BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1901-11-11
Reciprocity With Cuba.
The Commercial Need Of the Island
Trade Relations with the
United States.

AT the time Of Spain's final departure
from Cuba, at the beginning of 1899, the
island was much in the condition of q farmer
whose buildings, tools, and cattle had all !
been destroyed by fire, leaving him with
nothing but his bare land and 3 family to
support. The first year Of American admin.
istration was devoted to some provision for
the hungry, sick, and homeless. There was
little effort made to re establish productlveI
industry. The second year Of American
administration saw Cuban affairs. admins.
tered by a man who regarded il 90 more
important to educate 10000 children than
it was to enable 500, 600 Of people to feed
and clothe themselves. The people needed
cattle and ploughs for their. farms, country
roads and bridges, productive work Of all
kinds. They were given school.books,
hardwood school furniture, and clean streets
| for their cities. This furnished mainten
aRce for q few, but left the many to grub
along as best they could with few resources
aside from their own hands.
The present cor dition was by no means
Unforeseen, but the warnings of those wha
foresaw 1t were unheeded. In his annual
report, August, 1899, Gen. James II Will
sou, then Military Governor Of Matanzas
! and Santa Clara provinces, states the fol-
flowing: ~
"Before there. can be complete restora.
ton to prosperity, some effective arrange.
ment must be made by which oxen, cows,
carts, ploughs, and hoes can be supplied in
reasonable Mantities to such smaller pro.
J prietors S4d their tenants ss have been
lreduced to destitution by the war.
These "snaller prcprietors and their
tenants " represent nearly two thirds of
Cuba's entire population. With no purpose
of deerying the manifest desirability of cd.
ucatlng Cuban children, or any other chill.
dren, il has been my contention that the
Cuban administration would have shown
greater wisdom in Some more adequate pro-
vision for the material needs Of the Cuban
people, even had 1t been necessary to limit
the expenditure for educational purposes.
Had that been done, the acuteness Of the
present situation might have been ayerted,
and those "close and reciprocal relations" /"
to which Mr.. Mckinley referred in his mes.
sage of 1898. might have heen more gradu
! ally and more easily effected. As the mat
ter noso stands, it is practically certain
that the coming Congress can igCore or
deny reciprocity with the Oubans only at
= the price of serious offence to the Cuban
people. and, not improbably, serious dis.
aster to Cuban interests, with more or less
Of direct re dez action upon American in.
teTests
, That reciprocity to day means anue1a.
, tion to morrow is wholly probable, but to
deny reciprocity to day is certain to plant
large crop Of trouble for to morrow.
Without capital for her recuperation and
restoration to even her former prosperity,
Oubs's future is almost hopeless. With.
out capital for her development to the ex.
tent of her capacity, such development ID
wholly hopeless. To drag on through years
} of SLOW and toilsome struggle, without
capital, means the abanSaeMent Of those
measures which are the boast OF American
administration in Cuba, dlscontent and DO.
litical unrest, if not worse.
!, Thus far, only few millions of venture.
some dollars have gone TO Cuba for invest
ment. Many millions are waiting and
watching for due encouragement. As a
commercial proposition, Cuba is worth to
the United States somsthing like one hun.
dred Philippine Archipelagos, upon which,
in all probability, we must spend some
$780, 900 to $75, ,0OO, 900 per year, with
meager return of anything save trouble,
for many years to come. Wisdom and
prudence, to say nothing OF justice, all de.
mand that zoe take Ouba's material inter
ests very carefully into our councils in out
coming relations with her. Education and
sanitation make strong appeal to American
sentiment, but q full stomach and . few
pesos to the geod make precisely the same
practical appeal to the Oubans that they
| would to us if we were Oubans in Cuba tc
day.
Albert G. Robinson.