The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-04-27
PERKINS AND THE TREATY
THE SENATOR BELIEVES THE
MEASURE is DOOMED.
Opposition Is 20 Strong that Defeat Is
Almost Certain-He Will Propose an
Amendment-His Position.

WASHINGTON, April 17.-"believ-
ing that opposition to the Hawaiian
reciprocity treaty is so strong that its
defeat is almost certain, | am now
preparing to introduce an amendment
to the treaty at the proper time which
will grant a differential of y cent in
favor of sugar from the islands. In
other words, with duty on sugar at
1R cents pound, 90 per cent polar
ization, the imports from the Hawaii
an Islands would pay 1 cent pound
This would mean a remission of at
least $2,000,000 year on Hawaiian
sugars"
Senator Perkins thus outline,, his
position on the hawaiian treaty to-
night. He said he had given the mat
ter much thought, had carefully con-
sidered the many protests from both
mercantile ana farming interests in
California, and had arrived at the
conclusion that on sue. a basis as he
proposes the islands will be given ben
etits more nearly commensurate with
those enjoyed by this country in the
free entry of It's goods into the islands.
Protests have reached the Senator
from business men of San Francisco,
from farmers who supply beets to fac
tories and from ,ne State orange. All
of these he takes to indicate that it is
the belief of the majority of Califor-
snians that the development of the
beet sugar industry of California will
come only through restrictions upon
the free entry of the product of Ha.
waii. The amount of trade San Fran
cisco now enjoys with the islands, ac-
cording to statements which have
large as that enjoyed by the producers
of sugar, and to equalize matters a
revision of the treaty along the lines
he suggests he believes is now abso-
lutely necessary. AS Senator White
indicated before he went away that
he favored the abrogation of the
treaty, the stand of Perkins practical
ly unites CALIFORNIA; representatives
in the Senate.
II have given this matter most care
full study since it first came up and
have watched the growing opposition
in the Senate to it, said Perkins. Il
believe that not only area majority of
the members of the Finance Commit
tee in favor of abrogation at the pres
ent time, but that large vote could
be secured for Nelson's resolution
should it be reported from the For
eign Relations Committee | am in
formed that all but two members of
the Cabinet favor the abrogation of
this treaty, in the belief that the adj
vantages of it accrue to Hawaii to a
much greater extent than to this coun-
try. The $7,000,000 RENTED on sugar
imports from the islands is greatly in
excess of the amount we should pay
for the trade we enjoy. We pay too
dearly for our whistle.
Il am convinced from statements of
farmers that the amount of benefit
which would accrue to them would
more than justify our action in the
development OF Cne beet sugar indus
try, as seems to be the opinion of both
ranchers and business men. 1t would,
moreover, retain for us practically all
the trade we now enjoy, should we so
amend the treaty that the Hawaiian
producers would have differential of
one-half a cent, and a practical bounty
of $2,000,000 year that it would give"