Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-11
Has Stirred Up a Quite a
Little Trouble,
THE RECIPROCITY RATES
Are Not Fully Understood by the
Committees of C0ngresS-M0re
Data Will Be Furnished For Their
Information at Once.

New York. Jam. 11.-A special to he
Tribune from Washington says: The
| reciprocity treaty with France is prov
ing a hard nut to crack. and the pros
pect of it's ratification by the senate n
it's approval by congress as required by
| the provisions of the tariff law of 1896,
by virtue Of which it was negotiated.
| have not greatly improved. although Mr..
/ Kasson, the commissioner who onduc
ed the negotiations on behalf of the
United States, in his statements to the
committee on foreign relations of the
senate, impressed some of the members
with views less unfavorable h a they
had hitherto entertained. He was not,
however, provided with data to remove
some of their serious doubts. He explain
ed the difference between the maximum
and minimum rates of the French tariff,
which he said ranged from IS per cent
to Is per cent. and read a long list of
articles. the duties on which would be
reduced, together with the various per-
centages of reduction, If the treaty
should be ratified and become operative.
He also explained that all the countries
Of Europe except Portugal enjoy the ad-
vantage of minimum rates under the
l. SAAA w IA y
and treaties that a been made from
time to time, whereas, with q few ex-
cepti0ns, and those not consisting of
manufactured articles. all grades import
ed into France from the United States
are subjected to the operation Of the
maximum tariff.
France, he said imports about $780,
600. 900 worth of manufactured products,
Of which about $40.0 600, 900 in round fig
ures, came from the United Kingdom.
$50, 600. 900 from Germany. only :, 1000, 900
from the United States and the remain
der from other countries. He was not
supplied with data showing what was
the principal manufactured goods i'm
ported to make up the. total of SAC, O00.-
900 from the United Kingdom, or the
$50, 000, 900 from Germany or the s.. 500. 900
from the United States or the respective
and minimum rates on such principal ar
ticles.
Neither was the commissioner pre-
pared, when questioned, to show the
amount of goods imported from France
last year on which it is proposed to lower
the rates of duty for the benefit of the
manufacturers n exporters on such ar
ticles and goods when imported into the
United States. He was not supplied with
figures showing the exports to France
from the United Kingdom. Germany and
the United States respectively, Of articles
which will be required to pay the max
lmum rates of duty even in case the
treaty shall be ratified and become oper-
ative, or the respective maximum and
minimum rates on said articles which.
if imported into France from the United
Kingdom, Germany and all the other
countries of Europe, except Portugal.
enjoy the advantages of minimum rates.
OF course. the information and facts
above are essential to any intelligent
, consideration of the pending treaty by
congress-. and the commissioner prom
ised to supply them as soon as practical
BILE. in response to the request of the
committee.
Mr.. Kasson's arguments in favor of the
treaty is said to have been earnest and
skillful, as we'll as trong in some re-
spects. One statement he is said to have
made, however, which will be sharply
challenged by he republicans in both
branches of congress-, who were actively
identified with the tariff legislation of
1897, and that was that many of the rates
were purposely made higher than neces-
sary in order to make it easier and more
desirable to negotiate commercial recip-
rocity treaties with France and some
other European countries.
Several members of the fnance COM
mittee of the senate and the WAYS and
means committee Of the house have al
ready declared themselves pointedly and
e~mphatically in private conversation
against that or any similar assumption
which they say is wholly unwarranted
by facts.
OF course. the members of the finance
committee are deeply concerned in the
fate of the pending treaty, and several
of them are OF the opinion that as this
and other reciprocity conventions refer
exclusively to tariff provisions and rates
of duty. they should have been referred
to the finance committee in the first in
stance instead of to the committee on
foreign relations. Chairman Davis of
the latter committee appears to have
realized that there was justice in his
contention when he suggested to Chair
man Aldrich of the finance committee
that he appoint a subcommittee to at
today's and other hearings. with a
view to cooperate in it's consideration
and action. The suggestion did not bear
fruit. none of the members of the finance
committee being present at the hearing
except Senator Wolcott. who is also a
member of the committee on foreign re-
ratlons. Later q conference was held at
which most OF the republican members
of both committees were present. and
the subject was discussed and consid-
cred. Out of this will probably come
harmonious action on all the treaties nv
the two committees most deeply con-
| cerned.
What member of the finance COM
mittee most are facts such as have
been outlined above, showing what ad-
vantage will be reaped by the parties to
the respective treaties, and whether the
French treaty or any or all of the nend-
ing treaties. if ratified and carried into
effect. will probably result to the adj
vantage or disadvantage of the United
| States.
Members of the committee on foreign
relations are equally anxious to obtain
1 int NNpnno tfo,> On
Information on these essential. it not
vital. points. before they decide what ac-
] ton to recommend,