Evening star., 1927-04-28
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

It is not overlooked that most of the
sugar mills Of Cuba are owned and
financed by Americans living in the
Northern United States, but who does
not recognize the interest which the
solid South has in a protective tariff
to feed its Infant industries?
President Machado, now an honored
visitor to America, is frankly asking
that the Platt amendment be rescind-
ed He comedies that it has not
caused a single act of the United
States tending toward Imperialism
over Cuban independence. That is
frankly conceded by all Cuban officials.
But they say that all provisions in
the Platt amendment have now been
outlived And--here is the actual bur-
den of the plea for its abrogation--it
is cause of humiliation to the "sov
ereignty" of the Republic Of Cuba.
The Cubans want to save their face"
as the Orientals express 1t, and today
Germany twits them with being under
the suzerainty of the United States;
so do the Latin American countries,
which envy the increased prosperity
and the increased sanitation and the
improved mortality rate, which loss
of face" has vouchsafed to Cuba.
President Machado testifies that the
relations of the United States toward
Cuba, throughout the quarter of a
century since the American Army
drove Spain off the island, have dem
onstrated that this Nation is the most
unselfish in the world. We Americans
have asked for nothing for ourselves,
except one naval Coaling station on
the eastern extremity of the island,
at Guantanamo (and we pay for that,
and the right to establish another, at
the western end. if we so desire,
though we have never exercised that
right. We have voluntarily relin-
quished to Cuba the Isle of Pines, al
though even the Platt amendment left
that open for future adjustment by
mutual agreement Did this in "Sam.
uel" seem imperlalistic?
The Platt amendment provided that
Cuba should not go into debt to
foreign nations, beyond her power to
pay from the current revenues. That
would have justified us in keeping
supervision over her finances, but
even within the last year, when she
wanted to borrow money to finance
road Improvement, she submitted the
ment, and was told that she need not
| ask our formal approval, but could go
ahead as she saw fit. Surely there
| was no 'loss of face" there. Her road
| enterprise will consist OF a modern
| highway to run some 700 miles across
| the full length of the island, together
with laterals aggregating some 700
| miles more-a total cost of some So.
! 100000. Cuba has made great eco-
| nomic progress since we aided her lib.
GRAFTON and sanitation.
| X X X
| To secure an abrogation of the per-
| petual treaty, based on the Plat
amendment, would require action by
! both the House and Senate. as we'll as
| approval by the President, for it is
not an ordinary diplomatic treaty, but
| is statutory law. If both branches of
/ Congress and the President consented
| to repeal the law, then the Cuban
constitution would be amended, and
then the diplomatic departments un-
der the direction of the presidents of
the two countries. would formulate
new treaties, and our Senate, without
action by the House. could ratify the
! new treaty. But officials who are ia
mliar with the history of the present
, relations give positive assurance that
such action would never be seriously
considered in either branch of Con-
| greSS.
| X X n
The Cuban officials assume that the
! Platt al lendment abrogation could be
brought about without affecting the
| tariff eciprocity. They belittle the
] special status of the 20 per cent pref
| erential and the most favored ma
| ton" clauses in our other treaties.
Amer lean officials declare that 1t Is
not con reivable that, without the basis
of our special relations with Cuba,
under tn, terms of the Platt amend
ment, 1t would be impossible to main
tain any difference befaeen our tariff
on Cuban sugar and tobacco and other