The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-01-15
Am ENDMENT
AGREED UPON
Sugar Men Force Changes in the
Cuban Treaty.
SENATE COMMITTEE MEETS
FURTHER CHANGES MAY BE
MADE IF NECESSARY.

Washington, Jan. 1.-THE senate
committee on foreign relations today
agreed to recommend the adoption of
an amendment to the Cuban reciprocity
treaty providing that the reduction OF
20 per cent in the tariff on Cuban sugar
shall not be further reduced by any
preferential rate given to another
country. This action was taken at the
instance of the beet sugar men.
TOday's meeting also served to de-
velop objections TO other features OF
the treaty. Senator Taliaferro OF
Florida made an argument before the
committee urging amendments to the
provisions relating to tobacco and cat
tie. and Senators Bacon and Bailey
both Democratic members of the COM
mittee, indicated opposition TO the
treaty on other grounds Senator Ba-
con offered an amendment applying the
Cuban treaty on the same basis as
other reciprocity treaties with refer
ence to the house of representatives
but the amendment was not acted
upon. Senator Bailey took positive
ground against the policy of securing
reciprocal relations with other coun-
tries by means of treaties, saying such
a course was unconstitutional in that
it is an interference with the authority
vested in the house Of representatives
to originate all tariff legislation.
The amendment agreed upon is in the
shape of a provision attached to the
eighth article Of the treaty, and is as
follows:
provided. That while this conven-
ton is in force, no sugar being the
product of the sofa Of the republic OF
Cuba shall be exported from said re-
public to the United States at a greater
reduction of duty than 20 per cent be-
low the rates prescribed by the act OF
July "a 1897. and provided further
that while this convention is in force
no sugar shall be imported into the
United States from another foreign
country at a lower rate of duty than
that imposed by the act of July "A
1897
The committee did not reach a vote
or the motion by Senator Bacon tC
strike out article of the treaty ex-
empting American tobacco from pref
erential rates given by Cuba TO Amer
lean articles. 1t is claimed that the
adoption of the amendment relative to
! the reduction on sugar viii have the
effect of insuring the support of prac-
I tically all the Republican senator's
! The opposition to the striking out OF
the provision regarding tobacco was
because of the plea on the part of the
Cubans that under it American to-
bacco might be shipped to Cuba, and
1 tIitu exported from llaL fSl3nQ as 0U-
ban tobacco. If the Bacon amendment
should be adopted the treaty would
not become effective until il should be
acted upon by the house. &C amend
ment reads.
This treaty shall not take effect IN
til the same shall be approved by the
congress"
Senator Bacon was spea king in sup
port of this amendment when the com
Z Tr1ittpp a6iO11r-Da1 will he n n
! other meeting tomorrow.
Some objection. has been made by the
Z friends of the TeCiprOCity treaties to
the sugar reduction amendment TO the
! Cuban treaty which was agreed upon
, today by the senate committee on for
eign relations. They took the position
/ that the provision that sugar shall not
be imported from other countries than
1 Cuba at less than the rates of the
Ding1ey law viii have the effect OF
fatally inJuring a number of the other
treaties if it should be incorpora ted
into the treaty, as a reduction on
sugar imported into the United States
IS a material feature of several of the
reciprocal agreements now pending in
the senate. This question, however
has received very little attention at the
hands Of the senate. The amendment
relating to Cuban sugar was drawn by
Senator Lodge. and it is understood
that the committees first object was
10 continue the protection now Youch-
safed to American sugar.