The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1905-08-30
SEC, SHAW VS..
Gov. CuMM|NS
The Secretary Writes an Open Letter
to the Governor.
A QUESTION OF RECIPROCITY
The Governor Makes Quick Reply,
Giving Lafayette Young as Author
ity for Statements at Chicago.
A QUESTION OF RECIPROCITY
August 20. 1905.

August 26, 1905
My DEAR GOVERNOR CUMMINs;
In carefully prepared address, deliver
ed before the Reciprocity Convention at
c icago, which the papers say you read,
".est you might be unsupported, you
used this language:
The Secretary Of the Treasury in a
speech recently delivered in Des MONIES,
is reported as saying that the explanation
of the refusal of the senate to consider
The French treaty. is that 1t gives every
thing 10 France and nothing to the United
States. ] must do him the justice to
believe that he never read the treaty, for
otherwise ne has committed a grave
otfense against the proprieties of debate !"
did not see that portion of your ad-
dress until came West, and have delay
ed writing that might ascertain where l
was reported to have made such astate-
ment. knew did not say it or
anything that could be SO interPre ted,
but / was not SC sure about the report
The occasion was an informal luncheon
and the speech was an impromptu,
though not an e2temporanous. ! find
that both OF the Republican daily papers
of Des Moines represented at the lunch
con reported me as saying
II was an enthusiast among those who
favored the Reciprocity treaties. Among
these treaties was one with France. The
French contract gave her an advantage in
entering the American market over every
other country on seventy articles, in con-
sideration of which she agreed to apply
her minimum tariff to our exports to
France, except as 10 twenty articles, IN.
Guiding horses, butter eggs, cheese
leather goods machines, "tmachine toolsl'
dynamos, etc. That is, if we would trea
France better than we did any othel
country. France would treat US about a.
well as she did any other nation.
| OF course the treaty was not ratitled
say "of course. l mean merely to say
that it was not ratified. There wer'
those in the Senate who declared that the,
did not be ieve this nation should dis
criminate against Great Britain where w
sell $500. 900, ooo of our exports for til
benefit of a nation which takes less tina,
5000 900. 900.
While the report is not verbatim ii
substantially correct. Whether ] req
the treaty before making the stateme nt
relatively of little importance. but if tt
treaty. as negotiated, did not give Franc
reduction from our regular tariff rate
on substantially seventy articles, ITO b
exact, sixty nine articles, counting ever
} variety of silk manufacture as one article.
, then it may be conceded that had nc
read it,. and if it did not exempt twent
American articles from the provision {
5 the French minimum rate of duty, as fo
, lows: Horse butter, lucerne and Glove
seed, fodder, cast-iron, skins and hide
same. belts and cords, and other leathe
5 articles manufactured for machinery, dJ
, namos, machine tools, dynamo conductor
5 and parts, arc lamps, known as regulators
sugar, chicory roots. green or dried, egg
cheese, honey, porcelain, cardboard, roug
: in sheets, then ii may be conceded that
! violated the proprieties of debate.
r You. my dear Governor, and /, ha1
) had some experience in the trial of case
and we have seldom lost through the mi
representation of our opponents. Alto
neys usually, and lawyers always, exc
Gle great care lest they incorrectly sta
the position Of their professional adve
saries. Certainly friends and adheren
ST the same political party will be mo-
! careful! still.
, Knowing, therefore, that you wou
not violate tie prophecies of debate
i quoting me, without authority. as havil
/ made assspecihc statement, write to i
quire where you saw the report O. n
speech as given in your Chicago addres
have not seen it and l wish to CORE
} the record as soon as possible. Plea
: advise.
81 Very sincerely yours.
LESLIE M. SHAW