The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-01
VICTORY F0n 7
 PAWS BILL
 -sa>- COmmitte / Endorses by N 5of F to 5. CONCESSIONS TO cUBANs Tawney and Metcalfe KeeD
 Up Their FigAt Democrats of the ways and Means Committee Split in Half en the s z. ousstion-Conttsct
 Labor Laws.
CONCESSIONS TO cUBANs
Democrats of the Ways and Means

Means Committee, by vote ot lZ to-.h today ordered a favorable report on the Payne bill for 20 per cent tariff conces- sion to Cuba. Eight Republicans voted for the bill. Two Republicans, Tawney tMinn) and Metcaif toal) voted against 1t.
 No amendments on the reciprocity. fea- turs were made. but by, general consent, the United States contract labor laws were included with the naturalisation and exclusion laws as appiicsb ble to Cuba.
 A series of Democratic amendments for general tariff revision were defeated on strict party votes. l
 The final vote in detail was;
 Yeas.-Payne, Dalzell. Grosvenor, Rus seIl. Steele, Mccall. Long and Babcock. Republicans; Richardson. Swanson, Mo LeiIsn. Democrsts--1L
 Nays-Tawney and Metcalf.. Hepublf- cans; Robertson. Newiands and Cooper, Democrats-5.s
 Although the actual vote was II to 5. by general consent. Mir Hopkins. who was absent. was recorded In the afnrmav tive. making the recorded vote F to 5.
 Mir Grosvenor's amendment, including the contract labor laws with those of i'm migration, etc, to be adopted by Cuba. was agreed tos without division and was the only amendment made.
 This cleared the way for the real test of strength which was first made on Mi Tawney's amendment making 0.oise5 the general rate on sugar. l. e.. taking on the differentiai Chairman Payne promptly ruled this out of order as not germar,e. whereupon Mir. Tawney appealed from the ruling ofsthe chair. On, the vote, the chair. was sustained. s,to c.
 Payne Presents the Bill. ss
 chairr1sn Payne today presented te the rfolJse fire x report di the Ways and Means cemmittee on the Cuban sreci- procity bill, which the committee had or dered reported earlier, in the day. After recitins President Rooseveit's recomnaen- dstions in behalf of Cuba. Mir. Payne says: -t.
 '.'Our relations to Cuba are peculiar. In our declaration of war with Spain and ever since. we have soleu,nly proclaimed to the world that our object was to give Cuba a stable and independent govern ment We have iabored for more than three years to accomplish that result, and in this endeavor we have spared no ex- pense. During the years of preparation. We have given her an example of the benefit of law and good order. of cleanli-
 
 health and of good government generally. She has organized her government under a constitution and is now ready to launch forth among the nations of the earth in the month of May.
 MT Payne explains the depressed con- dition of the Cuban sugar industry as due to the worlds over-production of sugar. and says:
 "Thts condition threatened grave disas- ter to this. the principal industrial prod uct of Cuba. It 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 trustworthy writer, an American not in- terested in sugar and a careful observer, says. under date of March 20: While the masses of Cuba are not actually suffering from lack of food, the planters and busi- ness men are, on the verge of collapse and bankruptcy and are anxious waiting for concessions in the United Stoaes tar iff in order that they may receive new life and hope The merchants have large sums of money trusted out and are not paying each other. They are simply hold ing each other up in the hope. of obtain ing relief and if failures once begin they will run like wildfire'
 Must Lend Aid.
 "All the evidence. points to a conclu-
 
 the most serious consequences. This threatened financial distress comes at the very time we are about to set the Cuban Government up in businees on it's own account. We have performed the part of a guardian up to the present moment and are about to send the ward forth into the world. We cannot afford to take the risk of her failure if a little timely aid will in- sure success.
 The report adds that We are bound to care for our own people. but after review ing the American sugar situation, says: "It can work no injury to our industry if we make this small reduction on Cuban sugars The enactment of this bill does not affect the protection of the sugar pro- reasonable pretense that the same reduc- ton on other Cuban products will injurs any other American industry"
 The report asserts that the planters and not the rehneries will receive the benefits of the reduction. and adds:
 Cuba does not come simply as mendi- cant nor should she be treated as such. She offers a good trade in return This she is willing to concede. Under the pro- visions of the bill we should be able to double the amount of our export trade with Cuba, which amounts to $2S.000, 900 more than that We obtained in the last fiscal year" In this connection the re- port says: Tt is a happy circumstance that without any injury to our own the dustres and without the loss of anything except s7.00o0 GOO or sS.0o0, 0oo of revenue which We do not need. we are able to ex- tend Shis relief to Cuba and at the same Nt, kx-N