Middletown transcript., 1905-08-19
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER

1T is stated that when Congress reas-
ssembles it will find that the President
has reconsidered his announced intention
never to send another reciprocity treaty
to Congress. 1t will be recalled that be-
fore the close of the last session several
carefully drawn reciprocity treaties were
sent to the Senate and there were blocked
by the efforts of small coterie of deter
mined high protectionists. The Presi-
dent at that time banged his clenched
fist on the table and declared that he
would never again send reciprocity
treaty to Congress till something had oc
Cured to break the calm monchalance of
the stand patters. 1t looks very much
as though this had come to pass. The
fact that Germany has negotiated treaties
with seven European countries which
will become operative in 1905, that the
new duties will bear very hardly on the
western farmers who are expecting
bumper crop this fall, and the boycott Of
American goods in China all make toward
forcing the hand of the protectionists
and indicate that the something" has
happened that will make the presentation
of new reciprocity-treaties a necessity.
The wave of reciprocity has swept all
over the northwest and it is stated that
the cattle men and the wheat growers
will combine to Use all their influence on
the administration The President will
not be slow to act if he sees that the con-
ditions are ripe.
M
1t is stated also that there is prospect
of reorganization of the treaty with
Russia SO that American goods may once
more have a show in the land of the
Czar. 1t is said that Ambassador Mler
has been working with the foreign office
in st. Petersburg on the draft Of new
treaty and that it is almost ready to re-
ceive the sanction of the two govern
ments. 1t is of course possible that this
has good deal to do with the peace
negotiations now going on. Russia does
not like tariff war with the United
States any more than does this country.
1t is stated that NJ. Witte had authority
to negotiate treaty with the United
States on this snbject and that he would
come to Washington either before or
after the Portsmouth conference for this
purpose. Russia cannot hope to gain
more than the friendly regard of this
country by such step, for their is no
way in which our friendship could be of
any benefit to her at the Portsmouth
conference. Also Russia is much less
hurt by tariff war than is this country.
Russia exports very little to us. 1t is
true that she sent some beet sugar over
which tn tariff war arose. She also sends
some hides and furs, but she cannot send
petroleum and there is little else in her
line of exports that we want. On the
other hand we had been building up a
good market in EIrnpene Russia when
the sugar bounty question arose to put ali
end to it, and We were sending abot
$75, 900, 900 to her annually in:tooIs, agri-
cultral machinery, from manufactures
and the like against less than S25, 900, 900
worth of material that she was sending
to us.
80
On the other hand there seems little
prospect Of settling the question of trade
with China without Welding to her on
the subject of Conley labor in this coun-
try. TIE Boycott is spreading at Shan
glai, according to sdvices to the State
Department and American interests there
are seriously affected. Three thousand
chinese in Bangkok have communicated
with their agents i'll Shanghai to ship no
more American goods, and the other
foreign residents OF Shanghai are afraid
that the boycott will extend to them.
The students are in control of the situa-
tions and it is impossible to do anything
as the Chinese government declares its
impotecy and there can OF course be no
new treaty negotiated with China at pre-
sent.
~
At the same time the Chinese who
want to come to the United States are not
waiting on any little, formalities like
treaties. The Treasury Department in
speclors have just made the biggest haul
of 'imported" Chinese near Buffalo that
has been made in ears. 1t appears that
the inspectors had been looking for a
chance to lay hands on one Snyder,
runner of alien immigrants and a
smugger of contrahand goods across the
Canadian border. 1t was suspected that
he was in the trade but he never could |
be detected with the goods" Last |
week at night, however, the inspectors |
got him with steam launch full of
Romanians and lot of Cinnamon in |
rowboats. 1t is known that Buffalo, |
while favorite point for man smuggling |
of this sort, is not the only point on the |
Canadian and Mexican borders. The pen.
ality for work of this sort is heavy and |
the Treasury is going to prosecute Sny-
der to the extent of the law. 1t is said that |
with his sons who were also in the cap
ture, he may be tined' as much as $22, 90 |
and imprisoned for forty four years. The
point of the capture however is not the |
possible prosecution of the migrant run
ner hut the underhand methods that
Cinnamon take to- get into this country |
while their government is busy declaring
that no such traffic exists and that there |
is no boycott of American goods going |
on in Chinese port.
Nv
Chief Moore of the Weather Bureau |
has issued statement repardino tho al