Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-12-16
The SPANISH TREATY.
How wheeling cigarmaksrs View
Its Effects.
A Live Difference of Opinion Shown BY
Several interesting Expressions
Among the Iobac-
conists.

The local cigar and tobaoto men are IN
deabt, as yet, how 70 regard the proposed rec
iproeity treaty withSpai Somease inchned
to beheye it will be beneficial toour trade
and others that it VIZ be detrimental, bat
none Of them are entirely familiar with IT'S
provisions and all prefer to await develop
ments before expressing themselves. The
| tobacco trade papers, losking at all tsbaeco
interests, are inclined TO oppose the raidea-
ton of the treaty, though; in their reports OF
the views of large dealers are many osin-
ions favorable to its provisions. In thests
of Market street cigar mna yesterday wasa
group discussing the si:aation, one man
having casually remarked that Straiton 4.
Storm, of New York, had clseed down until
the treaty. was decided.
THAT need have no effess on US. said
another. THAT firm buys, thousands of
bales of tobacco in Cuba and leaves them
there to. dry out, thus saving thousands Of
dollars every year, in tariff rates. They are
simply waiting to see whether 1t would be
advisable to hold their tobacco in Cuba, or
to ship it at once"
It's ny opinion" said Mr.. Hugo Loos
that the only persons that wiz be unfavor-
ably affected by the treaty will be few
eastern monopolists. 1t strikes me one
effect will be to bring Cuban leaf here at
such a reduced figure that we can put out a
cigar that will Rndersell the Havana cigar.
Won't that affect the .hone tobacco
grower
Il don't see how it can, when now thou
sands of bales of our Pennsylvania tobacco
are shipped to Cuba and returned here as
Havana in manufactured tobacco"
But won't cigars, at reduction OF so
per cent on the duty, come here and under
sell the home product?
"As 10 that" said gentleman near by,
II don't believe it. Spanish, cigar makers,
both in Cuba and Key West, get better prices
than others, and the Key West cigar ranks
every other in the market. Give us the raw
material at reduced rate and we can make
cigars that will stump creation and will
make the United States The great cigar mart
# the world"
In another cigar store, different turn
was taken by affairs. One intelligent work
man was excited saying:
Cuba manufactured annually 100000.
900 cigars, of which 50,0OO,000 came to
this country. On these the tariff was $3.50
pound and % per cent. ad yalorum in ad-
dition. Fine cigars were made in Havana
by slave labor for $40. Now, if half of that
Was taken of, then q fine Havana cigar
10 cd ~ for
thousand and could be retailed here for
three for a quarter and in that case con-
inued the speaker, what becomes of our
Havana-6lled cigsrs?" He thought
that Minister Foster must have
got his information about the cigar
manufacturer from a hardware dealer.
The imports of those islands, continued
the speaker, amount to from $i0,000.000
to S50,0O0,O00. The exports are from $685.
0OO, 900 to $l03, 900, 900. Nearly twothirds
of these exports come to us. They import
or we sell to them, about onefourth OF their
imports, or say $4,000, 900 worth, while we
buy from them about 10000, 900 worth,
difference Of nearly S6O,OO0,0O0 as bal
ance of trade in their favor, and receive as
duty on the articles imported from those
islands from $25,00O,0O0 to S30,0O0,0O0,
and ask any Senator whether it is worth
while TO forego this duty for the sake OF this
export trade OF $l2,500,000."
This seemed quite popular, and another
man added "As soon as you begin running
in Havana wrappers and filters as raw ma
terial or the manufactured cigars, you
knock our home trade into Rocked hat.
There will be no market for Connecticut
wrapper because it isn't so good. Then as
soon as the treaty is ratified, and Havana
goods are in demand, up goes the price 10
or 20 per cent, because there is no cOmpe
tition."
A former Pennsylvania workman was
asked by the writer what he thought the
feet of the treaty would be on the tobacco
grower. Said he:
Il think it will stimulate the growing in
stead of iniuring it. The belief seems
general that Cuban tobacco is greatly su'
nerior to the tobacco raised here. We can
raise as good tobacco in its way, as is
grown in Cuba, but it is different and from
he combination of the two tobaccos are
made the very best cigars. There will, in
nv opinion, be an abundant market for
| Ill of our home tobacco.
As mentioned above, there is great doubt
IS 10 the exact provisions of the treaty.
I he general belief ia that it proposes re-
drction of so per cent, making tobacco l7lc
Ter pound and cigars 81 % per pound and
an ad valorem tax of II! per cent. With
his view, Mr. Loos is disposed to regard the
treaty as beneficial, and Mr. Brandfass as
}rejudieisl They and heder Bros. are
more affected than any others in the city
and they would prefer to wait for more
light, before expressing themselves at
length.
THE double width English Cashmeres at