The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-03-06
CUBAN RECIPROCITY
REPUBLICANS BADLY SPLIT UP ON
QUESTION.
20 PER CENT. VS.. REBATE.
HENDERSON AND CANNON CALL AT
WHITE HOUSE.

The Third Caucus on the Subject
Will BE Held acknowledgement
of the 20 Per Cent. Reciprocity
Plan Predict It's Defeat-TawneY
and Morris Sec Cabinet Members
About Rebate Plnn-RepubIicans
Are Afraid to Go Into the House
Until They Can Reach an Agree
ment Among Themselves.
Washington. March 5.-Speaker Hen
derson and Representative Cannon of
Illinois called at the White House to-
day. 1t is understood the subject of
Cuban reciprocity was considered and
the call led to much speculative COM
ment, although no definite details
were available on the nature of the
conference.
Active canvassing continued among
Republican members to-day prelimi-
nary to the third caucus on Cuban re-
ciprocity to be held tomorrow night.
The most positive claims were made by
those opposed to Representative
Payne's 20 per cent reciprocity plan
that there was clear majority against
it.
Mr.. Payne and his associates did not
concede this much, and expressed the
belief that a concession to Cuba would
ultimately be granted. 1t was said in
this connection that Speaker Hender-
son is now favorable to the position
taken by the majority on the Ways
and Means Cmmittee.
During the day several members of
the cabinet were called ON by Messrs
Tawney of the Ways and Means Com
mittee, who has proposed the rebate
plan as a substitute for Chairman
Payne's 20 per cent. reciprocity plan
and Morris of Minnesota. AS an out
come of these calls it was stated that
three members of the cabinet, namely
Postmaster General Payne, Secretary
of the Treasury Shaw and Secretary
of Agriculture Wilson We're hopeful Of
seeing solution of the problem which
would not endanger any American in
l.dustry. This was construed in some
quarters to show division in the cab
met, but it was stated by those con-
titude of the cabinet members did not
warrant any such construction.
Later in the day Representative
Tawney called at the White House and
had a conference lasting nearly an
hour and a half with the President. It
developed that Mr.. Tawney had told
the President that there was little or
no possibility for the adoption of the
Payne plan by the Republican confer
ence and that if it was adopted some
forty Republican members would not
consider themselves bound and would
carry the question to the floor of the
House. where there would be adj
ditional complications owing to the at
titude of the Democratic members. The
President is understood to have made
it clear that he had no intention at
present of sending a special message
to Congress on the subject. The Pres
ident expressed the most earnest So
licitude that a satisfactory adjustment
be reached by Congress. After hear
ing from MIR. Tawney his associates
expressed the belief that the President
| would accept the rebate proposition
| if Congress sent it to him. They also
were considerably encouraged to hear
from Mr.. Tawney that the President
was not laying down any emphatic I'LL
| timatum in favor of the plan as pre-
sented by Mr.. Payne.
Afraid of the Consequences.
While these conferences were going
| on at the White House, Chairman
Payne and members of the Ways and
| Means Committee supporting him
were in conference. This brought
about no change in their atti-
tude. One of the members
stated that he was confident the Payne
reciprocity proposition commanded a
majority of the Republican members,
but that the minority was so large and
was so disposed to carry the contest
into the House that Mr.. Payne and his
friends recognized the seriousness of
the situation. However, there was no
disposition to accept the rebate plan, as
it was stated that this was merely a
repetition of the plan proposed by the