The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-09-20
AS TO CUBAN ANNEXATION.
How the Question Is Looked at in the
 West.

How the Question Is Looked at in the
 West.
 The United States gets from Cbua twelve-seventeenth of the sugar it im- ports. The commerce between the two countries for the last fiscal year ex- ceeded one hundred and twenty mil lion dollars, The Cuban bond debt of thirty-hve million dollars is mostly held in this country American capital in excess of one hundred million dol- lars has been invested ii1 Cuban plan- tations, mines and railroads. Wtatev- CT tends to check industry in Cuba, to lessen productiveness, to diminish trade and the return on capital affects directly the interests of great many Americans who but for their personal concern might view Cuban insurrec- tion with about as much indifference as they do one in Columbia,
 There is much British, Canadian, German an Spanish capital invested in Cuba. Most of it went there because of the substantial assurance given by the United States that that capital would be proteetedthat there would be some kind of stable government in the island. If there should be indications of return to the destructive condi- tions which existed prior to the Span- ish war, when patriotic bandits were burning sugar plantations and killing the great industry of Cuba, the mon eyed and property interests, American, European and Cuban, would look to the United States for relief. Much as it might dislike to intervene it would have to do so.
 Intervention which was confined to | putting the Cuban government on its legs again if it should be unable to put down an instruction would not be en- tirely satisfactory A government which had to be propped up with American bayonets would not be greatly respected by Cubans or by for, eigners. If Cubans were Egyptians al | American protectorate might answer all purposes, but the Cubans being what they are there are serious obiec- tions to a protectorate,
 The Americans who have capital in. | vested In Cuba are mostly for annexa tion for business reasons. They are anxious ito send to this country duty free the sugar, citrus fruits and othel Iproducts which are dutiable. So art many of the Cubams, and Europeans who are not representatives, of foreigr manufacturers. Those manufacturers do not want annexation, for it woult mean to them the loss of the Cubai market. Probably some of the mel who are making war on the Cuban government would rather the Limited States should rule the island than tina Presidene Palma and his friend should do so. They might argue tha they would have a better chance at tn local offices.
 There would be opposition to annex ation in some quarters in this country The American sugar producers and tn tobacco raisers would protest agains it. They know that if Cuba were | become a part of the United States it products could not be treated as Phil I ippine products have been. If tn mass of the American people shoul, reach the conclusion that annexatio was desirable or of an ineffective Gu ban government, the hostility of tn sugar and tobacco interests or of an surviving anti-imperialists woul
 count for nothing. If after it had bee demonstrated that the Cubans coul
 not govern themselves the Unite
 States were to assume jurisdicton owe them no one could truly say that thi
 country had been false to the ashu : ances of disiuterestedness it gave 2