The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-01-30

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GEN. LEONARD WOOD.
cut Of there. In Cuba we find about
the only outlet and opportunity for our
people. Here is an island which has
never had over seven or eight per cent
of its territory under cultivation at any
one time. 1t has a population of 1900,
atively stating it, OF the 1,60O 600 she
has now, half are white. The other
half are mixed in color. The feeling
toward the United States is one Of sin
cere friendship. If we establish
certain amount OF reciprocity we are
going to see great many of our pe0-
pie 20 to Cuba, which we have demon
strated to be a healthy country, and
where the opportunities for sugar rails
ing and tobacco raising and mining and
fruit growing are unexcelled. and as
soon as our people find they can go
there with a reasonable hope Of making
some money they will take care of the
situation very much as they have in
other places (Laughter). We have
carried out our promise i'm absolute good
faith. We have established them in
healthy. normal condition, without a
dollar Of debt. with one and one-half
million dollars in their treasury. with a
good school system, and we are in hon
or bound. I think to do all we can to
keep them going because it is our off
spring in a way. 1t is the only time we
ever L4eQ 10 make q ma LlDn DlHEI imam
cur own. and we have made these peo-
pie and set them on their feet What
ever the future has in store for Cuba,
we are going to act in good faith, and it
must come through commercial con-
quest That is the solution Of the pro
blem of Cuba. j think. The gradual
settlement and building ND of close
commercial ties should be encouraged,
and as they grow and strengthen the
political situation win fit to the occa-
If we had a war tomorrow with
strong naval power we should be very
much embarrassed about the possession
OF Havana. and we might be tempted
to occupy it for our own protection. No
one can tell. We have established these
people. We have put them on their
feet, and they are not strong enough to
protect themselves from aggression. anu
we would not want for a moment to
think of allowing anybody to go down
there and ATTEMPT what they are doing
in Venezuela There is only one outlet
and that Is TO establish the best trade
conditions you can, induce your own
people to go there, and let the future
take care of itself.
This question Of the reduction OF sugar
duties is a question which has come uD
and has beeen given great deal of at
tenticn. One Of your own statesmen,
Mr. Long prolonged cheers and an
plauseJ. whom YOU have just honored
by electing United States senator. is a
man who has made Cuban reciprocity
possible In Washington prolonged
cheers and apDlauseJ. I first heard or
him when I was down in Cuba getting
department inquiries saying Congress
man Long wants all the details about
this. that and the other, and we used
10 wonder who in thunder is Con
gresham Long and what does he want
these details fOr2" CLaNghter-) We got
20 work and gave him the details ana
he attended to the rest. CHEERS and
aplause) The question of a reduction
D. "a ii rr fa
Important to us as to the Cubans
don know whether you have ever
looked into the sugar question much
but we eat in this country about 400
600 tons of sugar annually We have
largely lost business in the canning in
qustry, much of it going to England,
because sugar is cheaper there We
grow in this country about 415 600 toms
Of all kinds of sugar. and we use 400
900 tons so that 100000 tons have to
be imported The balance comes from
Porto Rico and Hawaii. We import
4ba.OO0OOO worth of duty paying sugar
and On that we collect $50. 0O0. 900 of duty
In other words, we collect a duty on q
STAPLE article of food. used by rich ana
poor, high and low, all over the country
the duty amounting to S154 per cent
of the total value of the product i'm
ported.
The value of the same product which
we could raise and use. it is said, is
estimated al $l9,OOO.O0O. These are the
ngures on sugar. We certainly should
object to high duty on flour or pork or
coal We have just passed a law for
free coal, but on sugar we have kept
duty which has run from sixty to
eighty per cent of it's value for years.
Ihe question as to whether this is G
real sugar country or not can be illus
treted In this way. Cuba has a pOpu-
latQn Of 500 600 OF whom soc 09Q Gre
workers i'm the field divided between
mining, sugar and tobacco, principally
sugar. These people at the end of the
war produced 100000 tons of sugar.
Inree Yeas later they produced S15 O0n
tons of sugar. In other words thew
jumped their crop SIC. 600 tons In this
country, with ninety years of SUGAR
growing, we produced "a total of 412 900
tons last year. The Cuban has had a
81 ei6Hu 10 twelve per cent We have
Rad unlimited capital at low rates of
interest, with no duty to pay. and vet
these Cubans have increased their crop
100000 tons more than our total crop IN
the last three years. We have started
this little republic after all this trouble
and expenditure of blood and money
and we are about as much Interested
iu their going on well as they are I
think we feel a certain pride in this ex-
pertinent We feel good deal as you
Go toward a child whom you keep from
putting his hand in the fire. You take
him away. and he tries to get back
again aud put his hand in the fire. You
don't think any less of the child for
that You get very much annoyed and
feel disposition to spank him We
have started this outfit and we must
see them through We don't want to 90
through the humiliating experience OF
having established a republic and see
the thing collapse 1t is too near us.
There is another very vital question
We have left them all these fine sys-
terms Of sanitation and educa ton we
have left them with schools and hos
pitals. fine system of justice, and Il
they are going to keep up these sys-