New-York tribune., 1902-06-12
THTRBER'S DISCLOSURES
GREAT CL4UOR RAISED BY
THE BEET SUGAR MEN.
,-c1pPoCT7Y WITH CUBA NOT LIKELY
TO BE DELAYED OR DEFEATED,
HOWEVER.
rRv TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBUNE.I

Washington. June li.-ldhe a drowning md"
-raen,nr At straws, the beet sugar forces are
,.5rg ,,7ucb ADD over the frank statements
.,ado tc-dsy by T. r. Thurber. of New-York.
ragarding the part he has taken in the Cuban
oi,roci,v movement and the sources from
Li.b he derived the money he used in carry
SC ~, rl,e propaganda. which he did not ini-
.i.e but in which he took part as a volunteer
=, 7l,,,rl,ar Is president of the United States
I,xnoTr Association. organization which, It IS
,h,7,itted must know as much about the needs
- American commerce as is known by any OF
,ba agents Of the OXnard beet sugar ring. MI
,rb,,-ber was summoned as witness by the
,tcor77n1ittea of the Senate Committee on Rela-
.ions with Cuba. which started month ago to
investigate the charges in the Teller resolu-
,,or that the bulk Of this years crop Of Cuban
surar has been purchased and is held by the
c., Trust; that any tariff concessions made
"a rho cane sugar interests Of the island mainly
,-olId benefit the Sugar Trust, and that the
,-,bsrs would receive no real advantages from
srcb concessions. It makes no difference for
-be real 1,urposes Of the opponents of the ad-
,,,i,,istra lions Cuban policy that these charges
of Senator Teller were disproved in the first
week Of the investigation by the sworn state
-,enfs Of the principal officers of the Sugar
Trust as well as by Cuban planters and mer-
chants The enemies Of the administra ton have
5i,erted the investigation from its original OBJ
,ac1 into an fnquisi1ion that obviously has for
i7s n,lrpose the defeat Of reciprocity by means
s DELAY and bv the hope of so befogging the
,ssue that the few doubling members of the
Senate and House-if there are now really such
among the four hundred and fifty members OF
Congress-wil become so confused as 10 vel
come an opportunity to cause postpone1nent
Of definite action on the reciprocity proposition
- tbe next session or the next Congress.
While there is no likelihood of this scheme of
5elav succeeding. since the forces OF the adj
7ninistration now are too well organized TO dis
rlay much longer that patience which is ever
-be virtue of men inspired by a sense of just
cause still il cannot be denied that the farcical
Investigation which the Senate leaders for In
scrutable reasons do not put a stop to Is calcu-
lated TO bestow no benefits on the relations that
must exist for all time between the United States
and Cuba-that country's adopted child. TO use
the language of Connecticut's clear headed and
broad gauged Senator. Orville H Platt For
example, what possible effect one way or the
other On The reciprocity movement can Mr
Tburber's statement have that by authority OF
General Leonard Wood, late military governor
Of Cuba. he employed about $1,000 Of Cuban
revenues III appealing by means or circular let
ters to leaders of thought in the United states
90 support reoiprocity2 So far as the merits OF
question are concerned what matters II
that Dir. Thurber secured from Henry o. Have-
iseyer. president of the Sugar Trust. contri-
button of SO 500 TO be used for the same pur-
pose? And still all the opponents OF the ad-
,ninistrstjon. beet sugar Republican and free
trade Democrats alike, are gleefully singing IN
chorus tonight that Mr. Thurber's revelations
VIII effectuaIly stop the reciprocity movement
PRESIDENTS SUPPORTERS NOT WORRIED
The supporters Of President Roosevelt are pay
ng no heed whatever to this clamor, since they
80 not care from what source Mr.. Thurber op-
tanned pay for the work he did, so long as his
labors may have contributed to the results now
plainly in sight 1t is regretted. of course, that
General Woods enthusiasm for the best and
highest interests of Cuba away with MS
Judgment both in respect, perhaps, to the
agency be employed for spreading the reciproc-
lty propaganda in the United States. and In de-
voting any Of the revenues Of the island to this
purpose particularly in view of the patent
TACT that there was no necessity for employing
agents or expending any of the public moneys
Of Cuba in the work. The bare statement by
General Wood Of the necessities of the situation
proba bly, would have sufficed although it is con-
.eded that in needing the advice of his Cuban
Cabinet In the matter of setting aside a few
thousand dollars of the islands revenues for
such a purpose he was convinced that he was
-,erforuning q service of lasting benefit both to
Tuba and the United States. Not even the bit
terest enemy of the President is alleging that
General Wood attempted in any way to conceal
this act Had concealment been desired, no
public record would have been made of the ap-
propriations made to Mr. Thurber. 1t all
Zone in the open and in line with what General
Wood as the responsible administrative officer,
REGARDED as the demands of his office. Every
cent thus employed is fully accounted for in
the books Of the military auditor of Cuba, which
are now on file in the War Department here
Any member of Congress has the privilege of
Inspecting all these accounts and determining
for himself the exact amounts used Mr.
Thurber offered his services and estimated What
these services were worth TO himself. He thus
acted Just as the diplomatic and consular repre-
sentatives Of the United States act at their sew
sral posts. and General Wood regarded him in
this light There IS no evidence that Mr.. Thur
per personally proited except in the strict sense
that he was compensated for mis- outlay OF
money and time in the interest Of Cuba He Is
employed by the Export Association at salary
sad is considered an expert on all commercial
questions
Mr. F5AyFNEYER'S CONTRIBUTION.
The contribution of Mr. Havemeyer had no
connection with Mr.. Thurber's relations to the
Military Governor of Cuba. and is something
Eith which neither General Wood nor any other
supporter of President Roosevelt's Cuban policy
had anything whatever to do Messrs- Have
meyer and Thurber are wholly responsible for
the entire transaction. and II is agreed that.
even If their transaction were censurable, 1t
could not Getract from the merits of the reel
procItE proposition II is pertinent TO remark,
however, that, whatever view Mr.. HaVemeyer
and his associates in the Sugar Trust took Of
tie reciprocity question at the time mentioned
oN Mr. Fhurber. they have changed their minds
0onSloerahly since as is shown by their attitude
d present, and. in fact ever since they began
10 ouy up . controlling interest in the beet
sugar industry of the United States. At the
Same time, it is recognized that the sugar mag
mates have right 10 change their minds as