Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1906-11-23
POOR PEOPLE WANT CHANGE,
rbiuk 4. $. Control or Cuba Would
IMPROVE Conditions.

Think 4. $. Control or Cuba Would
Improve Conditions.
The feeling in Cuba" said c. c. Gill
more. who is familiar with the island,
TO an indianapolis News reporter, lis,
perhaps, best shown in an illustration
given to me by the Danish consul, who
hos lived there for twenty-seven years.
His place is nine miles out of Havana.
| asked him the sentiment of the mass
of CubanS as to to the
United States. He said: There is no
dOubt that annexation will come in
time, though the mass of Cubans are
opposed to it. They are like young
birds in a nest. They want to make
the experiment to try and fly for them
selves. They want to try their wings
CUBA has but n small number Of
people that we would call the middle
class. There are the rich, the very
rich, and the very poor, with few be-
tween. 1 am quite familiar with the
western part of the island, Pinar del
Rio, where Guerra-it is significant
that this name mean war-has his
headquarters.
INV son is in the Isle Of Pines, which
Is likely to continue peaceful. In the
Isle of Pines there are twenty-five ru-
raj guards. These are the equivalent
Of soldiers, equipped and dressed as
soldiers. Three-fourths Of the popula-
ton of that isle is American. That
isle belongs to the United States with
out question. The fact that Cuba of
fered to trade the permanent title to
two coaling stations in Cuba for that
isle shows no title.
The United States is paying $1,000
a year rent to Cuba for two coaling
stations. These stations have been
made in swamps, and when the United
States took the location were not worth
any more than so much blue sky. The
coaling station at Bahia Honda is about
thirty miles west from Havana. When
this government took it, Bahia Honda
was a dreadful miasmatic swamp, but
now many thousands of dollars have
been spent on it. We have no per-
manent title to the coaling stations, but
they are ours as long as we choose to
continue to pay rent for them.
The Spanish residents and the Gu
ban descendants Of Spaniards are the
controlling people in Cuba. Those who
are in trade are doing well. They have
good laws and are protected in bust
ness. 1 do not see why they should
want to belong to the United States.
''The poor people think their condi-
ton would be improved under the gov
o,,,,o+ 90 Tho Trrito1 St,+o- rNbn,-
understand that we pay our laborers
big wages and they think if their ISL
and belonged to us they would get
these better wages. Labor conditions
have improved since the Spanish-Amer-
lean war. Under the Spanish regime
the laborer on the sugar or tobacco
plantation got 80 centavos-about 50
cents-a day, and usually had to take
his wage in trade. Many on those
plantations did not receive so much.
The wage is now about one peso a day
"a Spanish dollar-and it takes a peso
and 81 cents besides to make one of
our dollars.
IF you buy a 1O-cent cigar in Cuba
and get change for a SIS United States
bill you will find when you count it
that you have $3.50 in silver.
Outside of some iron and finest
white marble in the world-as fine as
Carrara marble-and in unlimited
quantity-there is not much mining.
On the Isle of Pines Mr.. Keenan,, of
Pittsburg, Pa, a very wealthy man,
has bought a mountain of this white
marble, for which he paid $4,000, and
is now quarrying it.
"Pinar del Rio, where the rebel Guer-
"a has his stronghold, is, as 1 said, a
mountainous province. Spain was I'M
able to conquer that province in its
long years Of war;"