The age-herald., 1902-04-01
PAYNE FORCES
 HAVE MAJORITY Gives Favorable Report on Cuban
 Reciprocity Bill us, LABOR LAW IS INCLUDED 
Leaders of the Opposition Hold Meet ing and Will Probably Carry the Fight to the Floor of
 the House.

the House.
 Washington, March 31.-The ways and means committee, by vote of 12 to 5, today ordered a favorable report on the Payne bill for 20 per cent tariff concession to Cuba. Eight Re publicans voted for the bill. Two Re publicans, Messrs. Tawney of Mime sota and Metcalf of California, voted against it. No amendments on the reciprocity feature were made, but by general consent the United States con- tract labor law were included with the naturalization and exclusion law as ap- plicable to Cuba. A series of Demo cratic amendments for general tariff revision were defeated on strictly votes.
 The Final Vote.
 The final vote in detail was:
 Yeas-Payne, Dalzell, Grosvenor, Rus sell, Steele, Mccall Long and Babcock, Republicans; Richardson, Swanson, Mc- Lellan, Democrats, Il.
 Nays-Tawney and Metcalf. Republi- cans; Robertson Newlands and Cooper, Democrats, 5.
 Although the actual vote was Il to by general consent. MT. Hopkins, who was absent was recorded affirmative, making tho record vote 12 to D.
 Mr the contract laws with those of immigra- ton. etc., to be adopted by Cuba was agreed to without division and was the only amendment made.
 This cleared the way for the real test of strength which was first made on MT. Tawney's amendment, making .01825 the general rate on sugar, |. e., taking off the differential Chairman Payne promptly ruled this out of order as not germane whereupon MT. Tswney appealed on the ruling of the cha,r. Th@ ruiing of the chair was sustained, g to 8.
 PRESENTS THE CUBAN
 BILL TO THE HOUSE.
 Washington, March 31. Chairman Payne today presented to the House the report of the ways and means committee on the Cuban reciprocity bill which the committee had ordered reported earlier in the day.
 After reciting President Roosevelt's recommendations in behalf of Cuba MT. Payne says:
 Our relations to Cuba are peculiar. In our declaration of war with Spain and ever since we have solemnly proclaimed to the world that our object was to give r,,I, ernment. We have laborel 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 cleanlf- ness and of the preservation of the public health and of good government general ly. She has organized her government un- der 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 overproduction of su- gar. and says:
 This 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 that trustworthy writer, an American, not in terested in sugar, and a careful observ- CT, says under date of March 20;
 Masses Are Not Suffering.
 ''While the masses of Cuba are not ac- tually suffering from lack of food, the planters and business men are on the verge of collapse and bankruptcy and are anxiously hoping for concessions in the United States tariff in order that they may receive new life and hope. The mer- chants have large sums of money trusted out and are not paying each other. They are simply holding each other up in the hope of obtaining relief, and if failures once begin they will run like wild fire.
 "All the evidence points to a conclusion that the crisis threatened involves the most serious consequences.
 This threatened financial distress comes at the veNy time we are about to set the Cuban government up in business of it's own account. We have performed the part of guardian up to the present moment and are about to send the ward forth into the world. We cannot aHord to take the risk of her failure II a nttio tim ely aid will insure success
 The report adds that we are bound to care for our own people, but after review inc the American sugar situation, says
 "It can work no injury to our indus- try if we make this small reduction on Cuban sugars. The enactment or thls bill does not affect the protection or the sugar producers of the United states. There is no reasonable pretense that the same reduction on other Cuban products will injure any other American industry.
 Planters Will Get Benefit.
 The report asserts that the planters and not the refineries, will receive the benefits of the reduction and adds
 Cuba does not simply as mendicant nor should she be treated as such. She offers a good trade in return. This he is willing to concede. Under the provisions of the bill we should be able to double tho amount of our export trade with Cupa which amounts to 900 more than that we obtained in the last fiscal year.
 In this connection the report says:
 ''It is a happy circumstano without any injury to our own industries and without the loss of anything except seven or eigh million dollars of revenue which we do not need, we are able to extend this relief to Cuba and at the same time get reciprocal trade relations with her.
 Reports from Dayton at midnight show that eleven dead bodies have been taken from the lseson mine The com pany claims there are but eight more in the mine Miners claim there are twelve