New-York tribune., 1902-04-22
FIGHT OVER RECIPROCITY
ACTION STILL EXPECTED AT THIS SES-
SION OF CONGRESS
LITTLE DOUBT THAT THE PRESIDENT WILL
BE AUTHORIZED TO NkIoiAA
MUTUALLY ADVANTAGEOUS
TREATY WITH CUBA


Washington. April 2l-I Is eNP'~'
within few days the Senate Cofliiii'
Relations with Cuba will begin consloei aA0A
+b. cuban Reciprocity bill. although 1t IS not
,.,,cb+ n r,erort will be made on the DIN loi
80 o- +bree weeks There is no need 10 huIty'
&c ,na Cuban Government viii not he lnstalleu
nnfil May 90 and before that date 'he rie 00"
VII, have no one 10 deal with in the exercise "
the authority which the bin will confer Oh nm
tn negotiate reciprocity treaty with Cupa' iial
the President viii be authorized by congress "'
,t,s session TO enter into close commercial rela-
,ions with Cuba on a basis of tariff CONCESSIONS
that viii encourage the Industries of both couh-
tries and promote better feeling OF neiehooIh-
ness between the two nations. there is scarcely
any douht In spite of the sensational ana IN
ernlicab BILE conduct of the House last frloav-
EVERY well informed person in Washington
recognizes this as the fact OF supreme lihpoi-
tance IN all the gossip and speculation 10 "hlch
the sudden desertion Of the administrator ny
the House last week has given rise IL Is also
realized here by people who know anything
about the forces and influences that determine
all important legislation that the senate he-
publicans will not be taken off thelr 1ee', as
were fhe House Republicans on the Cuban Dill
While II is true that several influential Repuo-
iican Senators are hostile to RECIPROCITY
arrangement with Cuba as were the House Ike
publicans who represent the beet sugar con-
s+fflJencies it is at the same time pointed OUT
that these Senators not going TO pun 1he
chestnuts out of the fire for the Democratic
free traders. as did the insurgents in the House
That is to say. Republican Senators from the
beet root States will make a legitimate fight
for what they believe TO he the protection OF
that industry but when they have done TINS
and lost they will not join the Democrats In
an onslaught on the Dngley law, for radical
and wholesale revision of the tariff.
RELIANCE ON THE SENATE.
Whatever therefore. NAV be sent out from
Washington TO the contrary to sensational
newspapers and stock brokerage firms, 1t can
be safely relied upon that the Senate Will pass
a bill authorizing the President TO MAKE
straight reciprocity treaty with Cuba on OASIS
of not less than % per cent tariff reducuoh'
This statement takes full account OF the prooa-
bifty that in the consideration of the House OH
by the Senate committee the beet sugar people,
some Of whom are on that committee. will make
threatening demonstrations, and hint that an ao-
verse report is TO be made. But It is known as
,os,tivelv as ANYTHING can be known in advance
of actual occurrence that the cause of reel
procty will win and that the bill the Senate VIII
send back to the House will have in IL no
ruinous tariff assault and no Impossible cohol-
lions precedent with which the Cubans must
comply before the President can enter into
reciprocity treaty with their government mat
is to say the Senate will strike from the nlll
the Democratic free trade clause abolishing the
differential on refined sugar. and it will also
take out the beet sugar scheme to pauperlze
Cuba by fastening upon the new and struggling
renuh,ic the immigration and contract labor
laws of the United States. 1t is possible that
the bill cannot thus be toned down and passed
in time to enable the President TO meet the
changed conditions that will be brought about IN
Cuba on May 20 and that the contest over the
measure may prolong the session OF Congress
well into the summer. but 1t is believed that
both this country and Cuba can stand this If
members of Congress can.
II will be recollected that when in the last
Congress the Platt amendment defining the re-
lations between the United States and Cuba was
proposed as large a number of Senators de-
clared that that measure should never go
through declare that no reciprocal trade
arrangement with Cuba shall be authorized. 1t
is significant. too that of those who are
now loudest in crying down reciprocity legisla-
ton were then equally outspoken in their
opposition to the Platt amendment. But these
Senators among the first to yield to the
tremendous pressure brought to bear on them.
Most Of them al that time gave as their excuse
for yielding their desire TO get home and pre-
vent an extra session Of Congress In other
words, they did not want to be caught in Wash
fngton in hot weather. AT that time there was
no campaign coming on. either Now there is
forthcoming one of the most desperate struggles
for control of the House that has been wit
messed for several years. and this gives a double
excuse for recalcitrant Senators this time 10
get away from Washington
possible. Therefore II is not considered likely
that the session Will even be unduly prolonged
over the Cuban reciprocity contest. However,
If the beet sugar Senators insist making a
hard and determined contest. the supporters of
the administration Will be ready 10 meet them.
PRESIDENT WILL AID LEADERS.
The President keeps in close touch with his
party leaders in the Senate-Messrs Aldrich
Platt of Connecticut: Allison. Spooner Lodge
and McMilian-and is prepared to give them
any aid they may need the tariff from
the entering wedge of revision at this time
He and they view the difrertntial amendment
nation of free trade Democrats and beet root
Republicans as tariff revision pure and simple
Hence the only thing they can do is TO insist
on this amendment coming on. Later they may
take up the question Of tariff revision seriously
and in detail They realize that the abolition
of the differential would do more harm the
beet root industry than would be inflicted by
free trade with Cuba, and their first concern
therefore is save the beet sugar industry
from its friends in the House The Sugar
Trust they aware, cares little about either
Cuban reciprocity the retention Of the differ
entail since the trust and does refine sugar
at less cost than any other rehners in the world
Including those of Germany and France. with
the advantage Of cheap labor. but labor that
IS not as productive per capita the X
peneive labor Of the United States
As the Senate leaders viii refuse 10 he thrown
off their feet by the beet sugar Republicans and
the free trade Democrats. so Will they stub
bcrn,y refuse to become excited over the de-
mand for investigation at this time OF the
Sugar Trust. In the first place, they do
understand what Senator Teller means by his
resolution for an investigation of the trust. and