The Wilmington daily Republican., 1902-04-01
RECIPROCITY B BILL j IN
Chairman Payne Presents Re-
port to the House.
COMMITTEE VOTE STOOD 12 TO 5.
An Amendment Requires the Enact.
mcnt by Cuba Of the United
states Contract Labor and
n ~ N In Iox

! WASHINGTON, April L. Chair
man Payne has presented to the house
the report of the ways and means com.
mlttee OH the Cuban reciprocity bill,
which the committee by vote of 1! to
B ordered reported. The bill provides
for 20 per cent reciprocity treaty with
Cuba, with only u slight amendment
proposed by Representative Grosvenor
requiring the enactment of the United
States contract labor law as well as OF
our immigration law
Mr.. Payne sud; Our relations to Gu
ba are peculiar. In our declaration of
war with Spain and ever since we have
solelnniy proclaimed to the world that
our object was to give to Cuba stable
and Independent government. We have
lnbored for more than three years to
accomplish that result, and in this en-.
deavor we have spared no expense.
During the years Of preparation we
nave given her an example of the bene-
Mt of law and good order. of cicanli-
ness and of the preservation of tho
t"''' AiNuAth SHV Vi Soou kVNtlhIHCuk
generally. She has organized her gov.
ernment under Il constitution and ID
now ready to launch forth among the
nations of the earth in the month Of
May"
Mr. Payne explained the depressed
condition of the Cuban sugar indus
try as due to the worlds Ovelproduc-
Qon of sugar and said: This condition
Threatened grave disaster to this the
principal industrial product of Cuba.
1t is true that labor in Cuba is and for
the past three months has been fully
employed at fair wages. that there has
been no distress, but a trustworthy
writer and American not interested in
sugar and careful observer says ull-
der date of March 30: While the mass
es of Cuba are not actually suffering
from lack of food. the planters and
business men are on the verge of col.
lapse and bankruptcy and are anxious
ly hoping for concessions in the United
States tariff in order that they may
receive new life and hope. Tho mer-
chants have large sums of money trust
ed out and are not paying each other.
They are simply holding each other up
In the hope of obtaining relief. and if
failures once begin they will run like
wildfire. All the evidence received
before the colnlnittee points to Il CON
clusion that the crisis threatened in.
wolves the most serious consequences.
The report adds that We are bound to
care for our own people. but after re-
viewing the American sugar situation
says:
at can work no injury to our indus
try If we make this small reduction on
Cuban sugars. The enactment of this
bill will not affect the protection of the
sugar producers Of the United States,
There Is 10 reasonable pretense that
the same reduction on other Cuban
products will injure any other Ameri-
can industry"
The report asserts that the planters
and not the refneries will receive the
benefits of the reduction and adds:
Cuba does not come simply as
nor should she be treated
Is such. She offers good trade in re-
1lrn. This she is willing to tonccde.
Under the provisions of the bill we
'hOuld be able to double the amount of
'ur export trade with Cuba, which
mounts TO $2S,OOO0OO more than that
We obtained in the last fiscal year"
In conclusion the report says: ut isa
lappy circumstance that without any
nJury to our own industries and with
mt the loss of anything except $7,O0O,-
90 Or SS,W0'Unu Of revenue, which we
% not need. we ar. able to extend this
el1ef to cuba and at the same time get
ec!proca trade relations with her."