Evening star., 1901-03-27
IN FAVOR OF FREE CUBA
REPRESENTATIVE STEVENS I'M
PRESSIONS on HIS RECENT TRIP.
Opposed to the Establishment of m
PrOtectOrate and to
Annexation.


Minnesota, a member of the committee on
military affairs, has just returned from q
trip to Porto Rico and Cuba, his visit hav-
ing been of longer duration than the other
members of the party which left New
York March @. Mr.. Stevens takes a some
what different view from the majority OF
representatives who have visited the
islands. In his opinion nothing less than
Cuba Libre" will solve the problem of
dealing with that island. Mr.. Stevens says
that the commercial conditions which
must be established between Cuba and the
United States will eventually make the
establishment of an American protectorate
or annexation impossible and altogether
out of the question.
Cuba" said Mr. Stevens "can produce
four-ffths Of the sugar consumed by the
United States. With, the wonderful re-
sources of the island for growing cane, and
the introduction Of modern machinery for
Its manufacture into sugar, 1t will not be
very long before the production Of that
commodity will be attracting the attention
of the world. / saw enough to satisfy me
that the undeveloped resources OF Cuba In
the production of sugar and tobacco are
attracting capital. and already hundreds
of new Plantations are being worked and
new appliances for the manufacture of
sugar are being shipped daily to the cities
Of the island.
Those people can produce sugar at little
more than one-half the cost that the
American beet sugar can be produced, and
at great deal less than. the cane sugar of
our southern states can be manufactured.
The beet sugar industry of our country is
already attaining very substantial proper
tions. / have just been looking over the
special census bulletin prepared on that
subject, and was surprised to find how ex-
tensive this industry has become during
the last few years.
Menace to Our Beet Sugar Industry.
Now, II our friends who believe that
annexation must be the outcome will con-
slider this matter Of sugar alone, to say
nothing Of tobacco, l am certain they will
see the difficulties we would run into by
placing a protecting arm around these trop
ical industries. Cuba can produce sugar
enough to supply the United States and the
million tons. Suppose the annexation or
the protectorate policy prevails, where
would this leave the beet sugar Of the north
and the cane sugar industry OF the south?
But let us go a little further. How
would it affect our trade with Germany in
the event this country absorbs the sugar
production Of Cuba? We are now a heavy
purchaser of German sugar. Would not
that country retaliate quickly against our
western farm products, our flour, our
meats, our fruits and many other commod-
tiles? We must place the same response
bilities on the Cubans that We have upon
the Porto Ricans.
Il found by careful inquiry that the busi-
ness element Of Cuba, the shrewd, calcu-
lating fellows who see fortunes ahead in
sugar and tobacco, do not really want free
and independent Cuba, although on the sur
face they profess to be very strongly in
favor of It, But l observed that they quail
ify all of their statements with the uniyer-
sal demand of commercial reciprocity be-
tween Uncle Sam and Cuba
Want American Markets.
I'VE should place the responsibility upon
them Of local government, as embodied in
the Platt amendment, with possibly some
notifications. The situation ! will admit
is peculiar one. The business and COM
mercial interests are looking to us to deal
very literally with the natives-the labor
ing and peasant classes-and at the same
time open up our markets to the compe-
ution Of labor worth less than half Of what
Is paid in the United States, and to place
some or our growing industries in open
competition with those where nature deals
with liberal II not a most lavish hand
OF course there would be turmoil and
trouble at first under home government
But every nation has its ups and downs.
Our own country went through many Vi
clssitudes. took pains to study conditions
in Porto Rico and Cuba and make q COM
parison The one is.a country where the
placed on the people; the other where the
military rule Is still dominant We NAV
have been a little hasty in establishing
civil government in Porto Rico, but in the
end it is certain to become popular and
the people will be prosperous and content
ed" Regarding the Cabans he said:
Il believe the Platt amendment will be
accepted. If given peace for twenty years.
the richness Of that country will be won
derful. The Van Horn railroad syndicate is
spending millions there now. and Is taking
chances on the future Of the island. On the
whole our trip was one Of the most inter-
esting that have ever taken, and my only
regret is that owing to the quarantine reg
ulatlons our party had to leave too soon"