BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-05-06
SANJUAN, MAYO 6
Who Own Cuban Sugar?

Marion Wilcox. author of a history
of the Philippines and OF the war With
Snain. was interviewed few days ago
b7 a representative of the Washington
Sta concerning conditions in Cuba,
and more particularly the movement
there whose aim is to promote rec pro
city. His investigation of the facts
throws timely light on interested asser-
tons made by beet sugar men that
tariff reduction has been inspired chief
1y by the American sugar refiners.
Mr.. Wilcox, whose intelligence and i'm
partiality none will dispute, denies this:
| did not know when went to Cuba
how much emphasis would be laid on
the mis1 eading suggestion that the
sugar trust would be the beneficiary of
the concessions asked of congress. Tie
suggestion was first made after l arr1v-
ed in Havana. While there in associa-
ton with the people of the Island of
Cuba, I saw with my own eyes how
the thing was being done. I knew the
people who had originated the move
ment and advocated it in the papers,
and l also knew the organizations
which took up the movement and Sc.
cured the subscriptions. 1t was entirely
possible to trace all contributions to
their sources
The very modest sums of money
that have been used were contributed
from patriotic motives by people vitality
interested in a just de ermination of
the whole matter for the perfectly OBJ
vious reason that they themselves were
planters, merchants, business men,
bankers or capitalists whose Interests
depend upon the prosperity OF the
island.
This sposes of the notion that the
American sugar trust, instead of the
great majority of Cuban business men,
owns or is chiefly interested in better
terms for the sugar OF the island. 1t is
also sufficient answer to Andrew Car
negies assertion, contained in his let
ter to the "Tribune," that nobody
knew who the owners Of Cuban sugar
were, meaning that they were proba-
bly, Americans seeking to procure legls-
lation by congress.
Mr.. Wilcuxs investigations were SO
thorough and the result 50 lmpartlally
expressed that the Spanish periodicals
in Havana published translationS Of his
articles and indorsed them as contain
ing a correct statement of the facts.
The plants and merchants of Cuba are,
with few exceptions, the actual holders
of the product, and the great mass of
farmer and laborers are dependent
upon that product Mr.. Wilcox shows
that even with the 20 per cent. reduc-
tion the people of Cuba stand to lose
100000 on the present crop, though
it is better, of course, to lose this anao-
unit thani,ol Lose 100000, which would
be the result of inaciion on the part of
tbs congress. He rightly says that the
20 per cent reduction is not liberal
enough to be accounted very coed
economics, very god polii.s' OF very
good ethics. It reli-ves only half the
pinch and is dole instead of fair
treatment And it will be regrettab1e
if that reduction is increased only
Z per cent. by the Senate bill.
We are thus assured by an observer
of conditions at first hand that the
Cubans themselves have asked for reci-
procity and that the American sugar
trust has little or nothing to do with
it. Information SO timely and reliable
olght to BE- brought to the notice of the
Senate a Washington while it is de-
batting this question. For the fight by
Uxnard and his friends has been partly
on account of the alleged pull which
the American sugar refners had in
Cuba and were using for the benefit of
their own pockets while hypocritically
advocating reciprocity.