THE CUBA REVIEW 



CUBA'S NEW PRESIDENT OUTLINES POLICIES 



WILL DRAW CUBA CLOSER TO THE UNITED STATES WILL BE AN 



HONEST ADMINISTRATION 



General Menocal issued a statement to the American press representatives immediately 

 after his election, defining the policies and reforms planned for his administration. 

 He said : 



"My administration not only must be honest, but must appear so. Its motto will be 

 strict performance of its duty within the limits prescribed by law. Every one will be 

 required to do his duty. We will regulate the economic life of the state, seeing that 

 all public expenses are included in the budgets. In the preparation of the latter we 

 will see that no public service suffers ; but under no circumstances will the state be 

 saddled with expenses which are unnecessary and non-effective. 



"It is absolutely necessary that the tariff be regulated fundamentally, so that the 

 present high cost of absolute necessities be cheapened. To this end we will negotiate 

 an amplification of the present commercial reciprocitv treatv with the United States. 

 Every effort that has been made to reform our tariff in the past has been prevented, 

 owing to the demanc's of a costly public administration, because the state has no other 

 income of importance than custom house receipts. This work will be impossible without 

 a reasonable redaction of public exDcn.ses. the increase of which has been constant, and 

 the reconstruction of our tax system in a way by which other means of income may 

 be found and by which public expenses may be carried more equitably. 



"Wc will faithfully comply with all our international agreements and duties required 

 of nations. We will try to draw each day closer and closer ties which unite us to the 

 L^nited States, to which country we are bound by profound gratitude, and with v/hich 

 we are joined by special conditions. At the same time we will be jealous defenders of 

 the rights which are recognized as ours by treaty, and which belong to us as an inde- 

 pendent and sovereign state, trying to show by our acts that we know how to fulfill 

 carefully our obligations, and maintain unquestioned the personality and credit of the 

 republic. 



"Special attention must be givpn to our economic condition in its mercantile, industrial 

 and financial aspects. I will give special care to our agriculture and industrial de- 

 velopment, doing what I can to stimulate immigration and obtain for our products mar- 

 kets that are most convenient for them. 



"We are greatly blessed on account of our geographical location, with 2,500,000 in- 

 habitants scattered over 4:5,000 square miles of land of unsurpassed fertility. We are 

 at the doors of a nation of 100,000,000 inhabitants, with a different climate and different 

 products. With a proper spirit on both sides a complete interchange of prodliicts to 

 mutual profit could be arranged, which would guarantee our commercial prosperity. 



"To this end I propose to appoint a commission to study our tariflf and formulate a 

 general plan for commercial relations with the United States, thus facilitating an inter- 

 change of products as complete as possible, with reciprocal advantages to the two coun- 

 tries, and with the least possible damage to our own customs." 



A few days later General Menocal issued a signed statement to the people, which in 

 part was as follows : 



"I am entering into power without any personal obligations whatever. I shall endeavor 

 to fulfill and will insist on having existing laws obeyed, and all persons having a right 

 •to their protection mav have the assurance that my government will be most scrupulous 

 in respecting their rights. Both friends and adversaries will only find m me the head 

 of the nation Whenever the laws demand reforms it will be my endeavor to effect 

 them by adequate means, seeing alwavs that such modifications be accomplished without 

 resort to sudden or violent changes, for which I shall consult my own experiaice and 

 that of others. Cuba is not in a condition to take adventurous risks, but on the con- 

 trarv it finds itself in the necessity of proceeding to make sure of its liberty so arduo.usly 

 conquered and make firm its independence which is its most deep-rooted love. 



"\aturallv these desires of the executive require the closest union with the legislative 

 power which will find in me the most faithful guardian of its prerogatives, and may 

 Sunt -upon as obedience - the legitimate resolutions^ o^ a^s^^the 



S^Se'liifr o"f"the°se l':ve"al';o.vers^'that^fron; iheir concerted action may result the 

 convinced as I am sure that it is the base of good government. 



