12 



THE CUBA REVIEW. 



FROM UNITED STATES NEWSPAPERS. 



Key West and Guantanamo. 



Comparing Key West and Guantanamo as 

 naval stations the New York Sun finds 

 the latter immeasurably superior. It 

 says in part: 



"Guantanamo is an enormous landlocked 

 bay capable of entertaining the whole United 

 States fleet, colliers, torpedo boats and all, 

 and with deep water up to the very shores. 

 This bay was granted to the United States 

 after the "Spanish war' and preparations 

 were made for its intelligent exploitation, 

 but all measures of improvement and 

 habilitation were suddenlj' arrested. No 

 docks were begun, no shops or barracks 

 were initiated. We had the bay with its 

 magnificent opportunities and possibili- 

 ties, but nothing was done to make it 

 really useful. It was ours. It made a 

 refuge, but Guantanamo, the finest sea- 

 port in our possession at this moment 

 and the possible key to the Carribean 

 Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, is without 

 docks, without repair shops of importance, 

 a priceless jewel without a setting, an in- 

 considerable bauble which we cannot even 

 pawn." 



Not a Good Investment. 



What Cuba needs is steady industry, 

 thrift, a sense of order and respect for prop- 

 erty honestly acquired. Nowhere do the 

 conditions of life and labor more impera- 

 tively demand the discouragement of idle 

 habits, gambling, graft, the getting of some- 

 thing for nothing. Some southern Italians, 

 inveterate "players," say that it is easier to 

 win money in lotteries than to earn it. 

 Easier for a few, not for the many, not for 

 a nation. Cuba will not find the lottery a 

 good investment morally, politically or in- 

 dustrially. — Chicago Record-Herald. 



The newest financing of the Cuban 

 government in the shape of a $16,500,000 

 bond issue was necessitated, says World's 

 Work, by the emptying of the island's 

 treasurj^ in carrying out public works 

 inaugurated under the ^lagoon adminis- 

 tration. "As a result," it says further, 

 "the Cuban government found itself, in 

 spite of a vigorous effort to forestall 

 the making of new public loans, obliged 

 to call upon the world's bankers for aid." 



The establishment of a complete and in- 

 dependent financial system in Cuba will in- 

 volve some problematic conditions which 

 will call for wise statesmanship. The main- 

 tenance of a governmental credit that will 

 sustain a sound currencj' is one of the es- 

 sentials. — Nashville (Tenn.) Banner. 



Cuba Wants Her Own Money. 



A bill has been introduced in the 

 Cuban Congress providing for a system 

 of coinage and currency for the island. 

 The Cubans desire to possess money of 

 their own and not be dependent, as here- 

 tofore, upon foreign money for their 

 circulating medium. This is evidence of 

 a commendable national spirit. 



Heretofore both Spanish and American 

 moneys have circulated in Cuba, with 

 Spanish coin most in favor, as is but 

 natural, owing to the long control of 

 Cuba by Spain. There is a tendency, 

 however, for American money to grad- 

 ually crowd out all other forms, but the 

 Cubans believe that were they to estab- 

 lish a currency and coinage of their own 

 Cuban money would rapidly replace 

 other existing mediums of exchange. 



The Cubans propose to copy our 

 American coinage currency and banking 

 sj'stem, but it is well for them to remem- 

 ber that it would be unwise and danger- 

 ous to permit any issue of money that is 

 not worth all it represents itself to be. 

 It would also, in all probability, be un- 

 wise for Cuba to copy our national bank 

 system, with its inelastic note issues, to 

 discover afterwards, as we ourselves 

 have discovered, that the sj^stem is 

 faulty and insufficient. As Cuba will com- 

 mence de novo, it would be wise not 

 to attempt to adopt a banking currency 

 in principle. — New Orleans, La., Picay- 

 une. 



We took Cuba from chaos, anarchy 

 and weakness, established orde*- and put 

 our strong hands under her government 

 that her people might be protected from 

 foreign greed and internal disorder. In 

 this work we spent many millions of 

 dollars and twice we have handed the 

 island back to its inhabitants v.'ith clear 

 quittance, free of charge or claim for 

 services rendered. — Richmond (Va.) 

 Leader. 



If it had not been that the United 

 States was pledged by a resolution of 

 congress not to annex Cuba at the time 

 the United States was at war with Spain, 

 or soon after, it is extremely probable 

 that the island would be a part of the 

 territory of the United States, and there 

 are plenty of men who now believe that 

 it is a part of the destiny and mission of 

 the United States to absorb and govern 

 Cuba. — Fitchburg (Mass.) Sentinel. 



