Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-02-18
PUTTING up A JOB ON CUBA.
Private and Trust Interests at Work
to shape Legislation to Their
Own Enda

Recent dispatches from Washington
have stated that the delegations from
certain states have united in OPPOSE
tion to any law which may admit
Cuban sugar free of duty to the mar
kets of the United States. The move
ment is stated to be in the interests Of
the cultivators in those states Of beet
sugar, says the st. Paul Globe.
On December last the Cuban conn
missioners addressed communication
to the president of the senate and the
speaker of the house in which they
submitted the proposal that Cuban
molasses and raw sugar up to No. 16 Of
the Dutch standard should be admit
ted free to the United States and all
other Cuban products at half the rates
of duty on the same commodities ex-
acted from the most favored nations.
In exchange for this they declared.
Cuba's willingness to admit all Ameri-
cas- products to the island at half the
rates now prevailing on American
products admitted to other countries
under the favored nation clause, this
willingness to be first established by
the declaration of the American mill
tary governor, under whose direction
the question might be submitted to the
vote of the Cuban people.
The commissioners asked further
that special act might be passed by
congress establishing such reciprocal
tariff arrangement because the delay
yJyNJ ho -,
igent situation in Cuba if it were to be
carried out through the medium of q
formal treaty after the formation Of
the Cuban government.
There would be no objection to
such an arrangement on the part Of
other "most favored" nations, as Dip
lomatic rules and usages establish,
because the Cuban republic was not
in existence at the time of the ne
gotiation of the other emest favored
nation" treaties, and because such
treaties intend that the privileges
granted under the favored nation
clause shall only refer to gratnitous
privileges, and do not cover privileges
granted on the conditions OF re-
ciprocal advantage such as is offered
by the arrangement suggested.
1t is evident that private and sec
ttonal interests will use their utmost
efforts to prevent the passage of
! such law or of any law which will
carry out to its logical and moral full:
fillment the policy which underlies
our Intervention between Spain and
Cuba. The all-potent force behind all
these interests will be the suga.
trust; and the present administra.
ton, like the last, will find itself con-
fronted by the necessity of taking
back water on the pledges which it
has made. If Roosevelt has the fiber
in his makeup that he is credited
with having, he will Withstand the eft.
forts of all the concentrated inter.
ests, and will force the hand of con
gress in that respect. If he has not
| OF if the republican majority in con.
gress itself is not able to make good
the party pledges, then the United
States will be convicted before the
4 world Of having brought to an inglo:
rious, if not disgracefnl, end I
course OF conduct which, if it is pur
sued until Cuba is safely LAUNCHED 81
the dangerous waters of natioahood
will reflect to the enduring honor O.
this people.