The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-06
NO TARIFF LEGISLATION AT PRES
ENT.

NO TARIFF LEGISLATION AT PRES
ENT.
Representative Lester, who returned
from Washington yesterday. is Of the
| opinion that there will be no tariff leg
islation at the coming session of Con-
| gress. Within the last few weeks he
has had an opportunity to find out what
the sentiment is among Republican
| leaders in respect to making changes
in the tariff by reciprocity treaties or
| otherwise.
| We have expressed the opinion all
along that the Republican party will
| not undertake to revise the tariff. and
that a majority of the Republican SEN
ators cannot be induced to favor reci-
procity treaties. We have pointed out
why there is little or no prospect that
the Republican party will carry out
| the reciprocity policy on which Presi-
dent Mckinley placed such strong en-
phasis in his Buffalo address.
1t is extremely doubtful If the SEN
ate would ratify a reciprocity treaty
with Cuba. The Cubans are beginning
to understand that this is the situa-
ton. and that is why. among the Gu
ban property owners and business men
the sentiment in favor Of annexation
is growing so rapidly. In our Havana
dispatches a few days ago, in which
an account was given of the visit OF a
delegation of prominent Cubans to Gen.
Wood. the Governor General. in refer
ence to reducing the number of general
elections. IT was stated on the author
ity of the members of this delegation
that the sentiment in favor of annex
alton was spreading rapidly.
1t would not be at all surprising II
within two years Cuba asked to be an
nexed. Unless this country makes
tariff concessions to her it is going to
be a difficult matter for her to find a
profitable market for her sugar. She
is hoping that Congress will admit
both her sugar and tobacco to our
market on much easier terms than
these articles are now admitted. 1t is
said that after President Roosevelt had
conferred with Gen. Wood on the oc-
CASTOR of the latter's visit to Wash
ington, he intimated that reciprocity
with Cuba should have his attention
at the earliest possible moment.
The President, however, doesn't
seem to have taken into account the
feeling among the leaders of his party
respecting reciprocity. Representative
Hepburn OF Iowa, one of the leading
Republican members Of the House, in
an interview in Washington recently,
said that he had but little sympathy
with the proposition TO make tariff
concessions to Cuba. He said that
Cuba wanted her sugar and tobacco
admitted free of duty. or at a much
lower duty than was paid by other ma
tons. To grant what Cuba asks, he
said, would practically ruin our beet
and cane sugar interests, and injure
our tobacco interests. He declared
that it would be difficult to get Con-
gress to injure these interests, which
are now growing rapidly. in order to
help to make Cuba prosperous.
And how would it be if Cuba should
ask for annexation? Would there not
be practically the same opposition as
there is to making tariff concessions to
her? There certainly would. 1t would
seem therefore that those Cubans who
have been troubled all along by the
fear that the United States would
never withdraw from their island, have
failed to acquaint themselves with all
of the factors in the annexation ques-
ton. Instead of annexation being
forced the Cubans might find it diff
cult to obtain it.
The Republican party is not yet
ready to abandon the policy of pro-
lection or any part of it. 1t thinks
there is another national victory or
two in It,