BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-10-02

This was the Presidents position
when the fifty seventh congress met
last Decemoer. His Tolicy has not
changed He mas urged upon senators
the wisdom Of reporting and ra;ifJrg the
reciprocity treaties which were negOt-
lated under the administration of Pres
idenf Mckinley. There Y ere thirteen
of these treaties, the most important
being that with France and the one
with Argentina The others were con-
sidered minor treaties and were with
Brazil, Ecuador, the Danish Islands.
Barbados, Bermuda, Trinidad and
other islands il the West Indies. These
treaties were negotiated between 1897
and 1899, and have been before the
Senate for nearly three years. They
were held up in the committee on for
erign relations until last winter, when
under pressure from the President the
committee decided to report them. The
French treaty and several of the West
Indian treaties were reported lavorably
and the Argentine treaty adversely.
Senator Aldrich and Senator Lodge
vigorously opposed the French treaty
because it reduces the protection On
cotton knit goods and imitation jewelry
largely manufactured in New England.
They were voted down when it came
to the question of reporting this treaty
to the Sena'e. They were able, how
ever, to prevent all the treaties from
being considered in executive session
by the Senate and they are almost as
securely tied up there as they were be-
fore in the committee on foreign rela-
tons.
President Roosevelt believes that The
Senate should act upon these treaties.
He regards it as un Eise and lacking in
courage for Republican Senate to ig-
more in this way treaties that have
been negotiated by a Republican presi-
dent. He wishes to discuss this ques-
ton of reciprocity in the west, and he
does not care to embarrass the Repub-
lican senators by taking issue with
them on such question just before an
election. He believes that by recipro-
city some of inequalities in the tariff
complained of can be adjusted, and at
the same time considerable advantage
secured for our export trade. He has
talked this question over with a hun
Der of Republicans who have visited
him at Oyster Bay, and he decided to
call into conference the Senate leaders
who are responsible for shaping the
policy regarding legislative action by
that body. He therefore invited Sena-
tors Allison, Aldrich, Lodge, Spooner,
Platt of Connecticut and Hanna to
meet him at Oyster Bay, to fully cons
der this important question. The most
stubborn opponent of reciprocity in the
Senate has been Mr.. A1drich, who is
recognized as the Republican leader.
Mr.. Aldrich was, however, defeated in
his effort to prevent the foreign rela-
tions committee from reporting. the
French treaty. and the President bell
ewes that a majority of the Republicans
in that body really favor reciprocity,
but have not cared to take issue with
their nominal leader. What will be the
result of this conference cannot be pre-
dicted from Washington. But it is
known here that this was the Presi-
dents plan and purpose in calling the
conference, and it is believed by those
who have carefully gone over the Sit
uation with him that he will be SUP
ported by Allison, Hanna and Spooner,
and probably by Platt of Connecticut.
If they agree to take up these recipro-
city treaties and consider them, at the
short session of congress, or at spe-
cial session of the Senate, the President
will on his western tour discuss recipro-
city as the handmailen of protection,
and in that connection also advocate a |
reciprocity treaty with Cuba.