Is better to be q
subject colony, than a weak sixth-rate
indcpend nj Power. iIc"c seems to be
the cNtcAt Of coudi ious they van:
"rbc doors wee closed to al callers
as sO"n aS Gen. Wood, Senator P,a;t
and Admiral bradford Joined him che
Secretary of War in his Otlicc, though
within few minutes Assistant Secra-
tary Sanger was sent for and Joined
the conference. II was understood that
Gen. Wood entered at once into a thor
Ough exposition Of the complicated Gu
ban situation, he was perfectly in
formed as to the desires of the visiting
commission aud apprised Secretary
Root of the nature of their crrand.
"lt is gathered that next to the sub
jects of coaling stations and the right
of the United States 10 intervene in
Cuba in the Interests Of peace and or
der, the Cubans attach most impor-
tance to the subject of sugar duties
The commission is trying to secure a
remi> son of the tnjted States duty on
Cuban sugar. 1t is suggested that if
this cannot be dCne at once, then the
duty may be removed gradually, re-
duclng certain per ceptage each yea c
until the sugar is duty free.
"The president cannot grant this re-
quest as it involves change in the tar
iti laws and therefore application must
be had to congress. This may take the
shape OF direct Joint legislation by the
two houses or it can be accomplished
by the negotiation of reciprocity
treaty. The Cubans, it is believed,
prefer the latter form.
"Tobacco, too, is another subject,
which the Secretary of War will be OBJ
liged to discuss with the commissioners
and on that point he wanted advice
The Cubans are extremity desirous OF
securing a considerable abatement in
favor OF their tobacco, of the extremely
high taril imposed by the Dingley act
upon all imported tobaccos
The South probably consumes more
sugar, molasscs and tobacco per capita
than any other population on earth
and for this very reason our near
neighbors will likely be disappoin' ed
In their modest demands. They are
planting little tobacco in the Eastern
part OF the State and talking OF cane
roots down about Trenton and we
are not sure OF McLaurin and Tillman
when the old Jetrersonian free-trade
doctrine is mooted. There are in this
State million and three hundred
thousand people all interested in fre G
trade except about one thousands: 30 per
cent call themselves democrats and vet
the politicians who represent the State
debauch themselves by their votes
and the people by their advocacy of re.
publican practices.