It is
therefore to the housekeeper's advantage to buy home-made goods in
preference to foreign, and thus a market is made for the home products.
Spain considers her colonies her rightful market, and therefore has
placed a high duty on foreign goods. The Cuban housewives therefore
found it to their advantage to buy Spanish goods. Cuba is of course too
small an island to manufacture many things for herself.
This seemed fair enough, but unfortunately, the Spanish goods thus
forced on the Cubans were not satisfactory to them, and were, moreover,
sold at prices much too high for their value. The Cubans found that were
they allowed to go to the world's markets for their supplies, they could
live for half what it cost them under Spanish rule, and rebelled against
the power that was treating them so unfairly.
The question of tariff is said to be the most serious stumbling-block in
the way of home rule for Cuba. It has been said by both Spanish and
Cuban diplomats that, if it is enforced, the Spanish merchants will rise
in rebellion against the Government.
Pages:
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29