The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-01-27
The NEED FOR *
RECIPROCITY WITH CUBA
Leonard Wood Military Governor Of Cuba ia New York independent

full force and vigor. and We shall be
constrained 10 do one of two things,
either permit them 10 continue as
menaces to the public health and as
interferences with our commerce. cost
ing US thousands of lives every sum-
mer and millions upon millions Of dol
lars; or we must intervene, 10 do afresh
the great work we are now completing.
Cuba's Imports.
Cuba purchases at present material
from foreign countries amounting TO
nearly S10O00,000 per year. Under con-
ditions that will encourage her planters
TO more extensive operations and will
give capitalists confidence in the re-
sources of the country and in the abili-
~ OF its inhabitants TO sell their pro-
ducts at a profit. the purchasing ca
pacity of Cuba within few years will
rise to hundreds Of millions. That
trade we should have, and viii have If
we formulate plans for dealing with
Cuba which are just and intelligent
1t would be dishonorable and in bad
faith to attempt to force political Opin-
ion in Cuba for the purpose Of chang
ing her relative position in reference
to the United States by maintaining
obstacles TO trade relations, which will
result in producing a condition of ruin
and disorder through failure of her two
industries. sugar and tobacco Such
an attempt would be in direct contra
diction to our promise to establish a
stable government. 1t might produce
a result which would necessitate an
other Intervention, but it would destroy
Cuha's confidence in US as a people and
would put US in very undesirable
light before the world.
We have only partially completed our
obligation toward Cuba. We must now
give her an opportunity to build up
such trade relations as will render a
stable government possible.
The Islands Products.
Her two principal products are to-
baeco and sugar. She purchases from
abroad everything her people wear,
much OF what they eat and use in their
households. She actually imports a
large proportion of her building ma
terial. There is little, except among
those articles classed as Injuries. which
she purchases that we do not produce.
She is only ninety miles removed from
our coast, and such has been the de-
struction wrought by wars and a bad
government that for generations to
come Cuba will continue to be a pur-
chaser TO the full extent of her ability
10 BUY. There are town and palatial
country residences, almost entirely de-
stroyed, which are TO be rebuilt and
restored to their former beauty: there
are railroads which must be built and
others which must be reconstructed
and huge amounts of structural iron
and of machinery OF all kinds to be
imported. From our situation and by
reason of the sincere and earnest
friendship her people have for US, we
should control practically all of this
trade OF Cuba. The island today has
population of only 1890, 00C. 1t can carry
easily 12O00,0O0. This large population
of the future should be. and will be
II proper means be now EMPLOYED
composed OF industrious and enterpris-
ing planters and developers, a large
proportion Of whom will probably come
from our own country. With time a
strong. prosperous people will be built
up In the island. 1t will be a people
VINO VIII not be menace to us. who
VIII not be tax upon US; il viii be
one whose trade and whose good will
Should be of the greatest value.
Cuba's geographical position is such
that she practically controls the emit
rance TO the gulf and the approaches
TO the proposed isthmian canal, and
she stands in the line of trade between
North and South America. 1t is most
important that her government shall
be stable: that her population. inan-
cially and politically. shall be sound
and seif-sustaining, and that the dis
position and the spirit of her people
continue friendly to US as a nation.
The wise provisions of the "Platt
amendment have done much to guar
antee stable government, and / be-
lieye that what is needed to bring
about the desirable conditions referred
10 is to make it possible for Cuba's
two great industries to live and to re-
turn a reasonable profit to their pro-
moters. The United States will gain
as much by developing it's trade with
Cuba as Cuba will gain by the increase
OF its trade through more favorable re-
lations with the United States. We can
send her everything she requires 10
maintain, clothe, and feed her people.
We can admit her products with
, reasonable reduction on the present
duty without injuring the interests of
our people who are now at work on
similar lines. And, in doing ii, we shall
greatly benefit our people as a whole.
and we shall have carried out our
prom SeS in good faith