The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-12-27

lowing self-e4planatory letter in regard
to the Spanish treaty will be written by
Secretary Frelinghuysen, and sent this
afternoon TO the chairman of the Senate
committee on foreign relations:
DETACHMENT OF STATE,
WASHINGTON, December 26.
Hon. John F. Miller, Chairman of the
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Ofthe Senate:
Sir have received your letter ask
ing whether there are any political con-
sideratiOns important to this country
relating to the treaty between the
United States and Spain as to Cuba and
Porto Rico, and also inQuiring of me
whether have any suggestions to make
in answer to the objections TO the
treaty, which you assume I have.
noticed. Notification of this convention
was undertaken pursuant to the'policy
which had already received the sanction
of Congress, manifested, by appropria-
tons originating in the House, for COM
missions to negotiate a commercial
convention with Mexico, and for a COM
mission to Central and South America
to ascertain means of fostering more
intimate relations of amity and COM
merce with them. The same policy had
! obtained the approval of the Senate by
it's ratification of the convention with
| Mexico. The convention now before
you, in its political aspect. is one of inn
portance. Some have thought there is
disposition in. the United States look
ing to the annexation of Cuba. Such
action would be unwise, for reasons
which are apparent to your commission,
for, even could it be accomplished by
general consent, our institutions would
be endangered by this beginning of
colonial system, or by an incorporation
into our body polite of a large popula-
ton not in entire sympathy with our
government, aims and methods. The
treaty removes the causes OF complaint
as to the treatment of our citizens, and
their property in Cuba and Porto
Rico, which have heretofore led
to serious discussion between
the two governments, and by bringing
the islands into close commercial con-
Injection with the United States, confers
which would result from annexation,
were that possible. The convention
with Spain is one of serious interna-
tional engagements. Following the re-
Fciprocity treaty with Mexico, it opens
! the markets of Cuba and
Porto Rico to our products.
The treaty with San Domingo
opens that Republic, and. pending ne
gotiationS with Central American States
and with Colombia, tend to the same
| object. In conjunction with these a
1 treaty with Nicaragua for the cOnstruc-
| ton of an inter-ocean canal, while
| bringing the most distant parts of our
/ own country into closer relations, it
opens the markets of the west coast of
! South America to our trade, and gives
us at our doors q customer able to abb
lSorb a. large portion of those articles
which we produce in return for the
products which we cannot profitably
raise. Now let me refer to some OBJ
| jections made to the Spanish conven-
| tons. 1t is said that we thereby give
up the revenue on sugar from $25, 000,
| 600 to $35, 900 900 in return for reduc-
ton of duties upon our products inn
ported into Cuba and Porto Rico, esti-
mated on the basis of existing traffic, at
from So, 900 900 to $5;000, 900. The relin-
/ quiShment of revenue, when for public
good, is in the line of national
| policy hitherto, 1t was done in the
case of coffee, which by the act of May
| lst, 1872, was placed on the free list
without an attempt to obtain therefor
any equivalent whatever, and solely in
| obedience to the demand for "a free
breakfast table" By this measure the
treasury of the United States has lost,
/ in the last twelve years, revenue to the
extent of some $l44 ,OOO, 900 on coffee
alone, and besides, let us not forget that
| Brazil availed itself of the action of this
government to impose an export tax on
| coffee, which deprived the people of this
ircountry of the benefit of our tariff reduc-
ton.
Article V of this convention presents
a similar action by Spain. The treaty
now under consideration tends to
cheaper the cost of necessaries of life
I by reducing the cost of the staple daily
4 consumption, of which we are obliged to
import each year nearly 500, 900 in
value, to make up for the inadequate
production of our own soil, which
amounts to only about II per c3ntum of
the whole consumption, and at the same
time to secure growing market for our
| products IN the Spanish Antilles,
coupled with especial privileges to our
merchant marine. 1t is also said that
the Importation of free sugar from Cuba
and Porto Rico, when added to our do
nestle production and to the importa-
ton from the Sandwich Islands, will fall
short of the quantity needed for home
consumption. and the price will be ruled
by the part remaining liable to duty,
so that the profit from the removal of
duty will go to the Cuban and Porto
Rico planters, and not to the consumers
in this country. If this argument be
true, the treaty will not affect the price
of sugar in Louisiana. The price of the
commodity is Iessened by the supply
! being greater than the demand, but it is
frank to say that other conventions
have been negotiated, or are in process
1 of negotiation, which will provide ade-
quate importation from the sugar re-
gionS.
! Again, the privileged introduction Of
/ tobacco at reduced duties has been
objected to as reducing the revenue and
removing the protection from American
products and manufacture As to this,