Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-02-03
TARIFF WILL RUIN GUBA
President Elect Palma Says
Tariff Concessions TO Cuba
Are a Necessity.
Reduction of Fifty Per Cent on
Sugar and Tobacco Must
Be Made.
Nothing Less Will Relieve Dis
tress, Says Pharmaceutical
Period for Cuba.

New York. Feb. 3-Senor T. Estrada
Palma. soon to become president of Gu
ba. declares anarchy and starvation
will wreck that island unless the Unit
ed States makes concessions In duties
on sugar and tobacco.
Senior Palma talked after he had been
in conference for many hours with the
Cuban commission, now in New York.
With them he went over the conditions
in the islands and then said:
1T will be impossible for me, or for
stable government in Cuba unless tar
( if concessions are made to us by the
United States. l say this after having
studied the situation in all it's phases.
Ii is a statement of facts that believe
to be absolutely correct and it is for
the American people to realize their full
significance"
You can not express too strongly
how serious l believe the Cuban condi-
lions to be-" Senior Palma added. but
~
be remedied at once by congress.
Il can not believe the American peo-
pie will fail to carry out their promises.
II have lived among them now for nearly
twenty-six years, and l know that. as
| a people, their sense of honor is as keen
as was that of their forefathers 100
years ago.
~ Hoo tod NhoS
promised to set us free and to establish
us as 4 sister republic. The first half
| of the promise has been fulfilled, for
which mere words can not express our
thanks. and now l am sure the rest of
| 1t will be carried out.
TN remembrance of this promise to
the world in memory of President Nc
Kinley they can not now turn back.
But l trust they will make no mis-
take when concessions are granted US.
| / pledge my honor on the statement
that reduction of anything less than
| SO per cent on the present duty on SUI
gar imported from Cuba Will be Of no
avail to relieve the distress that looms
ahead of us
In the present condition of the sugar
market of the world less reduction
would not save us from ruin. Why?
Because If the sugar planters are going
to lose money 1t makes no difference
how much they are going to lose.
whether it Is five-eights of cent a
pound. as at present or one-quarter of
a cent.
Unless the planters can make a pro-
| fit, even if it is small. they can not af-
| ford to continue in business, and as a
consequence 100000 persons viii! be
practically without means of suhsist-
ence. Anarchy will reign on the island
instead of law and order You will not
only have to send more troops there.
perhaps, but will surely be sending US
food that we may not die of famine.
You think / am eXaggerating, per-
haps. Every word l tell you is the
truth. There is little money in Cuba
now and less credit. We have nothing
to depend upon except sugar and tobac-
co. If we can not sell either sugar or
tobacco to you, and you won't let us
make treaty with any other country,
what are we to do?
But there can not be any doubt of
the result. Your president and Secre-
tary Root are men who do not turn
back when they set themselves a TASK
My only fear is that under a mistaken
conception of the facts the concessions
will not be sufficient to really help us.
IF I knew that this was thoroughly
understood / could go back to my home
IN Central Valley with my mind easy
as to the future of Cuba.
Looking only two years ahead. I can
see thriving republic just off your
shores, our people prosperous and hap
py owning their own little homes and
having enough money SO that we would
be spending at least s15o,0O0.000 a year
buying your natural and manufactured
products.
When I think of that picture. | can
not bear to look upon the other alterna-
tive of ruin and anarchy"