Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-04-26

| graYe--acute-the necessity for help
immediate, imperious, and oyerwhelm-
ing
The ways and means committee how
ever, refused to be stampeded by these
| appeals, and proceeded TO enter upon
an investigation. Among the witnesses
| who appeared before that committee
was a gentleman named Mendoza, a
| Cuban planter. Mr.. Mendoza, IN the
course Of his examination, made this
statement with reference to the situa-
| ton in Cuba:
The military government has attend
| ed TO the sanitary situation in the ISL
and II has improved 1t a good deal
| But the stomachs Of the inhabitants are
| empty, and fear that the consequences
OF the RECOMMENDATION policy of Gen.
Weyler are going to come up again in
different way
Mr.. Fowler, n native Cuban, who
| testified on this subject before the
ways and means committee. said;
The cry for aid has come TO you from
| all over the island. 1t has come up
| from the heads of all the municipalities
In the island. 1t has come up from
every organization Of trade, of COM
| merce, and Of labor. IL has come from
/. planters, large and small. II has come
| from the Cuban people 1t has been
| echoed by the president Of the United
| States, by the secretary of war, by
| the military governor Of Cuba by
| American boards OF trade and com
! merce and by every American news
| paper OF high standing, with the eXcep-
| ton OF the very few which are pub
| lished In the locality of the special in
terest which now opposes the PROPOSE
| ton for reciprocal trade relations with
| Cuba. II Is echoed In the hearts of the
| American people, Gentlemen, you can
| not stand by and see the land for whose
| future you are now responsible fall into
disaster; much less can you allow II
to be said that yours was the hand
that dealt the ruin. We, therefore, as
representatives Of the suffering class.
come to you with our last anglishing
breath to say: Help us or we perish"
The newspapers of the country took
up the cry. They insisted that while
Congress was hesitatng the Cuban peo~
Pile were starving. Our people, always
quick to respond 10 the cry of distress.
generous as only great and splendid |
bNOHAN NelH Ots Mtlt tMtll ny a wave VI
sympathy and demanded that some
thing should be done for the relief Of !
starving Cuba. We were led to believe |
by these various calls upon US that the |
gaunt figure Of famine already stalked |
among the people OF Cuba, and only |
the prompt action Of the American Cons
gress could save them from death by |
starvation.
But while the newspapers fumed and |
fretted and the people demanded, the |
ways and means committee patiently |
investigated, and we found, after we |
had proceeded with the investigation |
little while, that the cry that Cuba |
was In distress-that the people were |
starving--was a myth; that II was sim
ply Il piece OF cheap and false sensa
tonalism. We discovered that we had |
been listening not TO "A sober statement |
Of solemn fact, but TO the extrava
CANT superlatves OF an imaginative |
people.
Mr. Mendoza, who, In his direct eX- |
animation TO which | have already re- |
ferred, declared that the people of Cuba |
were starving, testified upon cross-ex-
animation by Mr.. Tawney as follows
Mr. Tawney-Is labor generally en-
ployed on the island outside Of Havana? |
Mr.. Mend0Za-Slr?
Mr.. Tawney--ls the laboring class |
more generally employed on the island |
outside Of Habana?
Mr.. Mendoza-It is. All the sugar |
plantations are working by this time, |
They are all employed. There is plenty |
Of work for the workmen In Cuba to-
day.
Mr.. Tawney-And at good wages
Mr.. Mendoza-Well not very good, |
because the wages In Cuba increase &C.
oordng to the price Of sugar. When |
sugar is low We cannot afford TO pay |
nigh wages
Mr.. Tawney-They are paying now
for common aborers as high as $50 a
month, are they not?
Mr.. Mendoza--ln some places In the |
island, but not in all. In the eastern
part Of the island. which Is less popu-
lated. the wages Of labor are higher.
Mr.. Tawney-Then this condition OF
hunger or starvation which you have
Just outlined or detailed here does not
exist today, does Il?
Mr.. Mendoza-Not yet; Il will exist.
Mr.. Tawney-This request, then, for
the admission Of sugar Is In antloipa-
ton Of distress?
Mr.. Mendoza-Yes, SIR. 1t will exist,
and II will exist, not after the island
has been left TO the Cubans las they
say they are going to do; do not be-
lIeye II MYSELF, but
Mr. Atkins testified TO similar effect.
He and a number of other witnesses
among Them Col. Biss-testlfled that
there was absolutely no suffering, no
distress Of any character whatever in
the island OF Cuba today. Col. Bliss
cinohed the matter In this manner.
Mr. Tawney-You have said that la
Dor there is employed, all over the ISL
and. In what does this distress OF
which you speak consist
Col. Bllss-I have not spoken OF any
distress, except TO deny that any ex-
listed so far as | knew. II Is a long
time since have seen anyone begging
on the streets, or anybody who wanted
TO work who was not at work at good
wages.
Today no well Informed person will
contend that there Is any present suf-
fering in Cuba. Labor Is better EN-
ployed and better paid than ever before.
Anyone who wants work can obtain II
at remunerative wages. Instead OF
there being any scarcity OF work there
is actually a scarcity Of workers.
SO that the people who were demand
ing relief for Cuba we're driven from
the position that there was any imme-
date need-drlyen from the position
that there was any suffering in Cuba
AT the present time. and they then in
sisted that they needed help along the
lines that this bill provides, because
n relief were not extended there would
be suffering in the future. Now. upon
that subject there has been very full
investigation before the committee. The
evidence is before this house; and We
are iust as capable Of passing an opin-
ion upon Il and determining what the
future will bring 20 the island OF Gu
ba as the witnesses who came before
the committee on ways and means and
gave their opinions on the subject and
/ think that we are quite as likely to
reach a correct conclusion upon this
evfdencp as gentleman like Mr. Men |