Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1902-04-05
RECIPROCITY WITH CUBA.
Chairman Payne Presents the Ways
and Means Committee Bill
In the House.
Mr.. PAYNE EXPLAINS THE SITUATION.
The Depressed Condition of the Cuban
Sugar Industry Due to the Worlds
over-P Production -Justlcs to Cuba and
Our Own Best Interests Are Practically
Identical

Identical
Washington, April chairman
Payne yesterday presented TO thet
house the report Of the ways ana
means committee on the Cuban re9bai
procity bill, which the committee had
ordered reported earlier in the day.
After reciting President Roosevelts
recommendation in behalf of Cuba,
Mr.. Payne says:
"Our relations to Cuba are peculiar
in our declaration of war with Spain,
and ever since, we have solemnly pro
claimed to the world that our object
was to give Cuba a stable and indie |
pendent government. We have Ia
bored for more than three years toI
accomplish that result, and in this
endeayor we have spared no expense
During the years of preparation we
have given her an example OF the
benefit of law and good order OF
| cleanliness and of the preservation OF
the public health, and of good gov
eminent generally. She has organized
her government under a constitution,
and is now ready to launch forth
among tine nations Of the earth in the
month Of May"
Mr.. Payne explains the depressed
condition of the Cuban sugar indus
try as due to the worlds oyer-produc-
ton of sugar, and says:
This condition threatened grave
disaster to this, the principal indus
trial product of Cuba. 1t is true that
labor in Cuba is, and for the past
three months has been, fully EN-
ployed at fair wages, and that there
has been no distress, but a trust
worthy writer, an American not in
terested in sugar, and a careful OBJ
server. says under date of March 20;
"'While the masses Of Cuba are not
actually suffering from lack of food,
the planters and business men are on
the verge of collapse and bankruptcy
and are anxiously hoping for conces-
sions in the United States tariff, in
order that they may receive new life
and hope. The merchants have large
sums of money trusted out, and are
not paving each other. They are sim
ply holding each other up in the hopt
= of obtaining relief, and if failures
once begin they will run like wild
fire.
"All the evidence received before
the committee points to a conclusion
= that the crisis threatened involves
the most serious consequences.
= This threatened financial distres
l. comes at the very time we are abcu
h to set the Cuban government up il
r business ON its own account. W
d have performed the part of a guard
ian up to the present moment, an
are about to send the ward forth int
# the world, we can not afford to TAX
n the risk of her failure if little time
/. lv aid will insure success"
a The report adds that we are boun
! to care for our own people, but afte
~ reviewing the American sugar situi
= ton, says:
- ut can work no injury to our il
- dustry if we make this small redu'
- ton on Cuban sugars. The enactmer
IL of this bill will not affect the prote
u ton Of the sugar producers of ii
Ie United States. There is no reasons
le bic pretense that the same reductic
Al on other Cuban products will injul
id any other American industry"
c. The report asserts that the plan
ers and not the refneries will recei'
IN the benefits of the reduction, al
d. adds:
by Cuba does not come simply as
he mendicant, nor should she be treat,
nv as such She offers n good trade
al return. This she is willing to co
IN. cede. Under the provisions of Il
A. bill, we should be able TO double t
- amount of our export trade wi
:, Cuba, which amounts to $2S,000,0
Nv more than that we obtained in 4
", last fiscal year.
III In conclusion, the report says
oh at is u happy circumstance thu
III without any injury to our own indl
)u- tries and without the loss of ar
ne thing except seven or eight MILL
Nd dollars of revenue, which we do Il
need, we are able to extend this
lief to Cuba and at the same til
bo get reciprocal trade relations wi
her"
~ Aside from the exceptional CO
that Cuba presents, the action of I
committee is in entire accord w
vas the reciprocity doctrine of the rep
lican platform and the declaratic
'er' of President Mckinley and Preside
Tor Roosevelt. 1t involves no propoS
ent revision of the tariff or anything ]
ian entirely in harmony of the ma
lull tenance of the protective system
ing
An Entire Family Missing.
Murfreesboro, Tenn, April l.
, the Eiphteenth district of Ruth