The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1902-12-19
TIE
Wisconsin Tobacco Reporter,
Edperson. Wisconsin.
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES.

MULE BOUA
A short period of casing weather early
in the week gave the growers an oppor
tunity to remove some of their tobacco
from the curing sheds, though the
weather was too cold and the moist sea-
son too short to bring about the ideal
conditions that farmers were waiting for.
There was plenty of moisture in the leaf
even in it's frozen state so that about all
that was necessary was warm tempera-
ture SO that it could be removed from
the poles without breaking; then when
it was taken to the stripping room and
warmed up it would be in ample case.
Just what proportion of the crop the
growers were successful in getting down
is yet undetermined, but it is believed
that the farmers improved the opportu-
nifty and enough is removed to be strip
ped that will warrant the starting of the
warehouses at the packing points. The
dealers are now anxious to commence
the receiving of their purchases and be-
gin their season of packing. An army of
working people are also awaiting the
opening of the warehouses and every
day of delay means thousands of dollars
to be spent for the necessities of living.
1t is quite probable now that soon after
the holidays the tobacco handling busi
ness will be in full blast throughout the
packing points of the state.
XXX
The Washington correspondent to an
eastern tobacco journal says: Complica
tions with regard to the Cuban reciprO-
city treaty have arisen within the past
week which seem to fully justify the
suggestions recently made in this cores.
pondence that the greatest danger to
the treaty lay in the possible delays and
objections to be interposed by the Cuban
government. That this danger is greater
than the open hostility of the Senate has
now been conclusively shown. A very
peculiar situation has arisen with regard
to this convention as the result of action
taken by the Cuban house of representa-
tiyes on November %, when resolution
was passed appointing special commit
tee to consider and draft a reciprocity
bill to be used as the basis of the pro-.
jected treaty. In view of the adoption
of the resolution, it appears from the
standpoint of the Cuban house of rep
resentatives at least-that President
Palmo has no authority to sign treaty
until expressly authorized 20 do SO by
the passage of the "bill for commercial
reciprocity referred to in the resolution.
President Palma, however, does not take
this view of the case, and maintains that
he can sign treaty and secure its ratiti-
cation by the Cuban senate without ref
erence to the house. This difference of
opinion is unfortunate so far as the fate
of the treaty is concerned, and especially
so because of the decision of the Cuban
government to ask the American senate
to ratify the treaty before the Cuban
senate undertakes it's consideration. The
Cuban government is thus put in the at
titude of soliciting the ratification by
the United States of treaty which may
not afterwards be accepted by the Cuban
senate, and which may be held by the
house of the Cuban congress to be ille-
gal even if ratified. The United States
senate is an extremely punctillious body
and is not disposed to act on mere n.y.
potheses In the case of Cuba, espec-
tally, the vacillating course recently
adopted by the officials of the island,
taken in connection with the doubtful
legality of the methods to be pursued in
the pending treaty, has nearly convinced
the leaders of the senate that it would
be the part of wisdom to permit the
whole question OF reciprocity with Cuba
to go over until another congress, there
by giving ample time not only for the
negotiation of treaty, but for the final
consideration of all questions relating to
legality and constitutionality that have
arisen. Cuba has single chance re-
naming to secure the ratification of
treaty at the present session of the
American congress. II the warrins fac
tions in the island will get together
promptly, compose all their differences,
accept the convention as offered by the
United States and formally ratify it, the
senate may be induced to act favorably
upon it; otherwise the outlook is ex-
ceedingiy dubious.
~
The vigorous campaign of price cut
ting which has been going on for months
past has at least developed one encour-
aging feature of the cigar trade. The
manufacturers OF cheap cigars those
selling from s12 to $50 per M-have SIM
ply been showed under with orders. It
only remains now for the manufacturer
to buy his stock cheap enough to enable
him to pocket his usual profits or on
large volume of business at less profit
make up the difference. The present
outlook, however, seems to be that the
latter course is the most feasible one
open to him. Cigar leaf has not been
selling remarkably cheap in any of the
growing states of late years.
The packers of New England tobacco
seem to be spending more time watch
ing each other than buying the new
crop. 1t looks now as if the buyers in