The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-01-30
CUBAN RECIPROCITY.

| If the Cuban planters win their fight
| for a decrease in the tariff on sugar
| and tobacco, they will have done II
through the influence of the sugar
| trust, working in its own quiet way,
rather than by reason of the force OF
the arguments or the value of the
statements made before the committees
of Congress by the members of the lob
by which is so hard at work at the
capital for the reduction.
If ever there was an attempt TO work
upon the sympathieS of Congress for
the purpose of filling the pockets of the
men wno rushed in and bought up
plantations after the war. that which
faced and open. But withal there seems
every reason to believe that the
schemes of the Cubans and the trust
will succeed. Careful polls of the Sen
ate show that there is majority of not
less than fifteen for the reduction, as
the case now stands, but whether or
not there will be a change is a matter
which cannot be forecast. That there
Will be such a change is believed by
some of the people interested in beet
sugar, owing to the fact the Cubans
are now enlarging their demands, ana
instead of asking for sugar and tobac-
co only. they are demanding free fruits
and every kind of a concession OF
which they might be able to take ad-
vantage.
One of the most convincing incidents
of the entire campaign was that when
occurred in the examination OF MI AL
l<ins of Boston, who admitted being |
largely interested in Cuban sugar
in which Havemeyer and
Ia stock Atkins
Is one of the best known sugar men Oh
the country and-has made fortune
n Cuban sugar. In the course of his
of Atkins Congressman
Hetcalf of California brought out the
act that much of the business of Cuba
vas controlled by SpaniardS, who
lever would buy anything in the Unit :
d States owing to their prejudice
gainst everything American They I
night sell their sugar here, but what
hey have to buy would be purchased
broad. Following this he brought out
he fact that the Cuban labor question .
ras a difficult one; that there are not
nough laborers there, and that every O
ian who will work can get enough to do '
t fair rate of pay. Atkins could not v
ay that the people of Cuba as whole T
r even any great part OF them asked
Jr the closer relations Win the Onlleu
tates, and as to the benefits, he adj 5
lifted that there would be no reduc-
on in the price of sugar for the people 81
ere and no advance of wages there. In n
Lct, that the only benefits would be for f
lie trust and the plantation men, many a
them Spaniards, who are open enc
les of the American order of things.
There is too much of sentiment in
e fight, however, to permit of any ac- II
lrate estimate of the strength of the ie
20 sides. The beet sugar men are a
orking hard, and they have several :
,nators who declare that there is a
,od chance of winning, but this would
,pear to be now a rosy view of the
tuation, and it is to be hoped the men
the firing line will not believe that
ey are certain to win. The fight may
won, but only by hard work, and
nsistent and unfaltering work, too
The newspaper sentiment of the East
pears to be growing toward the opin-
n expressed here that it was a long
ay from justice to tax Filipino prod
It's and grant favors to Cuba. The l.
ct is that the sentimental side is too
rongly in evidence, and until that is
ped away there is certain to be mis-
lderstanding and lack of conception
the true meaning of concessions to
CRATES at this time.