Waterbury Democrat., 1902-03-07
THE CUBAN PROBLEM
Chairman Payne Makes Plain
 Statement of Facts.
CABINET UNITED ON THE SUBJECT.
Yhe Proposition of Twenty Per Cent Reduction on Sugar Likely to Delay Annexation of Is-
 land For Many Years.

land For Many Years.
 WASHINGTON, March 7.-Chair- man Payne of the ways and means committee has given out the following authorized statement in connection with the discussion over Cuban reel procity:
 T think the large majority of the Republicans have made up their minds that we must do something for Cuba. There are three propositions presented which have this professed end i'll view. The proposition of Mr. Morris (Minn.) provides for an increase in the tariff on sugar to the outside world and q rebate on sugar imported from Cuba. It does not seem to me that many Republicans are willing to increase the duty on sugar. Then there is the prop osition of Mir. Tawney to vote between $7,000,000 and $S,O00,000 directly into the Cuban treasury and to ask the Cuban government to distribute about $1,000,000, according to his figures, to native Cuban planters. This first pay ment is to be paid without any com penSation from Cuba in any way or manner, pure gift to the Cuban gov ernment. It hardly needs the opinion of a lawyer to say that such a pro- cedure would be unconstitutional. His proposition further is to pay a like sum yearly on the granting of recip- rocal concessions and the passage of our immigration and exclusion laws.
 "Of course no bounty of this kind could be distributed without scandal and a fraud. In the next place, seven eighths of the Cuban laborers would still remain without work 1t would be just as easy for the sugar trust to obtain a concession on the sugar they bought on account of the bounty as to obtain a concession where the planter knew he was to have q 20 per cent concession in duty, so that MT. TaW- ney's proposition has no advantages over that for a 20 per cent reduction, and it has the disadvantages named.
 ''The third proposition is that for a 20 per cent reduction of duties. This would injure no home industry. Cou- pied with the provision to extend our exclusion laws to Cuba, no one ap- bearing before the committee on ways and means contended that it would so injure home industries. All agreed that the price of sugar to the Ameri- can consumer would remain the same. Nor would it inure to the benefit of the sugar trust. The witnesses be- fore the committee united in testify ing and the statistics prove that the trust has received no benefit in buying S,1oar aithar in IJauaii or pn1tn Ilico since the duty was reduced or remov- ed. The entire benefits have been reap ed by the planters in these islands. We have every reason to believe the same would prove true as to Cuba. Many misleading statements as to the attitude of the president, the cabinet and the house Republicans are appear ing in the newspapers. l cannot speak of conferences with the president.
 "But have every assurance that the cabinet is not divided on this question, nor has majority of the house Repub- licans committed themselves either to the Morris, the Tawney or the do noth- ing policy. The proposition of a 20 per cent reduction, if adopted, will put off, in my judgment, the annexation of Cuba for many years She will not come-in until her population is Ameri- canized. It will settle the question for generations to come and give rest and tranquility to the sugar business. If the reduction is made, no further change will be made until we have an- nexation and free trade. To refuse to do anything would put the house in q position hostile to the president, would cause uncertainty and feeling of ap- prehension to the producers of sugar in the United States and would be ut terly demoralizing'