Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-03-27
ALLISON ON TREATY.
enior Iowa Senator Explains senate's

Senior Iowa Senator Explains SENATE S
Action on the Cuban Compact.
Washington, March 2I.-William F..
Curtis special to Record Herald: SEN
ator Allison thinks IL is unfair to crit.
icise the, senate for its failure To COM
plete the reciprocity arrangement with
Cuba while we did not accomplish
all that we desired and intended in
that direction" he said, I'VE accom-
plished as much as was possible under
the circumstances. and in the discus
sion of the subject all the conditions
must be taken into consideration. AT
no time since the Cuban reciprocity
project has been before congress have
we had a controlling majority in Its
favor in the senate, and we We're pre-
vented from passing the bill that came
to us In the first session of the fifty
seventh congress, as we We're prevented
from ratifying the treaty in its original
form. because of opposition that could
not be overcome. This opposition was
so strong that we We're compelled to
abandon the bill and to modify and
amend the treaty, but l repeat that so
far as human wisdom and foresight
could guide us we carried out the poll
publican party and attempted to fulfill
their pledges to Cuba and to the peo-
pie of the United States in good faith.
The reciprocity bill which came to
us from the house last spring was
abandoned because it could not obtain
a majority of the senate" said SEN
ator Allison. ut could not have been
passed because of the opposition of the
beet sugar interests on the republican
side and the democratic minority. There
entered into consideration also the fact
that the bill as it passed the house was
opened to any and every amendment
that might be proposed relating to the
tariff, and If the debate had continued
the whole tariff question in all its
phases would have been brought up.
When the appropriation bills had been
of and the business of the long
session had been cleared up. with the
exception of this BILL 1t was decided
not to try to hold congress together
any longer We knew the plan of the
opposition was to involve us in a gen
eral tariff debate, which could not have
been prevented under the rules of the
senate
The statehood debate was prolonged
as you will remember, so that neither
treaty could be disposed of before the
4th of March, and the consequence of
the combination between the democrats
and minority of the republicans in
favor of the admission of the territories,
was an extra session to ratify the Gu
ban and canal treaties.
when the senate met in extra ses-
sion the canal treaty was promptly dis
posed of and the reciprocity treaty with
Cuba was taken up. We We're at once
by the contention that mas
much as it related to the public reve-
house of representatives and would re-
qre joint legislation by the two houses
to make it effective. This has always
been the contention of the house. 1t
stands upon the seventh article of the
and holds that all treaties
that affect customs duties and the pub
lie revenues must have the approval of
the house of representatives before they
become effective, and while this has
been disputed as a principle 1t has been
always the uniform practice OF, the sem
ate to yield.
There is no divergence of opinion in
the house on this question, while the
senate is by no means unanimous.
Some of the best lawyers in the latter
body are of the opinion that it is an
even questiyon and that pro bably the
supreme court would decide that there
are no limitations to the tire aty-mak-
ing power of the executive AMI the sem