Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-02-20
WASHINGTON LETTER.
IFfom OUT Regular Correspondent.l
WASHINGTON, February 10. 1906

There exists peculiar situation in the
House of Representatives, and that Cham
Der appears to be bent upon amply demon
strating to the country that with Repub-
lican majority and the Reed Rules it is a
thoroughly impotent and irresponsible
body. Even the President has ceased to
urge his wishes upon the lower house and
has concentrated his efforts upon the Senate
where there seems to be every reason to
believe that they have proved effective
The recent statements of Senator Platt of
Connecticut, chairman of the Committee on
Relations with Cuba, and Senator Proctor,
OF Vermont, are regarded, not only as indi-
cative of the attitude of the Senate on the
question of Cuban reciprocity, but as a
threat that If the House does not pursue a
reasonable course the Senate will disregard
it and effect the desired reciprocal relations
by means of a treaty.
The excessive fear, inspired by the at
tack OF Representative Babcock upon that
portion of the Dingley tariff bill which
serves to augment the immense profits of
the Steel Trust, seems to have paralyzed
the Ways and Means Committee and thu It
body is afraid to report any measure grant
ing reciprocity to Cuba because of Mr..
Babcock's announced intention to move the
amendment of the bill to secure a modicum
of tariff reform. While the Ways and
Means Committee is dominated by the ex-
IRENE protectionist view such is not true of
the entire House and Republican member
who would not permit me to use his name,
said yesterday: THE situation is most dis
tressing to the more progressive Republi-
cans They appreciate the truth OF Senator
Platt's statement that protection is likely
to suffer most in the house Of its friends
and they realize that, if the Democrats
have the foresight to drop their anti-expan
SION theories and go before the country on
straight tariff reform platform they will
make serious inroads in our ranks. Our
only hope is that the Democratic propen-
sity to blunder will lead them to adopt
'anti-expansion' as their slogan rather than
tariff reform. ~ The speaker was an
austute Western Republican who may be
counted upon to know the situation in his
own section, at least.
The Republicans are holding a perfect
love feast in the Senate committee on the
Philippines over the testimony of Judge
Taft in regard to conditions in the islands.
1t never seems to occur to them that a
gentleman who is drawing a salary of $780,
900 per annum for governing the colony"
is most likely to see the rosy side Of the
situation. Without impugning Judge
Taft's sincerity, it is reasonable to assume
that from his magnifcently furnish ed
offices in Manila, and surrounded by the
members of commission all handsomely
recompensed for their services things may
look very bright in tie Philippines. AS
matter of fact, however, there are others,
perhaps equally competent to testify, many
off ,b., hay cd into
the strongholds of the Instruction, who do
not regard the situation from the same
hopeful and complai ant standpoint as does
Governor Taft.
The Philippine tariff bill continues to
occupy the attention of the Senate and
drastic censure of the course OF the admin
istration has been the usual order of the
day on the Democratic side. Senator Lodge
has, however, stated that the Senate pro-
poses to pass the measure regardless of the
opinion of the minority; and his position,
that he and his colleagues are not open to
reason or conviction, may serve to precipi-
tate the passage of the bill, in view of the
large amount of business which the Senate
still has to consider.
Representative Newlands, Of Nevada
has introduced resolution in the House
providing'for the collection of three-fourths
of the Dingley rates on Cuban sugar and
tobacco in consideration of reciprocal con-
cessons from Cuba and concludes with an
invitation to Cuba to come into the United
States under territorial form Of govern
ment and with the proviso that statehood
will be granted when, in the Judgment OF
Congress, it seems advisable. Mr.. New
lands deems such a course the most ex-
pedient solution of the Cuban problem.
Speaking of the matter he told me that he
had no reason for waiting until the Cubans
had formed powerful political organizations,
the members of which would expect to de-
rive their livelihood from politics and would
| therefore oppose annexation, before inviting
the island to come into the United States.
| s'Under annexation said Mr.. Newlands,
''the beet sugar men believe they would be
better protected than with a reduction OF
the tariff, and | am inclined to think they
are right The Cubans have admitted be
fore this Committee (the Ways and Means)
that they now have employed in the pro-
duction of sugar all the labor in the islands
and they have tacitly admitted that the ex
tension of the industry must come from the
importation of cheap Chinese and other
labor. If the island was annexed to the
United States our immigration laws would
apply, the rate of wages would be gradually
raised to the same level and their sugar
would be produced under conditions so
similar to our own that the competition
would be by no means as severe" The
introduction of the Newlands resolution
caused a sensation tn the House and it was
everywhere actively discussed. Had it
come from a Republican source it seems
| most likely that it would have been adopted.
| Under the circumstances its future is most
probematical.
Representative Oscar W. Underwood, of
Alabama, expressed himself to your cores
pondent, yesterday in no uncertain terms
upon the question of our relations with
Cuba He said that he was in favor of
relations as near free trade as could be Sc
cured. ''There are immense markets in
Cuba for American products which would
more than make up any possible loss which
might be sustained by the sugar interests
Every increase In the manufacture of Cuban
sugar will be attended with demand for
machinery which, under reciprocity, the
United States will SELL The farmers of the
whole country will be benefited by the
increased demand for boots and shoes, and
the resultant higher prices of hides, for
instance; there will be demand for Ameri-
can coal as the small Cuban product is so
poor as to be hardly merchantable pro-
duct There are hundred demands which
the United States will supply which are
now supplied by other countries. The very
fact that, under former reciprocity treaty,
we had a trade of $4,000, 600 per annum
ought of itself to be sufficient proof of the
ACCESSIBILITY of controlling these markets. :"
In reply to question, Mr.. Underwood said
that the present trade with Cuba had
dwindled to small fraction of the former
trade.