The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-12-28


 twenty-seven million five hundred thou sand acres, the most of which IS sulta- ble for either sugar tobacco, coffee' fruits or cattle raising. It is one or the most beautiful and fertile countries or the world and do not hesitate to give , it as my opinion that with It's varied resources developed, it is worth more to us than any equal area in the Uhltea States, except New York Pennsyi- yania Ohio and Illinois, and more than any other country in the world except Canada. It is, indeed, one or the most beautiful, healthful and invltlng ls- lands under the sun; and, While It lies just within the tropics, it can hardly be called tropical. Thrust out into the ocean for seven hundred miles, its cl1- mate Is everywhere mitigated by the trade winds and the balmy air or the surrounding seas. It is commonly be- | lieved that it can supply the whole world with sugar, but this Is undoupt- | edly an extravagant exagseration. Il. While the land is generally fertile, It would be far from the truth to assert | that it is all good for sugar. From the | best evidence I can gather, It's capacity in that direction with the product fetch | ing two cents net, is probably not to exceed three million tons, and even Wltn l the free entry of sugar into the Unlteo l States, it would be many years pelore the limit could be reached It's tobacco, however, is the best in the world TOT cigars and cigarettes and While there are several extensive and widely sepa- rated regions adapted to it's cultivation there is but one Vuelta Abajo. Coftee aourishes in nearly every part of the island, especially in the hilly and noun tainous sections, and should 1t sell at or above twenty cents a pound, it would become a profitable crop. The pasture and grass are the best nave ever seen, and will easily support from three to five million head of cattle. All klnos of tropical fruits, especially the plne- apple, orange, lemon, lime, banana mango and alligator pear can be grown anywhere in abundance and of excellent quality Fibre plants can be cultivated with profit in many sections. Iron ana copper ore and valuable woods are found in the eastern provinces. Indeed, the island Is a natural garden, every mart of which, under favorable condi- tions, can be made to support a much larger population than 1t now has, and to contribute prof1tably from it's super fluities to the comfort and happiness of neople living in more northern coun- tries. where the horticultural and agri- cultural products are different and less varied.
 How shall we get the most good out of these tropical regions without v1o- lating our fundamental national policy! What shall be our trade relations with them? Holding as do that unless we can make them prosperous and content ed, we cannot make them valuable to us or to the world at large the answer to these important questions must evil dently turn on the development of ther natural resources. If this cannot be done so as to make them source of profit to the people of those regions Porto Ricans, Cubans, Hawaiians, and Fillpinos alike, 1t is impossible that those people, whether white or colored can become profitable or valuable tc us in any sense whatever. Civilizat on can grow only upon the superfluities of life If wages are not good or do not rise and the products of labor cannot be sold at a profit, there can be nc | EuDGrHultl65 Ilol dllS liiNi SSSSN VI " ~S-'-
 Poverty to the prolific mother of ignor- ance, unhappiness and vice, ana where they prevail, all forms of government are bad. I am not trying to speak tc you in the language of the pol tlca economists, but in that of elementars common sense, of which you all per fectly understand. As l have snoWn equality. of trade privileges is the con stituional right of every American cltl zen Chank God as yet the Great Repub
 lic has nowhere under the sun any sub iects) if lies at the basis of our pros
 nerity which is the wonder and the envy of the world It has as matter , of plain duty been extended to Ha- , waians and Porto Ricans and must ea necessitate rel, be sooner or later ex
 tended to the Filipinos. What shall be done in this direction for the Cubans? They cannot hope tc survive and prosper as an independen
 nation, unless they are permitted tt share in the prosperity of the surround
 inging countries Under the solemn as surance of the joint resolution they can , not be annexed to the United States
 That door is shut for the present a least. If we cannot find another, w
 should have done well to leave then under the oppressive dominion of Spain
 After all I have said you will not o
 surprised to learn that have from m!
 first report to the present day urge'
 it. as the highest and most intellectua 5 duty of statesmansh'p to give absolut t and unrestricted free trade in natura and manufactured products to tn
 Cubans also, in exchange for the sam r privilege to be granted by them to us under the protection of a common tarif 9 as against all other countries. This
 novel as well as radical measure It was first proposed by me in my of ? ficial reports of the War Department f but so far it has received no publi
 consideration I contend, however, tha
 if adopted it cannot fail to develop tn " resources of Cuba rapidly and complete
 Iy. Under the stimulating inf1uenc :, wages would rise, profits would in crease, wealth would accumulate, an
 prosperity and progress would be ap
 parent on every hand. The countr l would fill up with Americans, the Span - ish peasantry would pour in as labor CTS. and such a boom as the world ha
 rarely seen would prevail throughou ', the island for the next quarter of cen B tury. As my friend Juan Pedro bar'