Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-04-22
NAY FRAME NEW BILL
Situation in the Senate Regard
ing the Cuban Bill One
OF Confusion.
Tie Senators Likely to Frame
New Measure to Displace
House Bill.
Representatives From Beet Su.
gar States Placed in
Bad Plight.

Washington, April 22.-The situation
In the senate regarding the Cuban re-
ciprocity bill is still one of confusion.
One of the best lawyers in the senate
said that the complications in the
house bill We're hopeless as a basis for
legislation. The bill as it stands re-
quires the Cuban congress to enact inn
migration laws and other legislation
which would require year fully to
consider and act upon if placed before
the United States congress. In addi-
ton to these unfair apd unnecessary
all protection for refined sugar and q
great part of the protection to raw
sugar coming into the United States
from Europe by removing the counter
vailing duties. This countervailing
duty was provided to meet the export
bounty paid by European countries
that produced large quantities of beet
sugar. The countevailing duty is
made equivalent to the export bounty
paid by the government from which
these sugar imports come.
The Morris amendment to the house
bill now repeats that part of the Ding
| ley law and under such 4 provision the
European governments might continue
Land increase their export bounties sc
as to flood this country with European
sugar until it would be impossible for
either the beet sugar people in the
west, the cane sugar people In the
south, or the sugar producers in Ha-
wall and Cuba to compete with Europe
in our own markets.
AS the republican senators look upon
the house bill az faulty from every
point of view, they are more than ever
disposed to proceed to the construction
o ia simple tariff reduction bill that
will enable the president to arrange
for reciprocity with Cuba. Such bill
might have been passed by the senate
two months ago, but for the considera-
ton Of THE feelings of the house that
this legislation should originate in that
body.
A number Of the republican senators
now believe such bill as proposed by
enator Aldrfch for a IS per cent tariff
reduction should be reported from the
committee on relations with Cuba and
passed by the senate, that the Who'll
question may be taken into conference
and there finally disposed of. Senator
Platt has not called meeting of the
committee on relations with Cuba,
Senator Spooner of the committee Is
now absent from washington. Mr.
Spooner is represented by some of his
intimate friends as favpring an entire
ly new bill I'M the senate. He would
prefer rebate propositions or one sim
ply authorizing a treaty OF reciprocity
without any provision for definite
percentage of tariff reduction by act OF
congress. Neither of these plans would
be accountable to the administration.
The senator's from the beet-sugaI
states are more embarrassed than any
others by the situation created by the
house. When the situation was pre-
sented to Senator Burrows by other re-
publican senators yesterday and he was
asked If the committee should report
1.-THE Cuban bill Just as 1t carne from the
house, he demurred and urged that the
committee wait until the Teller resolu-
ton for an inquiry as to the ownership
of the present crop of Cuban sugar had
been acted ur,on and an investigation
held. The point with the Michigan SEN
ator is that the bill is more unaccept-
able now to this state than 1t was be-
fore the amendment was adopted, and
he desires an investigation that Will
further delay legislation by the SEN
ate. His colleague, Senator Mcmillan
| is openly hostile to the bill, either with
1.-THE Morris amendment or without 1t
Senator Teller, of Colorado, is also de-
| sirious of securing further delay. The
beet-suga senators hope to delay the
passage of the bill until the Cubar
planters are forced to- dispose OF the
present crop, and then they can say
that there Is no need for legislation a
this session of congress- since there vii
IIbe no need for any tariff reduction t.
aid the Cuban planters until yea
from now. 8
The republican leaders in the senate
| are not without hope that they can II
| a few weeks straighten out the whole
llsituation by passing bill of simple
jcharactr, such as suggested by Senator
lAldrich authorizing the president te
make a 20 per cent reduction in the
4 tariff on all Cuban products when ne
| has secured a reciprocal agreement FOL
| like tariff reductions on American pro-
ducts going into Cuba.
| Senator Dietrich introduced bill tt
| authorize the president to enter into 9
reciprocal agreement with the perma-
nent government of Cuba respecting
trade between the United States ant
Cuba. 1t provides that when such per.
manent government is established the
president is authorized to enter into
such agreement with Cuba whereby the
| United States binds itself for the per-
Iiod of five years to pay to the gov.
eminent of Cuba.
At the end of each quarter of the ifs.
cal year ending June 80, 1903, sum o.
money equal to 40 per cent of the
amount of import duties collected dur.
| ing the said quarter on articles thu
growth and product of Cuba coming di-
| rectly to the United States in American
| bottoms; for the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1904, 80 per cent: for the fisca
year ending June 80, 1905, % per cent
/ for the fiscal year ending June 80, 1906
/ 90 per cent, and for each quarter of thu
fiscal year ending June 80. 1907, l5 pc
cent Of such duties. Cuba is to obligat'
| herself to devote the money paid t.
permanent harbor, sanitation and othe
improvements, and the maintenance O
1 q system of schools.