Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-04-24
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Oorrespondentl

plelt do lU WdS uTdlndtlC, IOEGy Ouu
Republicans passed between Messrs.
Payne and Tawney, acting as tell
ers, and then a mighty cheer burst
from the Democratic side of the
House of Representatives and the
Democrats fastened forward to be
counted on the motion to over-rule
the decision of Mr.. Sherman,
Chairman of the Committee of the
Whole. The cheer must have
sounded like a wall in the ears of
Mr.. Payne, for in that brief moment
he seemed to visibly age, his hands
dropped to his sides and his head
on his breast, while, in tones which
were audible to the farthest corner
of the chamber, Mr.. Tawney con-
tinued the count until he announc-
ed the vote III to 1870, and, for the
first time in history, the Reed rules
were overthrown, precedent cast
aside and the Cuban reciprocity
bill, so earnestly championed by
the President and on which the Re-
publican leaders had staked all
their prestige, had been weighted
down with a free trade milestone
which was calculated to sink it in
the oblivion of a conference COM
mittee. Cuba's hopes of American
generosity had been shattered.
1t was late Friday afternoon
when Representative Dalzell con-
cluded the general debate on the
Cuban reciprocity bill with a force
full and logical speech. Imme-
diately, Judge Morris of Minnesota
offered the amendment, previously
offered in the Committee on Ways
and Means by Mr.. Tawney, and
which provided for the removal of
the duty on refined sugar. Mr..
Payne promptly made the point of
order that the amendment was not
germane to the bill and the ques-
tion was argued for hours, the
Chairman finally deciding the point
well taken. Tawney appealed from
the decision Of the chair and forty
odd Republicans voted with the
Democrats and overruled the chairs
decision. The amendment was
then promptly adopted, the bill re-
ported to the House, and, on yea
and nay vote, the amendment was
carried 1919 to 105. The measure
as amended passed by a vote of
247 to so. The bill will reach the
Senate early this week and will be
referred Immediately to the Com
mittee on Relations with Cuba, of
which Senator Platt of Connecticut
is Chairman. AS indicated by an
interview published in these letters
some weeks ago, Senator Platt
strongly favors the object of the bill
but there is reason to believe that
when it is reported back to the
Senate it will be shorn of its free
trade amendment and of the time
limit, while the rate of concession
is likely to be raised to 25 per cent
Speaking on this subject yester-
day, Senator Bard, of California,
told me he believed there was no
chance for the bill in the Senate.
Senator Mcmillan tod me the same
thing few days before and it
seems unlikely that, even if the
friends of Cuba, in the Senate, sue
ceed in passing the bill, amended
as indicated, there will be any hope
of its getting through the House.
There was no expectation on the
part of those Republicans, who
voted with the Democrats to so
hamper the measure, that the bill
would eventually become law as,
were it to do SO, it would prove
more injurious to the beet sugar
interests than would Cuban. reci-
procity. The action of the Demo-
Gratis in voting unanimously for an
amendment calculated to defeat the
90 per cent concession to Cuba,
which they had previously pro-
nounced 800 per cent concession
to their views" is as inexplicable
as are the majority of the Demo-
cratic Inconsistencies.
The Senate, last Wednesday,
passed the Chinese Exclusion bill
but not until it had been so amend
ed as to be a virtual re-enactment
of the Geary Law. The fear that
some of the provisions of the new
bill would be found to abrogate our
treaty with China and so hamper
the possibilities of trade with the
Orient, at time when the remark
able success of American manufac-
turing enterprises makes the acquis-
ition and cultivation of new and
extensive foreign markets impera-
tive, was responsible for the action
of the senators.
On Thursday Senator Lodge call
ed up the bill providing for the
tnmpOrary civil erOuarnp,ont Of tho