Evening star., 1901-11-16
COMING CONVENTION
It Will Advocate the Reciprocity
Treaties,
LARGE NUMBER OF DELEGATES
The Subject Defined and Explained
by Mr.. kasson.
A VITAL @ U E 10 N

held in this city for three days. beginning
next Tuesday, under the auspices of the
National ASSociat ton of Manufacturers
promises to attract national attention, not
only among manufacturers, but also among
the legislators of the country, who are rap
idly gathering in Washington for the OPEN
ing of the Fifty-seventh Congress.
In this connection it has been stated by
prominent manufacturer that the time
and place of the convention were arranged
primarily for the purpose of impressing the
members of the United States Senate with
the Importance of the subject of reciprocity
and the earnest desire by the manufac-
turers of the country for action on the
pending treaties at the coming session.
I'VE recognize that the Indifference of SEN
ators on this subject has got to be over
come by the manufacturers themselves"
he continued, "and the manufacturers are
face to face with a yearly domestic surplus
production of fifteen hundred million dol
lars valuation. This has awakened them
to the Importance of protecting the home
market against its own surplus, which is
just as important as protecting the same
market against the surplus of foreign pro-
ductOn. The effect of the domestic sur
plus is just as bad on the market as a for
eign surplus. The manufacturers of this
country are almost a unit on this question.
The recent action of the Association of
Iron and Steel Manufacturers in declining
to participate in the convention is inter-
preted by the manufacturers to mean that
that industry has been scared by the Bab-
cock bill reducing the tariff on iron and
steel production. We do not understand
however, that there is any opposition by
that association to reciprocity arrange
ments contemplated, which preserve pro-
lection and open foreign markets.
I'VE believe that the surplus question can
only be settled in this way. The enactment
and putting into effect of reciprocity trea-
ties is clearly not a revision of the tariff,
as it is specifically provided for in the
Dingley tariff law
Program of the Convention.
From the program of the convention,
which has just been announced, it's business
will be to discuss reciprocity exclusively
for three days, and then embody its con-
clusions in resolutions upon which the ac-
ton of the convention will be taken at its
final meeting. Between three and four
hundred delegates are expected to be in
attendance at the convention, the sessions
of which to be held in the banquet hall
of the Raleigh Hotel. The program as an
nounced is as follows:
Tuesday, November 1910 a.m.-Regis-
tration of delegates and alternates.
IL am.-Conventon a. will be called to order
by a temporary chairman and the per-
manent chairman will be elected, together
with six vice presidents and two secreta-
ries. The permanent chairman will address
the convention. Committees will be ap-
pointed as follows: Resolutions, ten men,
bers; finance, ten members.
p.m.-Discussion of commercial reci-
procity applicable to relations with
the Spansh-American countries.
p.m.-Contnuation of discussion of reel
procity with Spansh-America.
Wednesday, November 20.-9:30 a.m.-Dis-
cussion of commercial reciprocity as ap-
plicable to our relations with European
countries.
p.m.-Continuation of the mornings dis
cussion.
p.m.-Discusson of commercial reci-
procity as applicable to relations with
Canada
Thursday, November 21.-9:3O a.m.-Gen-
eral discussion of commercial reciprocity
and resolutions relating thereto reported
from the committee on resolutions.
2 p.m.-Conclusion of discussion and final
action on resolutions.
In rules adopted to govern the conven-
ton it is provided that all discussion shall
be limited strictly to reciprocity, and that
the chairman must check all remarks ir-
relevant to this subject. Unless otherwise
ordered by the convention the remarks of
delegates will be limited to ten minutes
No member may speak twice on the same
subject.
1t would seem from interviews which
have been given out by various members of
the Senate since their arrival in Washing
ton that the views of the members of that
DOuy are HnuCu DIT variance on the SUBJECT
of reciprocity. Many indorse the general
principle; some question the right to nego-
tiate treaties at the present time under
the Dingley tariff law, in view of the two
years clause which is embodied in that
enactment, while others say that the claim
that reciprocity be effected without
disturbing the tariff is not a fact, and in
proving this assertion they call attention
to the conclusion of the section of the
Dingley act providing for reciprocity, which
would indicate that after the treaty has
been duly ratified by the Senate 1t must
then be made operative by an act of Con-
gress. In this, they say, the house must
take the initiative, and this would clearly
be tariff legislation, and would reopen the
whole legislative question of tariff
AS no reciprocity treaty has yet reached
the operative stage since the Dingley act
was approved, no precedent has been estab-
lished in this connection. There are eleven
reciprocity treaties which will be formally
before the foreign relations committee of
the Senate when that committee begins it's
work next month. Six of these treaties
were favorably acted on by the committee
during the last session of Congress but a g
the Senate failed to ratify or reject them
they go back to the committee for it's ac-
ton the second time before the Senate can
take them up again.
Authority for These Treaties.
Section of the Dingley law, which gives
authority for these treaties, and over which
there seems to be some controversy regard
ing it's meaning, reads as follows:
THAT whenever the President of the
United States, by and with the advice and
consent of the Senate, with a view to Sc
cure reciprocal trade with foreign countries
shall, within the period of two years from,
a n Ia ma Of