Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-06-25
MAKESPLEAFO FOR CUBA
PRESIDENT SENDS A MESSAGE
TO CONGRESS.
Roosevelt Urges Passags of the Rect
procity BiII-Pofnts to Pledges Full
filed and Says Cod Work Begun
Should Be Completed.

! President Roosevelt sent a special mes
sage to Congress Friday afternoon reit
Grating his former recommendations fol
the passage of a law creating RECIPROCITY
] with Cuba and presenting additional ar
guments thereon. The message is as fol
| lows:
TO the Senate and House OF Repre-
sentatiyes: | deem it important before
the adjournment Of the present session
of Congress to ealI attention to the fol
lowing expressions in the message which
| in the discharge of the duty imposed mn.
on me by the Constitution sent to Con.
gress on the first Tuesday of December
last:
Here follow extracts from that docu
! ment)
Yesterday l received by cable from
the American minister in Cuba a, most
| earnest appeal from President Palma for
Legislative relief before il is too late and
| (hisl country financially ruined
The granting of reciprocity with Cuba
is a proposition which stands entirely
alone. The reasons for it far Outweigh
| those for granting reciprocity with any
other nation, and are entirely consistent
with preserving intact the protective sys-
tenn under which this country has thriv-
en- so marvelously. The present tariff
law was designed to promote the adop-
ton of such a reciprocity treaty, and ex-
pressly provided for a reduction to
exceed 20 per cent upon goods coming
from a particular country, leaving the
tariff rates on the same articles unchang-
ed as regards all other countries.
objection has been made to the grant
ing of the reduction on the ground that
the substantial benefit would not 20 to
the agricultural producer of sugar, but
would inure to the American sugar re-
hners. In my judgment provision can
and should be made which will guaran-
tee us against this possibility; without
having recourse to measure of doubt
full policy, such as bounty in the form
of rebate.
THE question as to which, il any, of
the different schedules of the tariff ought
most properly to be revised does not en-
ter into this matter in any way or shape.
We are concerned with getting a friendly
reciprocal arrangement with Cuba. This
arrangement applies to all the articles
that Cuba grows or produces. 1t is lot
In our power to determine what thest,
~ AiNACH ShdAA bGf anu any QlSGuSSiOH VA
the tariff as it affects special schedules,
or countries other than Cuba, is wholly
aside from the subject matter to which
i call your attention.
Some of our leading citizens oppose
the lowering of the tariff on Cuban pro-
ducts, just as three years ago they OPP
posed the admission of the Hawaiian ISL
ands, lest free trade with them might
ruiz certain of our interests here. In
the actual event their fears proved base
less as regards Hawaii, and their appre-
tensions as to the damage to any indus
try of our own because of the proposed
measure of reciprocity with Cuba seem
to me equally baseless. In my Judgment
no American industry will be hurt, and
many American industries viii be bene-
flied by the proposed action. 1t is to our
advantage as a nation that the growing
Cuban market should be controlled by
American producers.