This is a clever idea of his, for he is likely to find many adherents among the merchants, who are dissatisfied with Sagasta's plan for home rule, and for giving the Cuban legislature the right to fix the tariff on all goods sent into Cuba.
The merchants want the tariff arranged by Spain as it always has been, and they want it so fixed that Cubans will be obliged to buy their goods in Spain.
One of Cuba's greatest causes of complaint was the high tariff which Spain imposed on all goods entering Cuba except those of Spanish manufacture. This tariff made it impossible for Cubans to buy their goods in any of the European markets, and compelled them to take the class and quality of goods which Spain chose to send them, and to pay whatever price Spain demanded for them.
Perhaps you will find this a little hard to understand, so we will try to make it a little clearer to you.
All countries are anxious to find markets for the goods they produce. It is for this reason that we have passed our present tariff bill.
The United States wishes to make a market for the goods manufactured here, and so she has laid a heavy tariff or duty on all goods brought into this country that are similar to those that we make here. A certain fixed number of cents has to be paid for every pound, gallon, or yard of such goods before they can be brought into the country.
The importers cannot, of course, afford to lose this money, and so they have to add it to the price of the goods, which thus become more expensive than the same class of articles manufactured here. 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.