These men were not excited—not in the least.
These men were thinking.
These were not “grasping at death”; they were grasping for Cuba.
Cuba looked good and you looked easy.
These men needed you in their business. And they got you, you Cuban War veterans.
Some items of interest concerning this matter leaked out and got into the papers—into obscure columns of a few of the papers. It improves one’s enthusiasm for “patriotism” to read a few of these “leaks.” Following are a few of the items, from the New York Tribune:[[166]]
“According to the statement given out by the Cuban Junta yesterday, the Republic of Cuba issued $2,000,000 of bonds, payable in gold, at 6 per cent. interest, ten years after the war with Spain had ended. Of this lot $500,000 were sold at an average of 50 per cent.... Among the purchasers of these bonds were many prominent financiers of this city; and now the bonds which were originally sold at 50 per cent. of their face value have increased to 60 per cent....
“The disposition of the bonds of the Cuban Republic has been a question discussed in certain quarters during the last few days ... and the graver charge has been made that the bonds have been given away indiscriminately in the United States to the people of influence who would therefore become interested in seeing the Republic of Cuba on such terms with the United States as would make the bonds valuable pieces of property. Men of business, newspaper and even public officials have been mentioned as having received these bonds as a gift....
“Some interesting facts were developed before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House today. B. F. Guerra, Deputy-Treasurer of the Cuban Republic, appeared with his books, and they were inspected by the Committee. He explained that of the $10,000,000 in bonds authorized ... the lowest price at which any were sold was 25 cents on the dollar.... One million of the bonds were locked up in the safe of Belmont and Company, of New York, to be sold when the price fixed, 45 cents on the dollar, had been obtained.
“... Mr. Guerra was asked about the Spanish-Cuban bonds issued against the revenues of the island. He replied that he did not know their amount, which report placed at $400,000,000.... Deputy-Treasurer Guerra was also before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations today. He said the Cuban bonds which had been sold had been disposed of for an average of about 40 cents on the dollar....