Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-02-18
time for completion of said bridge
Shall be extended until March 2, 1906,
loWan Talks Politics.

A. E. Shipley, of Des Moines, has
been in Washington several days, in
the interest of legislation looking to-
Indian affairs, permitting Indians to-
dispose of their lands under certain
conditions. Mr.. Shipley has taken oc-
casion to call upon some of the mem
bers of the Iowa delegation, and Incl
dentally has RECALLED Iowa folks in the
Capital City with bits of news con-
corning Iowa political affairs, in some
instances going into the hidden mys-
teries of political transactions, some
of which miscarried. Mr.. Shipley
seems to have Iowa political history
at his finger tips and probably knows
more than he is willing to diyulge, al
though he makes bold to say that in
certain deals he does not care who
knows the truth
Hull Contest Attracts Attention.
The congressional contest now wag-
ing in the seventh Iowa district is TAX
ing on rather wider scope of public
interest than attaches to the average
congressional fight The prominence
chairman of the military affairs COM
mittee, and the strong opposition that
is arrayed against him, has directed
attention to Des Moines and Captain
Hull has been the recipient of many
interested as to the situation and his
chances for winning out. To all such
inquiries Captain Hull has made an
swer in effect that he considers the
prospects of denomination first-class.
1t rarely occurs that congressional
contest excites the general public at
tention that attends the canvas in the
seventh Iowa district
May Adjourn in June.
1t is too early to forecast with any
degreee of accuracy the probable date
for the adjournment of congress, but
a consensus of opinion would indicate
that the date will be not far from
June Is. 1t may be June first and
may extend to July 1.
Steals AIlison,s Plan.
A high-class New York weekly now
comes to the front with what it is
pleased to term new and unique
solution to the Cuban sugar and tobac-
co problem, namely the establishment
of reciprocal relations between the
United States and Cuba. To the per-
son who keeps Informed upon current
events-which the editors of this
weekly evidently are not--this
unique" solution is highly amusing.
The plan its suggests is the identical
one. almost word for word, proposed
by Senator Allison three months, near
ly, ago, when he came to Washington,
just prior to the converting of con-
gress.
Iowa Senator's Idea.
At that time, in a published inter.
view in Washington paper, Senator
Allison gave it as his opinion that the
logical and proper method Of dealing
with the Cuban proposition was to say
to Cuba: You open your ports to
American wheat, cotton, corn, meat
products, manufactured goods, on fay.
orable terms and the United States
will grant special and favorable con
cessions upon your sugar and tobacco
That was the general idea proposed by
Senator Allison, which is susceptible OF
unlimited development
Concessions on Both Sides.
Your correspondent had talk with
the senior Iowa senator few days
since and he expressed himself ii
about the same vein. There must BIZ
concessions on both sides; the United
States cannot well stand out againsl
the appeals of Cuba. Each side mus
give and take little and then the
greatest number will be benefited.
1 The Situation In Brief.
The situation is briefly this: Ii the
terms of the Plat amendment NEAR
anything they signify that this govern
ment has in a certain degree taker
Cuba under its protecting wing. Ii
consideration of certain concessions
made to the United States a year age
by Cuba, at which time this govern
ment assumed the right to dictate
terms, it was clearly understood thai
the United States would favor Cubs
with special tariff rates when the is
land became independent 1t was tt
secure these favOrs, which are essen
tial to Cuba, that she permitted thi.
government to practically name thu
terms of the treaty. Without the tact
and expressed purpose to extend these
special privileges to Cuba the lattel
would never have agreed to the Plat
amendment. Yet, after holding hear
ings for weeks and securing a vas
amount of data and information, the
ways and means committee calmly pro
poses to maintain the full-height tar
iff barrier against Cuban sugar and to
baeco.
1 Whatever may be the consequences
this great republic cannot afford to as
sumo this attitude, which is in plair
language, reputation. Cuba can1o
retaliate by repudiating because it il
a weak power and the United States
is strong and can enforce it's exac
tons. The people of the United
States can get along very well with
out selling dollars worth of any
thing to Cuba but Cuba must have oul
patronage to live. 1t is. claimed tina
under present tariff rates the Cuba1
sugar manufacturers will be ruined
1t is asked that the tariff be reduced
say twenty-five per cent, which would
permit the Cubans a margin of profit
In Dilemma.
At this point the sugar makers ant
planters of the United States rush IL
and assert that reducing the tariff OF
sugar will ruin the sugar business IL
l Int{ L. Lot ~,