Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-02-24
House Ways and Means Commit
tee Agrees on a Reciprocity
Measure.
Republican Members Of the Com.
mittee Decide on a Simple
Reciprocity Plan.
contemplates a Concession OF
Twenty Per Cent on ALI
Products.

tdent for the last six weeks, the ma
iority members of the Ways and Mean.
committee backed down completely
late Saturday and agreed to recon-.
mend the adoption of a straightfor-
ward reciprocity measure.
The resolution adopted by the Ways
and means committee favors the adop-
ton by the house of n bill providing
goods imported into the United States
from Cuba, providing that the gov
lernment of Cuba shall make similar
reduction or goods from the United
States, and shall make that reduction
exclusive to this country, in addition
] to passing immigration laws identical
with those of the United States.
This resolution, as adopted, by all
( the republicans of the Ways and
Means committee, eleven in number
Including Mr.. Hopkins, of Illinois who
has not been at his post since the
Ecommittee took up this subject, ii is
to be submitted to a caucus of the re-
publicans of the house, which VIII be
held. ii is believed, Tuesday.
/ There will be lively fight at that
caucus, of course, because the repub-
llicans from Michigan, California. Iowa,
and some other states viii fight reel
procity. 1t is believed, however, in
view of the unanimous position now
taken by the Ways and Means COM
mitee. the caucus will adopt the res
olution agreed upon this afternoon.
The committee has swept aside all
| plans for rebates, bounties, differen-
tial tariffs, and similar shady devices.
They have come out for absolute reci-
procity, and the action of the COM
mittee is. therefore. an extraordinary
triumph, particularly for Mr.. Long. OF
Kansas, who took the ground, as did
President Roosevelt, that it was a
question of securing for the farmers
and manufacturers of the United
States the absolute control of the
whole Cuban market.
Mr.. Longs proposition was for n 40
per cent reduction. The reciprocity
scheme adopted by the committee pro-
vides for 20 per cent When this
measure is passed thru the house. how
ever. it viii go to the senate, which
will amend the bill by making the con-
cession about so per cent. The natural
result of conference committee of
course, Will be to split the difference.
which would result in n concession of
one third of the rates now exacted un-
der the Dingley law.
The resolution was adopted by the
Ways and Means committee, when
finally enacted into law and put
into execution by means of treaty
l>,-ifh Dt.t n al tr1
union between the United States and
Cuba, which. of course, is the first and
most natural step towards annexa-
ton.
The reciprocity resolution provides
goes into effect the Cuban congress
shall enact a law practically adopting
the existing immigration statutes OF
the United States. This also is a step
towards annexation. Ii is done for the
especial protection OF American labor.
The idea Is to prevent the introduction
into Cuba of Chinese or the undesir
able elements from Europe.
The resolution adopted by the Ways
and Means committee involves nee
essarily some delay. 1t contemplates
action by the Cuban government as
an Independent republic. The presi-
Dental electors in Cuba meet on Mon
day They will choose Estrada Palma
as president and the organization of
the Cuban congress with the inaugur-
alton of the president will carry the
institution of the Cuban republic w
to about May l.
1t is probable therefore that the Gu
bar congress will need some time in
which TO enact the necessary immi-
grafton laws and then the Cuban gov
eminent will at once make a reciproc-
ity treaty with the United States.
The delay, 1t is said, will be more
harmful to the farmers of the United
States than to the planters of Cuba.
AS soon as reciprocity lis determined
upon by congress the prices of sugar
and tobacco in the fields of Cuba Will
be fixed at once and the planters can
proceed accordingly. But until reci-
procity goes into effect the -four from
Minneapolis has to pay as much as
that from Winnipeg, and the machin-
cry from Pittsburg has TO pay exactly
the same rate as the ironware from
Birmingham.
The reciprocity resolution undoubt-
eddy means that the United States is
to have absolute ctsitrol of the Cuban
market on every commodity produced
in this country. This means undoubt-
eddy a trade of over $S0,000,000 year.
It is the exact reverse of the open door
in China, and for this reason is an
apparent forerunner of annexation.
The surrender on the part OF the
rock rooted protectionists on the ways
and means committee was not accom-
plished solely by the pressure of public
opinion, altho that had alnrge influence.
Speaker Henderson, 1t is understood,
was one of the first to see, a great light.
The letter he wrote to his constituents.
first published in the Tribune, was ex
pected by to justify his position. He
was astonished to find 1t copied in ev
cry paper in the east with a universal
burst of indignation at the manner in
which he had assailed the newspaper
press of America. The speaker was
,nprepared for such an outburst and
speedily bowed his head to the storm.
At the same time Chairman Payne of
the ways and means committee began
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