Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-30
BANE OF A COUNTRY
People Burdened by a Load Of
Concessions.
RIGHTS ARE IGNORED
EXPERIENCE IN SOUTH AMERICA
AND WEST INDIES.
Grants Made to Favorites or Sold to
Spectators, With Whom the
Ruler Shares the Profits.

Concessions are the bane Of South Amer
lea and the West Indies, but the proposition
| is not entirely one-sided. They form a sys-
tenn Of taxation, very often in perpetuity,
which is a hindrance to progress and bur-
den to the people, but, on the other hand,
| in most instances, the country would not
have been developed but for the assurances
given by the government that the property
developed under the concession would re-
main profitable This is all forgotten when
once the improvements are made and only
the burden of taxation remains. The great
trouble is that there is no end to these con-
cessions, and therefore no end to the taxa
ton under them. Everything is taxed,
sometimes in two three ways, and the
people can neither bear the burden nor get
rid of it. Many Of these concessions are
the result Of a desire to provide for rela-
tives or political friends, and the terms are
outrageously severe.
Procured by Bribery.
Again, fraud enters into many Of them;
that Is, they are granted as result of
bribery. In many countries. in fact it is
well known, that the legislative body au-
thorfzed to grant concessions is subject to
influences of this sort. and the deal be-
| comes a decker in which all parties inter-
ested, except the people. take hand AS
may be imagined, the rights Of the people
contract of this sort. Again many conces-
sions were granted a few years ago when
1t was thought to be a profitable investment
for foreign capital. The countries were
flooded with Americans, Europeans and for
eigners generally, looking for anything that
might at some time prove valuable In
many instances these men were mere specu-
iators, without means, who hoped to get a
concession by liberal distribution of stock
OF the company they had organized the
concession to be sold to capitalists who
would finance 1t and pay the Spectator we'll
for the property and rights secured. Many
OF these properties We're never sold, and
still exist today in the hands of men who
cannot themselves develop the property and
who ask an impossible or exorbitant price
for the franchises they hold. Thus they
retard the progress of the country. Most
governments learned in time to know this
class of SPECTATORS, and in recent years
seekers after concessions had to show finan-
cial standing in the country in which they
resided, and very often were required to de-
post large amount of cash which could
not be withdrawn without the consent of
both parties or all the parties to the agree
ment.
Concessions to Nobility.
The concessions given to nobility by Span
ish grants were perhaps the most burden
some taxes imposed on the people. No BEN
eft was derived by the people in return.
either in the way of good government or any
kind of government at all. The money thus
derived was not used for public PURPOSES
1t was a method of saddling IMPOVERISHED
nobility on the people without calling it
charity. No more striking commentary on
the burden Of these concessions exists than
the fact that Spain gave title and con-
! aScin 10 ,fl,@
and permitted them to live in wealth and
idleness.
One Of these concessions Is more famous
because it has just got into the American
courts. the O'Reilly concession at Havana
The concession was granted in this case to
| a distinguished Irishman who came over
from Ireland and did distinguished service
in one of Spain's early wars. He was made
a count for bravery, and Of course, an in
come had to go with the title. He was
given the meat concession at Havana, for
the cancellation Of which the heirs have
just brought suit against Gen. John r.
Brooke asking $3.50 900 damages. This con-
cession gave Count O'Reilly the exclusive
right of slaughtering cattle to be used as
food in Havana and imposed tax of sew
eral cents on each head, which also went
to the O'Reilly family. Gen. Brooke re-
voked this concession while he was mill
tary governor and the suit against him
personally Is the result 1t being alleged
that he exceeded his authority.
This Is a fair illustration of some Of the
| concessions, but there are all kinds. Every
| conceivable thing subject to barter is COW
cred by some attempted concession, many
of them, unfortunately, binding, for the best
legal talent in the world is employed in
drawing up the papers, and the people, who
| are the real parties in interest, are not
present to object to any of the terms, and,
in fact, know nothing about it until the
| contract is made public. Great ingenuity is
generally displayed in protecting by strong
language the right thus acquired, and often
| there ia trick In the terms nv which much
more is granted than was intended
A Case in Santo Domingo.
| The bridge concession over the Ozama
river at Santo Domingo city is a fair ex-
ample. Heureaux, as president Of the re-
| public, held out for $4,000 for the fran
chise. but finally sold it for $1,000. the pur-
chaser pretending to have closed negotia-
| lions in disgust. He even went SO far to
| engage passage on vessel going to New
York. There was no other bridge, and to
| be no other The contract provided that all
persons crossing the river for mile either
| way, by ferry, or boat Of any kind. or by
swimming animals across, or by sw mining,
should be presumed to be toll passengers
and should pay toll the same as if the
| bridge had been used This, of course, de-
stroyed all competing ferries and compelled
| the use Of the bridge. The tolls were toler-
| ably high, fixed under the contract, and the
bridge company had fine monopoly at the
| expense of the people. The remainder Of
the history Of this concession is interesting,
though departure from the subject. The
| bridge company seemed to be making
| money, and Heureaux intimated desire to
own the property. 1t was always advisable
| to crafty an expressed desire of this sort
| AS was his custom, he wanted the property
made over to him, the congress to pay for
| 1t out of government funds. There was an
| effort to agree on terms, but no agreement
| was reached, the company showing by its
| books that the bridge cost something over
$44.00 and asking that price. 1t was
| finally agreed with Heureaux that an
| American engineer should come down and
appraise the property, both parties to set
] tie on the valuation placed by him. Wheth-
er there was any juggling or not dces not