Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-06
Three Reports on the Relations
With the United States.
TEE PLAfq AMENDMENT DISCUSSED
No Naval Stations, but May Cede
the Isle of Pines.
RIVALRY FOR OFFICE

LHiIiuS VI the LOT uiDutuS. Ills
is to determine whether or not to send a
committee to Washington to confer with
the administration authorities regarding
relations between Cuba and the United
States.
All along it has been known that until
this point was settled there would be no
means of determining whether the island
would continue under American military
government until next winter without any
steps being taken toward the election Of
Cuban congress and president, or
whether the constitutional convention would
meet the situation and prepare to hold
elections under the conditions laid down
by the United States. The Cubans are still
unable to understand how the American
Congress should have acted so quickly
Such a course is not in harmony with
Latin traditions. which require plenty OF
elaboration.
Commercial Reciprocity.
Meanwhile the Sugar Planters Associa-
ton is active in trying to get commercial
reciprocity clause into the relations with
the United States. This association In
cludes all the leading planters both Cubans
and Spaniards, and is very respectable
body. At the present time it would not
be easy to say whether the planters repre-
sent the property or the mortgages of
the island for the majority Of them are
so heavily in debt that they have hardly
more than an equity left in their planta-
lions. In round numbers they owe $780,
600 1000 but though the foreclosure of these
mortgages will take place within the next
few months, many of them believe they
could work out from under the load II they
had the certainty of a rebate on sugar ad-
mitted into the United States 1t was Tor
this reason that they adopted the reso-
luton recommending the convention to &C
cept the Platt amendment with proviso
that the United States government should
make reduction of 80 per cent in the
duty on Cuban products. or at least make
a preference in their favor over similar
products from other countries. The plant
ers know that President Mckinley could
not do this of his own accord and that
nothing could be done in the way OF re-
ducing import duties until Congress meets
in regular session, but they want to Keep
the question of reciprocity alive and they
have taken a pretty sure means or DONG
it. Though the convention tabled this
resolution. there are signs that the dele
gates and planters are reaching common
understanding.
disposition is shown among the Gu
bans to complain of the apparent indirer-
ence of the American public to their dis
cussion of the Platt amendment. This DIS
cussion has been very full, and 1t has had
an educating influence, but the Cubans do
not understand why the United states does
not take the same interest that Is shown IN
Havana. They do not grasp that phase OF
broad question of policy has been settled,
does not concern itself with the details or
the intermediate stages.
Discussing the PIatt Amendment.
Some points of this discussion are really
worth more than the bare outline which Is
given in the press dispatches. though when
one meets a fiye-column broadside in the
newspapers, which has been preceded by
other f1ve-column broadsides in previous
issues, and which is going to be continued
in other five-column brOadSideS in subse-
auent issues he is apt to hesitate. This is
the way the subject is being treated in Ha-
vana, and at least it shows how seriously
the Cuban constitution makers are consid-
ering the relations of the island with the
United States.
Three reports have been made to the
convention by the committee on American
relations. That of Mr. Quesada came quite
near to a substantial acceptance OF the
terms of the Platt amendment. DR.. Ia
mayo, who is a member of Gen Woods
cabinet, covered the same ground in less
specific terms, and with a tendency to gen
eralities which might mean something
nothing. according to the construction put
upon them. The report made by Juan
Gualberto Gomez. and signed by two of
his associates, was a more specific argu
ment against the Platt amendment. As
the convention treated the different reports
mpartially by tabling them all 1t cannot
be said to have shown a preference for
any set of views.
On the part of the conservatives the
present movement is to explain fully the
meaning of the resolutions of Congress and
to convince The Cuban people that there Is
no interference with their independence or
with their autonomy in island affairs. All
parties seem to reject the term protecto-
rate. and the conservatives draw the dis
tinction between that and a guarantee of
independence by an outside power. Ac-
cording to their Interpretation the United
States is simply proposing to safeguard
the interests of Cuba and it's own interests
without exercising the powers of a protec-
torate understood in international law.
In support Of their position they Quote
extensively from Bowler, Nattel, Blunt
schl, Fiore, Fodere and other authorities
giving their preference to the Latin tu-
rists. 1t takes them a good many columns
of learned citations and analysis to explain
what Senator Platt himself a few days
ago explained in an interview of three
hundred words.
DIR. TamayO's Position.
The position taken by DIR. Tamayo Is
that the Island of CUBA constitutes an in
dependent nation and that no Cuban gov
crnment shall make z treaty with a for
eign power, which treaty may limit the
independence of the island or permit for
eign powers to obtain by colonization or
for military purposes authority over any
portion of Cuban territory, but he quail
fies this by subsequent clauses recognizing
the right of Intervention by the United
s.
trine is that the United States shall inter-
yene at the solicitation of the legitimate
government of Cuba when it's stability is
threatened by domestic disorder, or when
IL becomes necessary to repel any attack
against the independence of the island He
also proposes that the government of Gu
ba shall make treaty with the United
States under which this country shall guar
antee and sustain perpetually the indie
pendence of the island, and in case of war
the United States is to consider the Cuban
territory as allied to it. DIR. Tamayo, while
Directing to naval stations on the main
land, proposes that Cuoa shall cede to the
United States the Isle of Pines. both for
it's own defense and for the protection of
the United States, particularly when the
Panama and Nicaragua canals are opened
to the commerce of rhe world He also
proposes treaty of perpetual friendship
and commerce based on reciprocity with Il
leaning to free trade IN the natural and
manufactured products of both countries.
Gualberto Gomex's Report.
The report made by Gualberto Gomez and
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