The Saint Paul globe., 1902-07-05
REAL AND SPURIOUS REcIPROC.
ITX

According to Walter Wellman, the
correspondent of the Chicago Record
Herald the friends of the beet sugar
interest in congress have advised
President Roosevelt that if he will not
discuss the Cuban question in his
forthcoming tour they will vote for
reciprocity next winter. The same gen
tleman, who appears to have unusual
sources of information, also discusses
the declarations of the Minnesota Re
publican platform and declares that
the supposed friendliness of that docu-
ment toward tariff reform is due to-
the influence of Senator Nelson.
The battle of beet sugar is not yet
ended. 1t is a battle that really might
as we'll never have been inaugurated,
so far as relates to any substantial
good results that will come from it
to any of those engaged in it in any
event, save alone OXnard and his in
tereSts. 1t is indeed a poor substitute
to offer the people of Minnesota for
the reciprocity which the Republican
party in this state, largely under the
inspiration of Senator Nelson and the
Pioneer Press, have been promising for
over twenty years past.
President Roosevelt will not lay
down to the beet sugar people as he
laid down at the outset of his admin
istration to the tariff-bred trusts. He
is too clever a man not to force the
fighting when there is so much for him
to gain and for his enemies within his
party to lose. He has committed him
self and his administration to the
promise that next winter will see the
2t per cent Cuban legislation passed
if necessary, against the opposition of
the insurgents.
The only really important public
question involved in the prevailing Re-
publican controversy regarding So
called reciprocity with Cuba and the
attitude thereon of our own congress
sional delegation is the one whether
a serious movement of tariff revision
or real reciprocity will spring from it
in the immediate future. Our delega-
tion showed that they had not the po-
itical sense to make use of the op-
portunity which came to them to pro-
ciprocity, If they go the full length
of their present position they will take
up the fight for tariff revision in the
house and for the pending reciprocity
treaties in the senate, when the session
opens in December. They are sure,
however, to find in the interval that
they have little sustainment of their
beet sugar contentious to look for out
side their immediate constituencies,
even if they escape defeat at the polls.
In this situation the duty of the
Democratic party all over the country
seems quite plain OF all the issues
under consideration the inter-related
issues of Xee tariff and the trusts are
those on which public attention is
fastened. They are the product not
only of political controversy, but of
the economic conditions which are In
existence as the outcome or trust DOM
ination in all the industries to which
the So-called protective tariff applies
All the conventions of the party
thus far seem to have recognized this
truth. Where the free silver note is
heard it is on minor key. The COM
ing congressional elections must be
fought on the live issues Of tariff,
trusts and Imperialism. For the aid
which the so-called insurgents lent i'll
producing this result the country owes
them something, but 1t is not to be
imposed on by the claim that through
the lying Minnesota state platform or
otherwise their willingness to fight the
battle of tariff reform is made mani
fest.