Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-12-26
THE SPANISH TREATY.
This Country not Yet In Condition to Give
Away Thirty Million Dollars.

This Country not Yet In Condition to Give
Away Thirty Million Dollars.
To ne Editor Of ne RrgiSiT.
A few days ago, in commenting on the
pending commercial treaty with Spain, you
invited discussion BY readers Of the REGIS
TER with the view Of informing our Sena-
tors as to how they should vote when the
treaty comes before the Senate for action.
| accept your invitation, disclaiming,
however, any intention Of giving our Sena'
tors any information on the subject or sug-
costing how they shall vote. hold that
every public man is bound by every obligs-
ton Of duty 10 do what he believes to be
right and for the best interests Of
the whole people, however contrary
it may be to popular clamor
For We are all as private citizens too apt
10 form our judgments upon matters and
policies, as We think they might affect our
personal interests. \ member of the
United States Senate should be bound by
higher obligation than that of selfshness
He is legslating, By his vote, not only for
his own state, but also for the whole cOun-
try, and his views Of public questions should
be determined not alone by what may affect
his own immediate constituency, but also
by the probable effect upon the country at
large.
do not BY any means assert that pub
lie man should ignore the opinions Of his
immediate constituents but what | do
mean is, that he is bound when he comes
to act upon public questions, to vote IN
view Of ell the light which may be shed
upon them from whatever quarter, and to
make up his Judgment from the standpoint
of statesman, rather than that of mere
politician. Very few, however, of our pub.
lie men seem to care how they vote or what
opinions they advocate, if only they may be
in harmony with the current of opinion at
the time. In short, our public, men seem
to be more intent on keeping themselves in
Office than on legislating for the good OF the
country.
By these suggestions / do not mean to
critieise any action Of the Senators from
West Virginia now in office. They are
merely responsive to the suggestion OF your
editorial. have too high an opinion OF
these gentlemen TO suppose that Il they
think the proposed treaty viii act against
the interests Of the country at large they
would not vote to rstify it because Of any
supposed public sentiment IN Vest. Virginia
in favor OF it, and rice rerSG.
As to the treaty itself, it seems to me
that the people ofthis country are not yet
in situation to give to the islands of Cuba
and Porto Rico thirty million dollars annu.
ally for the sake Of being allowed to sell
them ten or fifteen million worth Of our
products more than we now sell them. This
treaty proposes tosallow sugar from Cuba
and Porto Rico TO come into this country
free of tariff taxes, whereas now sn sugars
from these islands pay tariff tax of not
less than two cents per pound.
They send US annually about $50, O0o.O 900
worth ofsugar. Our total imports Of sugar
amount 10 about S9O,OOoO00 annually, so
that we do not get all our imported sugar
from these islands. The tariff taxes on
v bat we do get from them amounts to about
$40 600 O0O annually. The treaty pro
poses, tia: the United States shall abolish