The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-08-22
BUREIIs TO OPPOSE
QEATY With CUBA u
Michigan Senator Believes the
House Should Have a Part
n'Framing It.
AN EXTRA SESSION ISSUE
"A Grave Constitutional Precedent In.
volved, and Opposition Will
Take Shape Along This
Line.

sion of the senate is called to consider
the Cuban reciprocity treaty, a. big
tight will be made against it. If the
treaty is not submitted to the senate,
until the regular session Of congress the
same sort of a fight will be made. The,
opposition will be led by Senator Bur
rows, who organized the defeat of the
measure in the senate last winter. In.
the coming contest the opposition will
be waged on entirely different grounds.
Last spring the Cuban measure was de-
feated for economic reasons. In the
coming struggle the proposition to be
advanced is that a commercial treaty
which raises or lowers the rate of tar
iff is contrary to the fundamental law,
if it is negotiated by the executive
branch of the government and ratified
by the senate, the house not p~articipat-
ing in the making of the law. 1t will
be claimed that if the president, with
the consent of the senate, can raise or
lower the Cuban thrift, the two can by
the same process revise the entire tar
iffE system. The controversy is an old
one, but it will become important in
the next session of the senate. n OF
congress. The fundamental principle
involved is stated in the first para
Is I1plE I'll oSSI1o1lt.i VI a. Az .SAS
constitution, which is: - @
All bills for raising revenues shall
originate in the house of representa-
ftives; but the senate may propose or
concur with amendments as on other
bills"
Burrows Will Lead the Fight.
Senator Burrows announced before
he left Washington that he would re-
turn in the fall prepared to contend
that the president and the senate could
not act together to raise or lower the
Cuban tariff by means of their treaty
making power. In a more recent ex-
preston he said that he was becoming
more and more convinced that it was
important to establish the principle
that treaties involving changes in tariff
laws should take the legislative course
of revenue bills. He pointed out that
if the tariff on Cuban goods should be
changed by treaty this same treaty
could provide for the administration of
SEthe new law. The treaty might Stipu-
late h a only native products of Cuba
be favored, and this would mean the
employment of men to remain in the
island to see that products manufac-
tured or grown out Of the island were
not brought to the island and re-
shipped to the United States. In short,
if the. president and the senate can
pass a tariff law they can provide for
the machinery for enforcing it, even il
lit should mean the establishment OF
a Cuban inspection bureau.
If the senate and the president by
means of a. treaty, Mr.. Burrows will
claim, can make a new tariff with
France, they can amend the treaty
to provide for the erection of an en-
bassy building in Paris. In fact, il
the principle involved in the declara-
~ - 49, 49, Isl1-La l. - - - - A.
in the house is to he disregarded, the
scope of the treaty making power car
be stretched to almost any conceivable
limit.
Not Opposed to Reciprocity.
The Michigan senator is not opposed
to reciprocity itself, but believes thai
the house should participate in the
making of the necessary laws in the
way provided by the constitution. Jus,
Whatsform this contest will take is not
clear IN the mind of Senator Burrows
and he does not know just who viii
he IN his side. AS a member Of the
finance committee, he may ask thai
the treaty which the president may
& negotiate with Cuba be Sent to The
committee on finance and not to the
committee IN foreign relations. He
would claim in addition to other argu
lnent that it would be contrary to pub:
.IAC 10 have the on COM
3Imercial treaties, which involve great
business interests, conducted in execu.
tive session, as they naturally would
b G referred to the committee on for:
seign relations and handled as diplo:
matte business. He would claim that
the. treaty should go to the finance
committee and open hearings be giver
las is proper in ~ Legislative matter
Where business conditions are involved
In this contention he would be op:
posesdd8by Senator Spooner, who; at the
request of Senator @Cullom, chairman
y the committee on foreign affairs
prepared an opinion which held tina,
he Foreign relations committee should
consideration of commercial:
]. treaties. In this opinion he also goes
Into; the question OF the right Of the
to participate in this legislation
thinks the lower branch Of con.
gress has no such right. 5E5S5E