The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-07
CUBA IS ALL RIGHT
Victor Clark Reports on the Islands
$780,. Industries.
MANUAL LABOR is WANTED
The Irrigation Bill as a BLOW to the
Beef Trust-The Flour
Export Bill. :,

!
Washington, May 7.-Vietor Clark of
Minneapolis. superrnt endent of public in
struotion in Porto Rico during the mill
tary government there, but more recently
in the employ of the bureau of labor as an
expert. has just returned from Cuba,
where under the direction of the hr VI
he spent several months making inqu
regarding the industrial condition of the
Cuban people. He is in Washington now
for the purpose of writing his report to
the commissioner of labor. His inves-
LEGATIONS, and the report which he will
make to the government, bear, out in the
| fullest way the claims of the house insur-
gents regarding conditions in Cuba. e.,
| Mr.. Clark visited nearly every one Of
/ the large sugar plantations, and many of
the smaller ores. andi S filled with in
formation. regarding the island. He says
that at present prices the sugar planters
are making good profit. Labor is in
great demand. One large mining con-
Germ is employing 1000 men, and recently
anot her firm had to import $50 laborers
from Spain, the home supply being entire
| ly exhausted Sir William Van Horne,
| who is building railroads through the
island, told Mr.. Clark that he would have
employment for several years for all the
laborers he could get. The insufficiency
of the supply is retarding the building of
the Van Horne lines.
| 1t is true that there are thousands of
| applicants in Cuba for clerical positions,
but that is not the kind of labor which
the island wants at present. 1t wants
men who will take pick or shovel and go
| to work. The sugar plantations for a
| long time have been running night and
day Mr.. Clark visited one large planta-
ton at midnight, and spent several entire
nights inspecting plantation work. b,
Some of the capitalists of the island are
not buying heavily at present, hoping that
by waiting they will get the benefit Of re-
! duced tariffs, a condition which exactly
parallels that which prevailed in this
country in 1898. when moneyed men were
withholding foreign orders in order to get
| the benefit Of the Wilson tariff reduc-
t1ons. Mr.. Clark says that indust rial
condition of the island is better than it
has been for great many years and that
| 1t is steadily improving. There is no
suffering, no lack of employment, and the
common people are making more money
| than ever before in their lives =
Inls information tallies exactly with
the claims OF the best sugar republicans
IN the house, that certain Cubans were
Trying TO work a confidence game on the
united States. by saying that if tariff re-
auctions did not come soon the people
would be In starving condition. This
| point is very clearly brought out in the
speech delivered in the house by Rem.
IaWney of Minnesota, on the Cuban bill,
RECORD
OF last Saturday morning. Mr.. Tawnev
| in parallel columns shows I'D the novertv
talk of the Cuban delegates alon gside of
the actual facts regarding the island as
| reported from official sources and in the
newspapers.
Blow to the Beef Trust.
senator Hansbrough Of North Dakota is
OF the opinion that the passage of the
penang Irrigation bill would be BODY
Dlo" TO the beef trust, and he argues in
Fully 60 per cent of the land which
irrigation would open up to cultivation is
land which would be used for the growing
OF feed for stock. Perhaps the percent
age should be Is instead Of co. The small
farmer on this land would cultivate al
| falfa, corn, fodder and other stock foods !
and OF course would grow some of tbs
cereal grains and raise fruit. But he
would not In any serious way be a COM
petltor Of the wheat grower of the coun-
try farther east or of the general farm
er All this talk about competition with
the man who raises small grains is non
sense. Ihls stock food would be used for
cattle which would be owned on each one
OF these small farms. am satisfied that
every farmer on irrigated land could with
l6O acres raise enough cattle and cattle
food to make himself independently rich
IN comparatively short time. If the IT.
judgment that the large cattle ranges of
the west would begin to disappear Their
places would be filled in time by these in
Vulnerable small stock farms, and the
large herds, which would disappear with
the vanishing ranges, would reappear> in
innumera BILE small herds. The net result |
would be more head of cattle, distributed
among many small owners. The beef
trust would become a thing of the past,
because concerted action among these
small dealers would be out of the ques- |
ton - =. |
The Flour Export Bill. ..-.<-
A good deal has been said lately in the |
Minnesota press about the opposition !
which cropped out in the house recently
to the Nelson bill, amending the Harter
act in the interest of the -four exporters, |
and the statement was made that that |
opposition came in part because of the |
stand taken by the Minnesota house mem
bers on the Cuban reciprocity bill, To-
day asked Senator Nelson's opinion on
this point, and he said: = ~. -..-. !
THE house opposition to the bill abol-
ishing the London landing clause has
nothing whatever to do with the stand |
taken by our representatives = on, the
England, New York, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania, in which states the great |
steamship lines have their piers and
docks, are solidly opposed to the Nelson
Dill, and would oppose 1t regardless CT
the Cuban or of any other bill. There was
no echo of the Cuban fight in the attitude
of Mr.. Grosvenor, chairman Of the house
committe on merchant marine and fish
cries. He has been opposed to the bill
from the beginning, and will oppose 1t to
the last. 49,. ....[ T. -
This statement. is made in justice to
both sides of the controversy, and for the
information of the Minnesota people who !
are Interested in the Nelson bill. Coming
up for consideration Immediately follow
ing the vote on the Cuban bill, it perhaps
was natural that the impression should
have been created that the Nelson bill
was being opposed in a spirit of revenge
by the house leaders because of their dis
pleasure at the insurgent attitude Of the
Minnesota delegation. + z. j..
In the senate the members from the |
states above referred to are strongly OPP |
posed to the consideration Of the Nelson |
BILL and have thus far prevented Senator |
Nelson from securing vote on final pas |
sage; but that opposition has nothing to
do with the Cuban question. The men
who own and control the great steams hip |
lines of the Atlantic coast are important |
constituents Of these eastern, representa-
tives and nators, and it is very ma tural |
that the latter would oppose a bill. such |
as the Nelson bill, which seeks Ito cur
tail their constituents privileges and
profits.
--.~ W. w. Jermane.