Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1903-10-24
CUBAN RECIPROCITY
SITUATION AND OUTLOOK SEEM
TO HAVE CHANGED.
american Interests Are Pressing for
the Ratification of the Treaty While
Cuba Cares Little or Nothing About
the Matter.


Washington correspondent of the New
York Sun, under date of Sept 16,
treats at some length The Outlook
for Cuban Reciprocity" 1t is taken
for granted at the outset that an ex-
ira session of congress will be called
for Nov. to consider and act upon the
proposed reciprocity treaty, and it is
assumed that after few days spent in
organizing and maneuvering, and per
haps N flibustering, the legislators
will go home for Thanksgiving week
without having made any progress
with the Cuban business. This Will
bring them close to the first Monday
in December, the date for the first
regular session of the Fifty-eighth
Congresses close, in fact, that it is
extremely doubtful. whether definite
action will be had on the treaty prior
to the regular session The CORE
spondent thinks that in the very brief
space between the end of the Thanks
giving recess and the beginning OF the
regular session Congress will again
tackle the Cuban reciprocity Ques-
ton, which has for many months
been a sore disturber of our political
peace" 1t would not, however, be at
all strange or unreasonable II the
Thanksgiving recess should be pro-
longed until the first Monday in De
cember. In that event the time spent
in the extra session would be time
wasted. Should this view of the prob
abilities commend itself to the mind
of the President, it may be that the
extra session will not be called, and
that the Cuban question will be per-
mitted to take it's turn in the regular
legislative proceedings of the regular
session. Many senators and represen-
tatives favor this course, and not with
out good reason.
1t is very generally agreed that
action by congress on the Cuban recl-
procity question long since passed out
of the emergency stage, and that the
grounds for hasty procedure, here
tofore so strenuously urged, no longer
exist That is evidently the view of
the Suns correspondent, for he says:
''That which was perhaps the strong
est argument in favor of a generous
policy toward Cuba is, no longer an
active factor. That consisted in the
presentation of Cuba's dire needs and
in the declaration of our responsibility
for their relief. Though very much
poorer than most Americans now sup
pose them to be, the Cubans are not
Immediately threatened with economic
distress and financial disaster. They
have quietly and patiently pulled them
selves together, faced the misfortune
which confronted them two years ago,
and have virtually conquered it. They
are getting along as best they can,
but they are getting along. Their self
congratulation upon and public an
nouncement of the healthy condition
of their national treasury has created
a mistaken belief in the general pros
perity of the people. They are not now
suffering, but they are far from pros
porous. The argument of dire need
and American responsibility will have
little or no place in the coming discus
sion"
As a matter of absolute fact, ''the
argument of dire need and American
responsibility" never should have had
any place in the discussion, since it
never was based upon actual Cuban
needs or actual American response
bility. This being the case, the Sun
correspondent rightly concludes that
the issue will turn upon the point of
American and not of Cuban inter
ests" The issue has from the be-
ginning turned wholly upon the point
of American interests. 1t started pri-
marily in a Sugar trust game of grab.
artfully reinforced by the spurious pre-
text of relief for Cuba" The philan-
thropic feature caught on" so hard
that the grab game was overlooked
and lost sight of. Now, however, the
charity element disappears and Amer
lean interest" is all that is left.
The Sun correspondent further de-
scribes the situation and outlook as
follows:
In former discussions the noise of
the campaign has been made by the
beet sugar interests of the United
States. 1t now seems probable that
this factor will have little or no prom
inence. 1t is generally admitted that
the proposed treaty. limited as it is to
a brief term, will be of less injury to
them than would continued agita-
ton. with its disturbance of market
conditions. 1t is currently reported
that the active opposition of the beet
sugar interests will be withdrawn
although these interests were gen.
orally supposed to be the controlling
force in the opposition heretofore.
such is not at all the fact Behind
the noise and the vociferation of that
element there stood another group.
less noisy but more effective really
dominating the situation This con-
sisted of those who opposed any break
in our present tariff barriers They
feared that treaty with Cuba would
be breach in the walls through which