New-York tribune., 1901-12-02
CUBAN CIGAR TARIFF.
coGENT REASONS WHY 1T SHOULD BE
CED-SITUATION DESCRIBED
AS CONCESSIONS, ANNEXA-
TON. OR FIGHT"
TON. OR FIGHT"
by TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE,


the time arrives FOR specific action by the legis
larive department Of the government No
amount OF lodging or evasion can conceal either
from the public or legislative mind the fact of
supreme Importance in relation to Cuba, which
: that this country will have to make tariff
concessions to Cuba. annex the island keep
4, heavy military force there, under the pro-
yisions Of the Platt amendment, to preserve
public order In epigrammatic form the situa-
ZION is described thus: Concessions annexation
+. or fight.
That Congress will make concessions when the
Cuban government is organized there is
1o,ser any cause TO doubt The only interesting
oueston in this connection is when the
concessions viii be made and the amount of
concessions on the principal products Of Cuba,
which are raw sugar and tobacco. a few days
ago The Tribune dealt in detail with the Cuban
sugar question. and showed how material re-
Auction on Cuban sugar could be made without
afcting injury upon that industry at home.
and at the same time how this concession would
aid the Cuban people in rehabilitating their in
justrial system. It was also shown by official
statistics that similar concessions could be made
70 Philippine sugar with vast benefit TO the peo-
ple of that archipelago and without doing harm
10 the American sugar industry
II is even easier TO demonstrate thaI IaIIh
CONCESSIONS can be made to Cuban and Philip
nine tobacco without injuring that industry at
home than is the case with regard to sugar
That this can be done without weakening the
nstior-s protective system now goes without
saving. Is reciprocity in such instances is not
orlv a logical part OF that system, but is also
in that form a long established Republican
doctrine. No argument is required to prove
that if the FiIipinos can find in the United
States a profitable market for their surplus to-
bacco II will not be long before labor in the
tobacco fields in the islands Will so absorb the
energies of the people that they Will turn from
instruction and brigandage 10 reInuneratIve
an3ployrnent. AS the tobacco situation IN the
Philippines is SO similar to that in Cuba, facts
and statistics as to one are applicable to both
TOBACCO INVOLVES MANY INTERESTS
At the outset il is pertinent to call attention
10 the fact that the tobacco tariff is an extreme
ly delicate question deal with in Congress, for
the reason that in nearly every Congress district
in the country there are one or more cigar and
tobacco factories whose owners fear, without
good cause. that any reduction of present rates
would do harm 70 their business In view Of the
fact that the manufacturers Of plug and chew
ing tobacco are not in reality protected by the
present tariff, It is difficult to understand why
they should object to concessions TO Cuba
Virtually all or their raw product is raised in
She Sout hern and Western States. and the great
hulk of their output is consumed at home I'M
ported tobacco does not enter into the manu-
facture OF plug and chewing tobacco at all
Nearly every pound Of the article that comes to
this market from foreign countries is used by
the manufacturers Of cigars.
Nearly every pound Of cigar tobacco used in
this country IS raised in the States of New
York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin This
variety of tobacco is what is known as filters
oe, ~ American manu-
facturers is produced in New-England. mainly
in Connecticut with a small percentage of the
total crop coming from New-York- That there
is an actual need for the maintenance Of the
present tariff on SUmatra wrappers nobody
denies and there is no disposition in any quar-
tar 10 remove or lower it The Sumatra wrap
per cannot be produced in this country without
the AID Of protection, but the Treasury statistics
show that the domestic filters hold their
own in the markets Of the world, and even
Cuban filters could come here free without in
ficting injury upon that industry at home.
TARIFF IN CIGARS.
The Dingley bin increased the tariff cigars
from 81 and - per cent ad valorem to 81 90
and % per cent ad valorem- Cuba asks for
reduction of that rate to 81 30 pound with
nc ad valorem, and on leaf tobacco mot
samatra wrappers TO 81 cents a pound While
tariff on cigars is nearly prohibitive, as less
than per cent of the total consumption of
cigars in the United States is imported it
should net be forgotten that this high rate Is
assessed upon the largest manufactured product
CT the island-with the sole exception Of sugar
which is more an agricultural than manu-
factured product-and the treasury reports
show that Of the total cigar imports of 1890
1906, inclusive. over % per cent came directly
from Cuba. II is probable that of the remain
ng D per cent at least One-half or more were
Cuban cigars re-exported from other countries
Tor the reason that no other cigars than Cuban
are valua ble enough to permit Of importation TO
any extent into the United States and pay
the present specific rate of 81 30 a pound,
or shown by actual statistics they could not
stand the specific rate of the tariffs of 1872
and 1882. which was 81 30 pound AS at this
rate of specific duty the average would be $50
thousand, il is seen that the duty alone would
be more than the average wholesale price here
of five and ten cent cigars so that practically
the great bulk of domestic cigars under the lat
ter rate would be amply protected by that duty.
AS this was shown to be the case by actual i'm
ports when the duty So 30 pound and -
per cent ad valorem it is not considered as at
all probable that the abolition of the ad valorem
duty would materially affect cigar imports other
than Cuban since the average valuation of
cheap German and other cigars is not over one
third, $50 thousand, TO one-sixth, or $40
thousand that Of Cuban cigars in Havana.
In carefully compiled tables taken from the
Treasury reports il is shown that the present
rate Of duty on cigars has been revenue de-
stroyer instead of producer While under the
tariffs of 1872 and 1889 there a gradual in
crease Of imports and revenue, the immediate
and pronounced effect of the large specific in
crease 10 81 20 a pound under the act Of 1890