The Forrest City times., 1902-01-31
PUTTING UP A JOB ON CUBA.
Private and Trust Interests nt Work to shape Legislation to Their
 Own Ends

Recent dispatches from Washington have stated that the delegations from certain states have united in opposf- | tion to any law which may admit Cuban sugar free of duty 10 the mar ketS of the United States. The move ment is stated 10 be in the interests of the cultlvators in those states of beet sugar, says the St. Paul Globe.
 On December last the Cuban com mi>sioners addressed d communication 10 the president of the senate and the speaker of the house in which they submitted the proposal that Cuban 'noiasses and raw sugar up to No. 16 of the Dutch standard should be admit ted free 10 the United States and all other Cuban products at half the rates or duty on the same commodities ex- acted from the most favored nations. In exchange for this they declared Cuba's willingness to admit all Ameri- ca g products to the island at half the rates now pre vailing on American products admitted to other countries under the favored nation clause, this willingness 10 be figst established by the declaration of the American mili- tary governor. under whose direction the question might be submitted to.the vote of the Cuban people
 The commissioners asked further that special act might be passed by congress establishing such a reciprocal tarlh arrangement because the delay would be too great in the existing ex- lgent situation in Cuba if it were to be carried out through the medium of T formal treaty after the formation of the Cuban government.
 There would be no objection 10 such an arrangement on the part of | other most favored" nations. as dip- lomatic rules and usages establish. because the Cuban republic was not Tn existence at the time of the ne- gotlation of the other "most favored nation treaties, and because such treaties intend that the privileges | granted under the favored nation | clause shall only refer to gratu ous | privileges, and 6o not cover privileges l granted on the conditions of a re- ciprocal advantage such as is offered by the arrangement suggested
 It IS evident that private and sec tional interests will use their utmost efforts to prevent the passage of such law or of any law which will carry out to it's logical and moral full iillment the policy which underlies our intervention between Spain and Cuba. The all-potent force behind all these interests will be the sugar trust; and the present admins ra- | ton, like the last, will find itself con-
 fronted by the necessity of taking
 back water on the pledges which it has made. If Roosevelt has the fiber in his makeup that he is credited with having, he will withstand the eff | forts of all the concentrated inter- eSts. and will force the hand of con- gress in that respect. If he has not.
 or if the republican majority in con
 gress itself is not able to make good
 the party pledges. then the United
 States will be convicted before the world of having brought to an inelo- rious, if not disgraceful end a course of conduct which, if it is pur- sued until Cuba is safely launched on the dangerous waters of nationhood. will reflect to the enduring honor of 1 this people