Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-17
BEFORE OXNARD CAME.
Chairman Of the Ways and Means
Committee on Porto Rico.
From the Chicago Inter Ocean.

Chairman Of the Ways and Means
Committee on Porto Rico.
From the Chicago Inter Ocean.
Mr.. W. H. Curtis. Palmyra. N Y:
Dear Sir: Your letter of January 10 re-
ceived, in which you assert that free trade
with Porto Rico means free trade with Cuba
and the Philippine Islands and death
blow to protection. If you are correct in
all of your assumptions, of course no re-
publican would favor any such measure
Suppose we get down to the facts Porto
Rico was ceded to us by the Spanish treaty
and we accepted it without dissenting
voice in all the United States, so far as
know. In accepting it we cut OF. their mar
ket with Spain and Cuba in both Of which
countries there Is now high protective
duty. which is absolutely prohibitive SO far
as Porto Rico fs concerned. Porto Rico
produces $1,000 tons of sugar annually. No
one believes it ever can reach 100000 tons
under the most favorable circumstances.
We imported last year l.SiOODO tons Of
sugar You see. the Importation from Porto
Rico would be as a drop in a bucket We
have had a treaty for number of years
with the Hawaiian Islands, where sugar
can be produced more cheaply than in Porto
Rico. by which all sugar has been admitted
free of duty. 1t ia proposed to continue
this by the enactment of law, and no one
objects to it. We import from the Hawaiian
Islands 100000 tons of sugar annually. In
the face of this free sugar from Hawaii the
production OF beet sugar in California has
wear,
I am told that the production of the pres
ent year will more than double the large
production Of 1892 Free sugar from Ha-
wall does not seem to affact the beet sugar
interests. You say that free trade with
Porto Rico means free trade with Cuba and
the Philippine Islands. In this you are all
at fault; Cuba Is not ours, but will have an
independent government The most she can
ever hope for is slight reduction of duty
through reciprocity treaty. You have
been voting for reciprocity for the last ff-
teen years. as you say You have voted the
republican ticket Under the treaty the
Philippine Islands are to have free trade
with Spain for ten years. We could not ex-
tend these tariff laws to the Philippine ISL
ands even IL we would.
To sum up then: Porto Rico is ours with
out a dissenting vote anywhere Her people
are impoverished by reason Of the hurricane
which destroyed the greater portion Of two
annual crops: She has no markets. being
United States. Commercially and Indus
trialiy, without some aid from Congress.
she is without hope for the future. A free
admission OF her products to the United
States (Which Is now accorded to eve,y
other state and territory and to Alaska)
would give her relief.
1t will not hurt US. but, on the contrary.
will give us a market for $4,000. 600 an
nually, largely of the products of our
farms. which will increase as American
prosperity comes to Porto Rico. / am
heartily in favor of extending this relief to
Porto Rico. while do not in any way COM
NIT myself to extend the same privileges to
either the Philippine Islands or to Cuba. I
have worked as hard as any one to estab-
lish the beet-sugar industry. and am as
thoroughly in favor of It US ever am
sorry to learn that anybody thinks of vot-
ing for democrat VINO Claims to be good
pr0tectionlst.
Yours. very truly,
Washington. d. c., January "a.
From the Congressional Record.