Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-01
THE CUBAN REPUBLIC
It is Now on Safe Ground and
Stable.
EUROPEAN INTRIGUE
ENGLAND, FRANCE AND GER
MANY WANT HER TRADE.
Representatives of These Governments
Are Trying to Prevent Reel
procity Treaty With Us.
EUROPEAN IN TRIGU E
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
HAVANA, October %, 1902.
Cuba is limping through her industrial
crisis The republic now is on safe ground.
Her steps are more firm. Yet there are
forces at work to keep her at the limping
gait.
This foreign intrigue, or rather European
intrigue, is in it's most interes ring phase.
Time and again note has been made of 1t
for the benefit of public men in the United
States, but they wouldn't hear to anything
of the kind. Seemingly it made no differ
ence to them how much the United States
was hindered in carrying out the policy
which was meant to fix for all time the
position of Cuba. We could go in and lick
all creation whenever 1t suited US, and
that was all there was to the Cuban mat
ter.
European countries which have diplo-
matte and consular representatives in
Cuba don't deny that the United States
can lick all creation. Just the same they
don't want it to have Cuban trade, nor do
they want it to have naval aAd coaling sta
tions. What they can do to block those
plans they are doing Everything is strict
ly within the line of diplomatic prOpriety,
though two or three of them almost have
crossed it. They are here to look after the
interests of their own countries, and il
their zeal Should carry them little too
far, they can count on the forgiveness Of
the governments they serve, while the
United States finds it hard to fix on
specific case fragrant enough to call for
diplomatic remonstrance.
All this intriguing and maneuVerlng helps
to raise the Importance of the new re-
public. Cuba is courted and fiattered. Her
a. tnrG
she may do little flirting and even be-
come bumptious, though this. latter ten
dency is not very serious.
Intriguing for Islands Trade.
1t all comes back to the trade of the is
land England thinks what she has worth
keeping. So do Germany and France and
Spain. If Cuba and the United States en-
ter into a genuine reciprocity treaty, none
of these countries will have what they
think is their share of Cuban commerce.
BY common consent the leadership in the
movement has been turned over to the
English minister, whose long experience in
Latin countries is valuable in this sltua-
ton. The minister deserves well OF the
allies and also of his sovereign. 1t would
be unfair TO say that he merits ill of the
United States, yet in the most expansive
after-dinner talking about common blood
and language and kin beyond the sea,
when the champagne has been the third
time around, it would not be possible for
any one who knows what has been going
on to get up and give thanks for what
"our British cousins have done to help the
United States policy In Cuba.
The scheme of all the European coun-
tries is simply to keep things as they are.
They think that geography and freight
rates give the United States advantage
enough in trading with Cuba. They fore
see more clearly than most Americans
how enormously the commerce of the is
land will grow with few years of good
government and peaceful development In
order to estop reciprocity treaty between
Cuba and the United States they have
wheedled. coaxed, insinuated and even
sought to bully
Their threats have not been disguised.
They have talked about the demands they
will make for trade privileges equal to
those of the United States and have held
out promises of the benefits they have to
offer. Actually their aim Is to maintain
the present status so that the Cuban repub-
lie will enter into no reciprocity treaty.
Commercial and banking influences which
represent European interests, and which
are very strong, have kept up a steady
campaign of insinuation against the United
States. Some of it has been echoed in the
newspapers, and more of it has been heard
in business talk.
When the American Congress adjourned
in June after breaking the pledges which
had been made in the name of the United
that can come to any country. AT once she
began casting around to see where she
might pick. up a few crumbs Of commerce.
1t was felt that here and there a shred of
trade benefit might be gained for Cuban
sugars and other products. The right OF
Cuba to look out for her own good was no.
where more clearly recognized than In the
United States. Hints were given of reel
procity treaty with Great Britain and of
| like arrangements with France and Ger
many. These hints are still heard, and
hopes are held out; but they are shadows
The chief aim of reciprocity from the Gu
| ban standpoint was to gain a market for
cane sugar. After a time other products
will be benefited, but in the fearful de-
preston of the sugar industry that was
| first in mind. Now. after little study. The
| Cubans have found out that England, OF
all countries, with depressed sugar grow
| ing colonies of her own, cannot give Cuba
| a preferential tariff. Germany and France
| with the bountieS they have given to beet
| effect such an arrangement. So when the
| European diplomatic and consular represen-
| tatives talk of reciprocity with Cuba, they
| know that everybody else knows they are
| bluffing. They keep up the talk to save
| their face and to encourage the Cuban gov.
| eminent not to enter into any reciprocity
| arrangement with the United States until
| the full effects of the Brussels convention
| in limiting beet sugar production can be
worked out. So it all comes back to main
| tanning the present status.
Embarrassing to the United States.
The situation is one which is embarrass.
ing to the United States. This has to be
said. Many pitfalls have been avoided In
It's local aspect by the tact and discretion
which Minister Squiers has shown The in.
| trigues of his esteemed colleagues Of the
| diplomatic corps are to be taken as a mat
ter of course. These will not break the
| peace of nations But In dealing with the
a,ol ,ha,,
is a different matter. All this has beer
we'll managed.
| The European countries In their PLAN
] have been aided by the rise in the price O
| sugar The Cuban planter himself Is mer
| curial. In his imagination he jumps from
| the depths of the valley of depression /,
the heights Of prosperity, ane his judgmen
| IS blinded, till he finds that the hill has t
be climbed slowly. 1t is not of much con
sequence that the 10000 or so 000 ttons o
| sugar in the island are worth more thai
| they were a month ago, for it is still
| question whether the increase In price NOR
| tbop r,aIeS nm for the cost of warehousins