The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-05
Mr.. FLETCHER EXPLAINS
Speaks Of His Attitude Toward the
Administrations, Etc.

wills IL OI1En EATEIAIItO
Speaks of His Attitude Toward the
Administrn ton, Etc.
To the Editor Of The Journal
Regretting that I have not the cordial sup
port of T g ournal for my renomina-
ton for congress as in years past neyerthe-
less desire to remove any and all nisappre
tensions you seem to have as to my views
and my actions upon certain great questions
now before the country and before the voters
Of this district. I certainly have the right to |
rely on your fairness in making statements
affecting myself upon these questions. and il
have been negligent in stating my position,
1t Is because am not aware Of being at yari- |
ance In the smallest degree with the. princi-
pies OF the republican party, with which I
have. stood since Its birth, with President
Roosevelt, Its splendid leader, or with the
views of the great majority of my constitu-
ents. }E% ,,-l&
T find on reaching home that efforts are be-
ing made to put me in a false position as
opposing the administration. / refuse to be
placed in any such position. Differences of
opinion as to the: right measures to adopt can
not be called opposition, and President Roose-
velt would himself be as much surprised as
am to know that any such assertions are be-
ing made in my district. It is my duty to act
on MY best Judgment; have always done SO,
and the future will vindcate this Judgment.
1t occurs to me, then, thus early in the pre-
liminary skfrnish that opens the campaign
| ending on -Nog.. 4. to state clearly, and dis
| tinctly my position on the following leading
| Il have been. am now, and shall remain in
favor of isthnian canal to be constructed,
controlled and operated by the United States
government, and that this shall be done as
| soon as the best route can be determined by
| the ablest engineers who can be enlisted in
the work. Although never saying that the
| Nicaragua route was impossible, I have been
opposed to adopting it because am con-
| vinced, after eight years Of investigation as a
| member OF the Interstate and foreign COM
rnerce committee. which has had this great
subject to deal with. that it is not the best
| In the future, in the past, in entering upon
| and carrying forward this great enterprise
that shall call for an expenditure of probably
more than s2oO, ,OOo, 900 of the peoples money l
shall demand the exercise OF the same pru-
| dence and care that a man of ordinary sagaci-
| ty would use in any great business enterprise
| conceive that haste will be made and econ
! omy secured by taking sufficient time for most
exhaustive examination. and not: plunging
headlong into such great. expenditure without
the fullest investigation and amplest prepara-
ton. My action. on this subject has been fully
| justified by the report of the Walker commits
sion recommending the Panama instead OF the
| Nicaragua route, and the bill adopting the
| Panama route has been passed by the senate
and house and approved by President Roose-
velt I think I may justly claim that my
| course on this subject has been enviable and
one of which have reason to be proud.
I have been, am now, and shall remain in
| favor of reciprocity with Cuba. 1 am in favor
| Of the most generous treatment OF the govern
mcnt and people of that island, not on the
basis of obligation OF debt, for think the
! balance is greatly to our credit on the ledger,
! but wiping the slate and starting anew, i am
III favor of genuine rectprocity-that inter-
! change Of commodities between the two coun-
! tries upon terms that shall benefit both coun-
tries and injure neither. This was the purpose
| and intent of the plan proposed by the Mime
| sofa delegation, and 1t was and is only In
methods that we differed With President
| Roosevelt and many of our colleagues in con-
| gress, anG not on principles or the desirabilty
Of such mutually beneficial reciprocal rela-
l tions. Events will in the near future vindi-
| cate the correctness of my position on this
great question, as has been the case on the
i isthmian canal: '' .5 - =
| I have been, am now, and shall remain in
favor Of reciprocity with other nations just
so far as the principle can be applied to the
| interchange of the products or Dotn 10 tne
advantage of both. ..s-., .:-
/ I have never wavered in my support Of the
republican doctrine of protection. I hold now
that the promise of; our party, the faith OF
our platforms and the highest interest OF OUT
4 country stand pledged to the new and grow
ing beet sugar industry until 1t shall demon
strate the possibility Of success or proVs
d itself a failure and T. shall, so far as my
vote and influence can go, protect In the
future as in the past, this latest child oi
4 the grand republican doctrine against the
attacks of. the sugar trust which is determined
to throttle it in its 4cradle. = s:~<sE .e
am in favor of such notifications of the
L. 10 Aho ntor,
Il mills of Minneapolis with their combined
daily capacity Of Is 900 barrels of flour to use
} Manitoba wheat. The use of this wheat
regard as absolutely necessary to place them
) on a fair footing in foreign markets This
II can be accomplished either 10y wholly re-
m Sving the duty on wheat or by such. modf-
4 fs1tions Of the drawback system in the pre-
sent tariff law as will remove all obstructionf
} from it's free use. Immense benefit to the
milling industry in Minneapolis will resul
and make our city the greatest grain mart in
:: the whole world = .s ~. :<-:-..-.-.
f. I have given and shall continue to give
} my most earnest efforts to improve trans
} portation facilities which most deeply a1fec'
every interest of this district, particularly ths
n commercial and manufacturing interests The
n route by way of the great lakes requires lib
eral APPROPRIATIONS for the 500 locks, for the
improvement of harbors, particularly a
4 Gladstone, the lake terminus of the sos
> railroad, and for widening and deepening thu
T river channels The Mississippi river mus
be made navigable from the jetties to thu
! foot of the falls and the improvements nov
being planned and carried forward will &C
complish this result. Within few years
predict that steamers will daily. be seer
i taking the products of our mills down tn,
,tryer1 to the agulf eeaboard, thence to- thu
European markets at one-half the cost Of b,
the way Of the Atlantic seaboard. These ma,
i to- some seem, ,"useless" appropriations, but tt
81 my mind they are most important. Every re
!. striction,'pto transportation by Fail at thu
/: lowest possible rates for all classes of. mer
t. chandise and products Of the soil, both nortf