Evening star., 1902-03-15

tonic, q food, a medicine, assisting
duction and marketing under which tho
colono or tenant. as well as the fieldhand
and the worker in the central mill knows
almost to the fract.on of a fraction what
sugar is worth.
In answer to my questions about the con-
ditions In the country, he said:
Money is awful tight. The bodegeros
won't advance the guajiros another cent
They won't even wait for their interest. but
they'll have to do that. Where they have
lent fifty dollars. most Of them tell me- they
can't get ten dollars back this year
A Necessary Scourge.
The ''bodegero'' is the country store-keep-
er. who lends money to the guajiro. or
peasant. He is the scourge OF the country
people, but under the Spanish system, with
it's lack Of banking or other means Of bor-
rowing money, he was almost a necessary
scourge. When the conditions are so bad
that he can't get back more than ten dol
lars on loan Of fifty dollars. and put it
out again at higher rate OF interest they
are very bad, indeed.
also asked this young American farmer
whether the people among whom he lived
were as bitter toward the American gov
ernment as was reported.
'Oh, no." he said; there's nothing in
that. They feel kind OF sore and think
quite. understand whose fault 1t is. They
will have an awful hard time, though, il
the sugar business doesn't get better next
year: III quit cane raising myself and take
my loss. Maybe / can make 1t up some
other way. but you know most Of these
country people have to depend on the cane"
The name Of this American farmer is
Frederic somerford His post Office address
Is Catalina de 9uines, Havana Province
His view Is probably as sane and intelligent
one as can be had. It's only bias is such
as comes from his own interests, and Tat
is true of everybody who is engaged In pro-
cane.
Women Talk Politics.
How tense the feeling is with regard to
sugar was shown me the other night during
social call at the home Of Spanish plant
er. The ladies Of his family entered with
great zest into discussion Of American
politics, the Brussels conference, England's
colonial policy, Hawaii. and a dozen other
topics which centered around sugar. They
also had some positive and clear opinions
OF .heir own about the policy Of the United
States and Its duty toward Cuba. When
the ladies Of Spanish family talk politics
at all, or political economy it may be un-
derstood that their interest is very deep.
The planter himself discussed the pros
poets without prejudice and without much
hope. He was in the States last summer,
and had satisfied himself that the tariff was
pretty delicate subject and that he and
his associates should not build too great
expectations upon having it changed over
night to meet the special needs of Cuba.
He had prepared himself for disappoint-
ment. He was philosophical and reasoned
that If the present situation helped on the
incorporation of Cuba into the United States
he and his fellow planters who can hold
their estates In the end would have the
best Of 1t.
1t is a curious circumstance that the Gu
bans and Spaniards In the island who are
annexatiOnists now talk OF the incorpora-
tion Of Cuba into the American Union, In
stead of saying outright annexation II
the annexation" is Objectionable to large
element in the United States they are will
ing to compromise by dropping the word
and finding another, which means the same
thing.
No Immediate Distress.
This planter told me that while the sugar
industry in Cuba had fallen upon 'malos
dias'-evil days-there is no immediate dis
tress throughout the island, because the
plantations are bound to keep going till
the 1st Of May, since they will lose less by
keeping on than by stopping He told me
Of one great plantation which had inquired
out that II 1t went this year and next
it would not lose more than hundred
thousand dollars, while II 1t stopped entire,
be loss of two hundred or two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars Its owners
have the means Of going on.
What concerns u.s." said the planter, ls
ell pan de manana-the bread OF tomor-
row. This season I have. on my plantation
500 hands. In a profitable year would en-
ploy 1000. But II the change does not
come / cannot take care Of more than SoV
don't know what the rest will do Some
Of them can live In way, but the bread or
tomorrow will worry them and IT worries
me, because don't want a lot OF idle and
discontented people around: ,They are not
bad. and they are not going to burn my
cane or destroy my mill buttthey will not
them could find work irf other parts OF the
island. I shall do the best can. hoping
to get along until sugar comes up
These statements wefen made to me. not
Huencing anybody's opinion From other
sources I might have thought that they
were exaggerated. but ~ ,tnis case knew
enough of the plantation and OF It's owner
to take his statements as sincere
Sugar Must Be Encouraged.
Some exaggeration has been indulged in
with regard to the present conditions No
body In Cuba is starving today or need
starve; nor need anybody starve next year.
But II the sugar industry does not get
some encouragement large proportion OF
the population Of the island will have to
live from hand to mouth, and the present
dull times may be followed by worse times.
Somehow 1t has not seemed az though the
case Of the Cuban people was presented IN
the testimony before the ways and means
committee. They have q case and very
strong case. The 'Iongshoremen and tn.
stevedores In Havana harbor are just as
much Affected as the field hands On the
plantations. 1t is possible that from any
reduction OF, duty the steeedOress would get
proportionateiy q lfttle more beretft than
the plantations laborers. for they are or.