New-York tribune., 1902-06-19
DISCUSSION IN CAUCUS.
STEERING COMMITTEE WOULD GIVE
RECIPROCITY PRECEDENCE IN
THE SENATE.
By The Associated PressD

CBy The Associated Press)
Washington June 1S.--The Republican Sena-
tors prompt in beginning their conference
on the Cuban Reciprocity bill tonight. The
meeting was held in the Marble Room. just eff
the Senate Chamber When Senator Allison,
the chairman of the caucus. called the meeting
to order at s o'clock all the Republican Senators.
with six exceptions. We're present Four of the
six absentees were out of the city. The six who
were not present were Messrs. Depew Dollt-
yer, Frye, Hawley, Kearns and Simon. Sen
ator Wellington. who has not acted with the
Republican party for the last two years. was
present
STEERING COMMITTEE FOR RECIPROCITY
The conference was preceded by two meetings.
to which some significance was attached. The
first gathering of the Republican steer
ing committee and the second a dinner given
by Senator Burrows in his committee to
the beet sugar Senator'S The steering commit
tee discussed nothing but the order Of business
in the Senate, and decided to recommend that
the Reciprocity bill be made the unfinished busi-
ness after the disposal tomorrow of the 18th
mian Canal bill subject. of course. to the action
of to-nights conference This is as far the
committee felt 1t could go in indicating its opiE-
ion to the conference, but this was accepted as
favorable to the proposed legislation.
The Burrows dinner was attended by seven
teen Of the nineteen Senators who are pledged
TO oppose the Reciprocity bill. There was no
effort to transform the dinner into a conference,
but the Senators present gathered in small
groups and discussed the situation a poll led
to the announcement that one-third of the
Republican membership of the Senate was
present at the dinner that eleven States were
represented. and that they were as firmly united
a they had been.
do fria IN cal IL
ing the conference 10 order. and he was fol-
lowed by Senator PIatt OF Connecticut and
Senator Burrows. of Michigan. for and against
tariff reduction Senator Allison pleaded for
harmony. good feeling and a solid party front
SENATOR PLATT's PLEA FOR CUBA.
Senator PIatt explained the attitude of those
who favored reduction Of the tariff on Cuban
goods saying that the proposed reduction was
in the direct line Of policy outlined by Presi-
dent Mckinley and as faithfully presented by
President Roosevelt He dwelt on the necessity
of preserving cordial relations with the Cuban
people and advocated the bill which re-
ported yesterday by the Republican members
Of the Cuban Committee, which bill was the
joint product Of himself and Senator Spooner.
MR.. BURROWS SPEAKS FOR BEET SUGAR.
Senator Burrows presented the opposite view
speaking for the beet sugar advocates. He con-
tended for the regularity from a Republican
and a protective point of view OF the position
of the beet sugar men. He said they were not
opposed to doing something for Cuba but they
did not believe II necessary to reduce the tariff
for that purpose or, if necessary TO take that
step that the entire burden should fall the
one industry of farming. He argued that the
beet sugar men were the real prOteCtionists.
The discussion continued until the conference
the adjournment of the Senate Friday after
noon No decision reached, but the opin
ion was expressed by some Senators that there
little possibility of passing a reciprocity
bill At this session of Congress. Each OF the
seventeen beet sugar Senators present made Il
speech, saying he would not support the Spooner
bill or any measure of that character. State
ments were made for Senators Simon. of Oregon.
and Mason. of Illinois. to the effect that they
thoroughly agreed with their colleagues in op-
position the Reciprocity bill. The nineteen
Bard. of California; Mitchell and Simon. of
Oregon: Foster, of Washington; Gamble and
Kittredge. of South Dakota; Nelson and Clapp.
of Minnesota; Dietrich and Millard, of Ne
braska; Elkins and Scott of West Virginia;
Jones and Stewart. of Nevada: Burton of Kan
sas; Burrows of Michigan; Mason, of illinois,
and Wellington Of Maryland.
ADJOURNMENT UNTIL FRIDAY
At the close of the speeches Senator Quay said
what had been developed indicated that neither
the original House Dill nor the proposed SpOOner
substitute could pass and he therefore moved
an adjournment Senator Dietrich suggested
that the conference might well adjourn sine
die, but this received no encouragement. SEN
ator Foraker said there thirty other Re
pubcans who had not been heard from, and It
would be we'll for them to express their opin-
ions, even if there should be to listen
to them. He took occasion to say that he ad-
mred the organization of the beet sugar Re
publicans which had been shown in the course of
the evening.
Senator Platt. of Connecticut, in his speech
early in the evening. insisted that the proposed
substitute for the House bill would not harm
the peet sugar interests, and said that if he
thought he would not be for il. He also
went into the subject of the relations of the
United States with Cuba and dwelt on the fact
that there had been implied promise of tariff
concessions for Cuban products Senator Bur
rows, in the course of his reply. said that the
ostensible purpose of the proposed reciprocity
measure to benefit foreign country that
it's real purpose would be to benefit the largest
purchaser of raw sugar, and that the conces-
sion granted would not go to the Cuban planter
but to the consumer of raw sugar in the United
States, the Sugar Trust.