River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-05-22
SUGAR BEET STATES.
They Will Control Senate Action on
Reciprocity Bill.
Measure VIII Probably BE Smoth-
cred in Committee on Conn
merce, Dominated by Al
Iison and Burrows.
Especial Washington letter.
IT WAS so amazed that made no

Especial Washington letter.
(Iv WAS so amazed that made no
reply, deeming silence the most
prudent for the time being"
said Representative Hepburn, of
Iowa, in reference to remark made
to him by the secretary of war.
He said: 1t seems pity that any
of our people have been encouraged
to engage in business which would
cripple the Antillean islands, In 9TH
er words, his sympathies were with
the Cubans, as against our own peo-
ple. who have invested their millions
| in beet sugar. That remark intensi-
fed my opposition to the reciprocity
bill"
The measure referred to is now be-
fore the senate, and no writer can
positively predict what will be done
with it, but there are good reasons
for believing that the senate will de-
fer action for long time. The bill
is now in charge Of the senate com
mittee on commerce. Senators Alli-
son, of Iowa, and Burrows, of Mich
igan, are two of the leading and in
fuential members of that>committee
and they are from beet sugar produc-
ing states. Men who have had long
years of practical experience in ma
tional affairs are predicting that the
two senators named will kill the meas
ure by smothering it in the commit
tee. They can delay committee action
for couple of months; and then it
will be time for adjournment.
Representative Richards on, the lead
er of the democrats in the house of
representatives, says: while | have
as high personal regard for the pres
ent chief executive as l have had for
any of his predecessors, felt that in
dealing with the Cuban reciprocity
bill we had an opportunity to coop
crate with a number of republicans in
defeating the main feature of that bill,
in order to show to the president and
to his successors that they must not
go too far in undertaking to shape ma
tional legislation. The representa-
tives of the people have spoken in no
uncertain manner"
Quite a number of statesmen have
expressed substantially the same SEN
timent to your correspondent. There
was an intensely earnest spirit per-
vading the house of representatives
while that reciprocity bill was under
considerations; and, in fact, for sew
eral weeks before it was reported
from the committee on ways and
means. But this earnest spirit was
patriotic and not personally bitter.
The speaker and those who believed
with him that the bill reported was a
good one were fair with all others.
But the opponents of the bill who
stood for protection to the beet sugar
industry, after eXhausting all parlia-
mentary patience, cut themselves
loose from party ties andvoted accord
ing to their convictions. Such an in
dependent, non-partisan spirit has not
been displayed in either the senate or
the house of representatives. for more
than a quarter of century. The final
vote showed Enthusiastically that the
representatives of the people will Leg
islate Independently when it comes to
questions directly affecting their con-
stituents.
Representative Shafroth, of Colo
RADIO, says: 81 was also amazed when
I heard what the secretary of war
had said to Col. Hepburn; and that
evidence of the sympathy for Cuba,
which was greater than sympath for
our own people, impelled me to great