The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-08
A COMMERCIAL HOLDUP.

brought pressure TO Dear on tne Supah
Congress for the purpose Of inducing that
body to increase the duty on all rice I'M
ported into the island The proposed In
crease, affected by the 10 per cent. advan-
tage given by the reciprocity treaty, would
open the Cuban market to the American
product, which the Cubans cannot now
AFFORD to buy. Seeing only possible bene-
At to American trade, and without COM
petent knowledge Of the results OF the Dill
or the methods by which it Is being forced
upon the Cubans, various American papers
have given the movement their approval.
In 1904 Cuba imported l9e, 4ss, 4e2 pounds
OF rice, Of a value Of &s, so4 1897, or practi-
cally two cents per pound. All except an
Insignificant quantity was Asiatic rice, i'm
ported chiefly via Europe. England sup
piled nearly 90 per cent. Of 1t, Germany
about % per cent, and the remainder came
from various countries. About 100000
pounds, valued at 800 900, was supplied by
the United States. As the consumption
for 1904 was q fair average OF Cuba's an
nual requirement, the trade Is evidently
worth having. But the American people
neither need nor want trade which is al
most choked out OF a weaker neighbor,
against the wish and contrary to the inter-
ests Of the weaker country. II we cannot
get business by fair and open methods, or
without playing the bully, we could better
maintain our national self-respect by get
ting along without it.
The present Cuban duty on rice is Si2o
per 100 kilos (about 22O pounds) for ship
ments from all countries except the United
States. The rate ON rice from this country,
Nho tc nj
cents. The 30 called ley de drros, or rice
bill, proposes an increase to $2.75 per 100
kilos. which would give to the United States
an advantage Of Sl.10, or one-half cent
pound over all competitors. To this
there might be no objection II it did not
mean q large increase in the cost Of an
article of diet which lie in Cuba quite what
-four Is in the United States. 1t is the staple
food Of the people. And the proposal is
that every Cuban peasant and workman
shall pay an annual sum from his pittance
for the benefit Of American rice growers
and American and Cuban transportation
companies.
1t is claimed by the promoters Of the
measure that the increased cost would be
trivial. that the rate paid on present i'm
ports is Sl.7o, and that the new rate on i'm
ports from tho United States would be
$1.ss, an increase Of only IS cents on 220
pounds, or less than a quarter Of cent
per pound. Assuming Cuba's total supply
to be obtained from this country, which 1t
would not be, even that would add nearly
$500, 900 year to the islands cost of living.
There are several interesting features
in this movement to which attention may
be called. When Cubans who have been
induced to support such bill use such ar
glments as some that are advanced, they
at once lay their cause open to suspicion.
One argument made by an advocate in the
Cuban House ID that the present reciprocity
treaty is not fair to the United States. The
fact Is that special agent, Gen. Tasker
H. Bliss, virtually dictated the terms Of
the reciprocity treaty, having at all times
and in all items, az an expert authority.
clearly in view the equalizing of American
competition with that Of all other lands.
II We did not get all that properly belongs
to US we need no Cuban advocate to pro-
test against the unfairness Of the result.
Another argument is that the advantage
given to Cuban sugar in our custom houses
ia one Of the causes of the deficit in our
revenues, and therefore Cuba should do
what she can to help US out Of our financial
hole by increasing. even at her own cost,
her purchases from us. Such arguments
are silly and ridiculous II they were less
so they would be as disgraceful to us as
they are to those who utter them. Another
argument widely used is that if this ad-
vantage is not given the present treaty
will be abrogated and no new treaty made.
Those who use that argument, whether
Cubans or Americans, officials or laymen,
20 far beyond the bounds of any justifi-
cation.
American rice growers cannot supply
the rice required by Cuba, nor can the
product Of American fields be sold in COM
petition with the rice d Saigon and Ran
COON. The total American production last
wear was about 40 QUO 0OO pounds, out of
which about rs, 900 0OO'pounds was exported
In addition to our home production We i'm
ported for domestic consumption more than
100 900 900 pounds Of rice, rice -four, rice
meal and broken rice. 1t would, in view
OF these facts, be interesting to know just
where We are to get the 200 900, 900 pounds
neeiei 10y Cuba. It certainly cannot come
from our domestic production. because
We do not produce it. II it be question
Of supplying the cereal from the Far East,
q proposition to which the promoters Of
this scheme would object strongly, we fail
to see why American traders, with the
present 40 per cent. tariff advantage, may
not now compete with England and Ger
many.
The truth Of the matter is that the Cuban
rice bill, in its conception and the methods
which have been used to foist it on the
Cuban people, is discreditable to the United
States. It should receive no official sup
port, dnd should meet with nothing except
opposition and condemnation from the
press. 1t was jammed through the Cuban
House, is hung up in the Cuban Senate
and should it pass the Senate would be
vetoed by the President were 1t not for
his fear that the United States would charge
him with showing favor to England and
Germany.
Outside Of financially interested CLIQUE
the rice bill is condemned from one end of
Cuba to the other. Should its promoters
succeed in jamming or bullying It through
the Cubans must expect to see a cotton
clique, machinery clique. wine lobby,
q glass and crockery group, a boot and
shoe aggregation, and a long procession
~ ofhnr ipfaroota damn pdip0 rnOpopol;.t;o