The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-20
Juggling with the Platt Amendment

Reliable information from Cuba makes
| it evident that it is even now desirable
and that it may soon become imperative
for the United States officially to call the
attention of the Republic of Cuba to the
fact that both its own constitution and
the Platt Amendment impose certain
restrio ions en- it's debt mourning powers,
Such step now seems little short OF
inevitable unless Cuba's Congress and
| President are in some way restored to
political and financial sanity
For more than year Cuba's Congress
and the Executive have been playing an
erratic financial game to serve political
ends. The danger the situation in
creases with every Iassing week. At
the bottom of it all is that question of
the pay OF the soldiers of the revolution,
to which we have frequently referred.
In the SUNNI of - the claimants
wer, not only satisfied, bu were highly
delighted with proposals to settle all
claims in full b. pro rata distribution
of sum not exceeding $23, 100000 Then
came foreign Spectator, to purchase
the claims at usurious discounts, and po-
litical schemers who proposed a larger
sum for distribution in order to secure
the soldier vote. To-day all is confu-
sion, with greed and graft on every side.
The sum Of $3l 100000 was obtained as
the proceeds of loan Of $35, 100000. By
some jugglery, of most doubtful legality,
it was proposed to pay out $2s, 500, 900 as
settlement of so per cent. OF the claims.
Virtual, though not lawful, recognition
was thereby given to the remaining so
per cent.
Conscious that a second loan would
bring them into conflict with their con-
stitution, an effort has been made to Sc
cure the money by roundabout methods
which the supporters Of the plan, in
Guiding President PALMA, believed would
evade the constitutional restrictions.
The proposal is to pay $2e, 100000 in the
form of certificates bearing s per cent.
interest and redeemable at some I'M
fixed time in the sweet by and by. This,
in the opinion of it's advocates, would not
constitute debt under the constitu-
tional provisions. They give it the name
Of an interior loan The fact that the
certificates would soon pass, as large
share of the claims have already passed,
into the hands of foreign spectators, and
would thereby be transformed into for
eign claims, foreign debt, seems to be
ignored. Except by the imposition of
heavily burdensome taxes or by dis
tinct evasion of her constitutional pro-
visions, Cuba cannot pay the interest
and principal of both her present debt
and that which it is proposed to incur,
after defraying the current expenses Of
government, as stipulated in the Plat
Amendment
Unless she is restrained by diplo-
matte reminder that she is prohibited
from mourning such obligations, there 10
now every reason to believe that Cuba
will assume financial burdens which will
make American interference a necessity.
This should be avoided if it is in any way
possible to avoid it. 1t is more than sus-
pected that Mr.. Roof as Secretary of
War, drafted the so called Platt Amend
ment. 1t is possible that Mr.. Roof, as
Secretary of State, may find some work
to do under it's provisions.