Evening star., 1902-03-19
FOR CUBA'S RELIEF
Action Of Republican Confer
ence Last Night.
PAYNE'S RESOLUTION
ADOPTED BY AN OVERWHELMING
VOTE.
Beet Sugar Mems Small Showing-The
Sibley Amendment Also
Agreed To.
RESOLUTION

The expectation of the House leaders
| with reference to Cuban tariff legislation,
| as foreshadowed for several days past,
] were fulfilled in last nights conference OF
| republicans. The ways and means commit
| tees plan for settlement of the Cuban tariff
question, modified by the Sibley amend
| ment, was recommended by the conference
for adoption by the House.
The resolution agreed to was Mr.
| Payne's resolution, follows:
Resolved That it is the sense of the
conference that the committee on ways and
| means report to the House a bill substan-
TALLY as follows:
That for the purpose of equalizing the
trade of the United States with Cuba the
President is hereby authorized soon as
may be after the establishment of an lnde-
pendent government in Cuba, and the en-
actment by said government OF lmm1sIa-
tion and exclusion laws as fully restrictive
of immigration the laws of the United
States, to enter into negotiations with SAID
government with view to the arrange
ment of a commercial agreement in which
reciprocal and equivalent concessions may
be secured in favor of the products and
manufactures of the United States by rates
of duty which shall be less by amount
equivalent to at least 20 per cent ad valo-
rem upon such products and manufactures
than the rates imposed upon like articles
when imported into Cuba from the most
favored of other countries and shall not
be greater than the rates imposed by the
United States upon the like articles inn
ported from Cuba: and whenever the gov
ernment of Cuba shall enact such immigra-
ton and exclusion laws and shall enter
into such commercial agreements with the
United States, and shall make such conces-
| sons in favor of the products and manu-
| factures as aforesaid. and which agree
| ments, in the judgment of the President,
shall be reciprocal and equivalent, he shall
| be authorized to proclaim such facts. both
as to the enactment of such immigration
and exclusion laws and the making of such
agreement. and thereafter the imposition of
| the duties imposed all articles i'm
ported from Cuba into the United States
shall be suspended. and in lieu thereof
| there shall be levied. collected and paid
upon all articles imported from Cuba 50 per
! centum Of the rate Of duty now levied upon
! like articles imported from foreign coun-
! tries The President shall have power. and
| it shall be his duty whenever he shall be
| satisfied that either such immigration and
| exclusion laws such agreement men,
| toned in this act are not being fully eX-
| ecuted by the government of Cuba to notify
! such government thereof, and thereafter
| there shall be levied. collected and paid
upon all articles imported into Cuba the
| full rate of duty provided by law upon ar
ticles imported from foreign countries
Mr.. sibley's Modification.
L
and accepted by Mr.. Payne was as follows:
Whereas the recent conference at Brus-
sells has agreed to abrogate all secret boun-
| ties and cartels heretofore prevailing to
| take effect the 1st day of September,
| 1903, the effect of which will be to raise
| the price of sugar after that date;
Resolved, That this conference recon-
| mend the report by the committee on ways
| and means of the bill in substance as pre-
| sented to this conference by the chairman
of said committee. limited in it's duration
and effect to the 1st day of December, 1903"
| When the conference assembled Mr.. Payne
! and Mr.. Dick, representing the two factions
of republicans. reported that they had been
| unable to agree. The ways and means lead
ers wanted tariff reduction and the beet
| sugar men opposed It,
Mr. Dick said his associates would agree
to rebate of tariff duties or a direct p
preparation to Cuba
| Mr.. Dicks Resolution.
He offered the following resolution as a
solution Of the question of relief to Cuba
| Resolved, That it is the sense of this
| conference that the committee on ways and
means be directed to report to the House a
bill for the relief of Cuba substantially en-
| body1ng the following provisions: That the
| President be authorized to enter into a COM
| mercfal agreement with the government of
| Cuba when the same shall have been organ
|
| the relations which have existed between
| the United States and Cuba since 1898, and
| in consideration Of such reduction of duties
| as shall be satisfactory to the President on
goods, wares and merchandise the growth
| or product Of the United States imported
| into Cuba, he shall agree to pay each year
| for three years to the government of Cuba
| a sum of money equivalent to 20 per centum
| of the duties collected and paid into the
| treasury of the United States on goods
| wares and merchandise the growth or pro-
| duct of the Island of Cuba into this coun-
| try
Discussion and Votes.
| For two hours the pending propositions
were discussed, Messrs. Overstreet, Dick,
| Payne. Hepburn, Morris, Littlefeld, Bou-
| tell, Sibley and Burk contributing to the
discussion. The first test Of strength oc-
Cured on the motion of Mr.. Payne to close
debate, which was agreed to, IS to So.
High water mark for the beet sugar
forces was reached in the vote on Mr..
Dicks resolution. for which there were 50
ayes. The noes were 70. This evidence of
| the strength of the dominant faction DEM
| onstrated that the ways and means leaders
would win and many men left the hall be-
fore the final vote was reached. On the
Payne resolution the yeas were So and the