Evening star., 1902-01-02
Senator Cullom's View Regarding
Reciprocity Treaties.
OPPOSED 10 TARIFF REVISION
Duty of the Foreign Relations
Committee.
MINOR QUESTIONS ON HAND

Il hope to get the attention of the COM
mittees to the reciprocity treaties soon after
Congress reassembles,' said Senator Cul-
.om, chairman of the committee on foreign
relations, when asked by Star reporter to-
day concerning his plans. What the policy
of the committee will be with reference to
these treaties l am unable to say" he re-
marked in reply to question. "I have not
yet had an opportunity of talking with any
| member on the subject since becoming
chairman, and, in fact, did not for some
time before, but it occurs to me that it will
be my duty to try to ascertain at once what
it will be advisable to do with these trea-
ties, and to do it, either to secure their
ratification or to dispose of them in some
other way. These treaties are in line with
the suggestion of the late President Nc
kinley just before his death.
While we are doing our best to make
commercial progress, we want to recognize
that other people have the same right as
ourselves to do the best they can. Only a
short time before President Mckinley left
Canton to go first to Cleveland and then to
Buffalo l visited him and talked with him
on this very question. Asking whether he
thought we ought to revise the tariff in
the usual way or carry out some kind of
reciprocity commercial treaty system
ne SAID by all means We ought not to re-
wise the tariff this year, but we ought to
adopt the other plan as far as We could do
so consistently.
Many Minor Matters.
There is nothing else of great impor-
tance before the foreign relations commit
tee, but there are good many minor ques-
tions The proposed treaty with Denmark
by which we will be placed in the position
of endeavoring to acquire the Danish West
Indies is a matter Of considerable impor-
tance ard l hope to see it successful. L
hope. the result of the pending negotia-
tons for these islands will be their pur-
chase by US. l hope the Senate will ratify
treaty looking to our ownership of those
islands. At the same time there seems to
be an uncertainty now as to the outcome
OF the negotiations now being carried on
The Principle of Reciprocity.
Asked whether he favored the general
idea of reciprocity, Senator Cullom replied:
Il have thought for year two that if
We do not take up the tariff for the pur-
pose of a revision in the regular way we
ought to do something in the way of Sc
modification of the tariff in particular
cases. 1 am in favor of general reciprocity
In such way as not to interfere with the
general principle of protection. 1 think it
would be great misfortune to the country
for us to take up the tariff for general re-
vision this year.
1T would Startle our business interests
and manufacturers would hesitate to go
forward with their work in view of the
uncertainty that would exist, and we
would find ourselves involved in trouble
But We can accomplish desirable ends by
means of reciprocity and commercial trea-
ties without seriously disturbing the busi-
ness interests of the country"
Senator Cullom thought that the intense
competition now existing between this and
some European countries would not have
any result in producing dangerous un-
friendlness of feeling