The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-03-21
OF CUBA.

The president in December last in n
message to the ongre said:
II most earnestly ask your attention
TO the wisdom, indeed. to the vital need.
Of providing a substantial reduction of
the tariff on Cuban imports into the
United States"
The president has stooo firmly by
those words. But d large majority OF
his party in the congress has been in
disposed to do any thing for Cuba
either kind or necessary. The present
outlook. however. is more favorable as
to a small tariff reduction for that most
fertile island. The reduction may be
20 per cent which is only half INA it
should be. In February Hon. John j
Bellamy, the representative from this
district in the Federal house. made a
speech on 1.-The Annexation of Cuba"
which is not without interest. He cites
the fact that Presidents Jefferson.
the war-favored this annexation. and
as Pierce held. as a necessity for our
safety as a republic. Mr.. Bellamy is
not an "expansionist' of the Roosevelt
and prevailing republican sort. but he
Is for adding contiguous territory and
extending the embracing principle to
Cuba. He said:
1T is the manifest destiny of this
great American Union, this great ma
tional republic, to expand its territorial
borders, and in the course OF time to
nr0 hrn 20 within ifc Iio1Dt1 tho Dnynirfnn
Of Canada and the Republic of Mexi-
co. and to become a great North Amer
lean republic ruling the people who in
habit it with those principles embodied
in that form Of government first pro-
mulgated to the world in the written
constitution of the United States. And
1t is a fervent wish in which I may be
pardoned for indulging that I may live
to see the day when by peaceable and
honorable means not only those two
great countries, but Cuba a well, may
be merged into our Union under the
same flag and the same constitution
which is now the emblem Of u IT,
tionality and the hart Of our powers
He held that this much desired end
could not be secured by hostile tariffs
He is for securing Cuba. He gives sta
tistics of it's value. 1t had 1,572.O 900 peo-
pie at the last census taken. He thinks
if annexed it would lot really injure
American industries. AS to sugar he
points to the fact that the United
States in 1901. the beet sugar product
vas $780, 900 tons, and 500, 900 for Louis
ana cane sugar. The actual consump-
ton of this country OF sugar was 2,372,-
SIC tons. Cuba produced in 1901, 500, 900
tons. So it is apparent large importa-
tons from ither countries are still ne
cessary to meet the demand of the
United States.
In referring to the cotton manufac-
turing in the south he stated that in
1900, North Carolina lid all the states
Of the Union in the number of it's cot
ton mills-177. We believe they are
more than 200 now. Massachusetts is
second with 1853; Pennsylvania third
with $50: South Carolina fourth with
so; Rhode Island IL. and Georgia s.. Of
course the mills in the tates named
are much larger with far more product
and looms and spindies. Mr.. Bellamy
said:
while in the capital invested Massa-
chusetts stands first, South Carolina,
Rhode Island. and North Carolina fol-
in successive order. In North Caro-
lima. in 1900, 30,27S persons were en-
ployed in these mills. while so. POI were
employed in South Carolina and Is, 2S3
in Georgia.
I'm North Carolina, in 1901, SIT, 1856, 624
of material was used, and in South
Carolina SIT, 1858. SS2, and s1l, 113, $50 in
Georgia. In the last two years the cot
ton-mill industry has been much de-
pressed and man. mills have been run
at a loss. 1t is estimated that with
proper reciprocal arrangements the cot
ton-goods trade alone could be increas-
ed to s13, 600. 600 a year"
The speech Of our representative is
really instructive. but we can not fol-
low him farther in his discussion. His
closing words are wise and patriotic
and American, with the possible ref
erence to the badly understood Monroe
Doctrine. He said:
LET us all be true and cling with
confidence to the traditions of the
fathers.
Let US avoid entangling alliances and
Develop our republic on the Western
Hemisphere.
Let us preserve and defend the Mon
roe Doctrine.