Evening star., 1905-10-31
CUBA TO Be NOTIFIED
Reciprocity Treaty May Not
Be Renewed.
CONDITIONS ARENAMED
PACT WITH GREAT BRITAIN
MUST NOT BE RATIFIED.
Right Of the Insular Government to
Negotiate the Convention
In Not Denied.
CONDITIONS ARENAMED
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.

J Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
! The president Of Cuba will soon be ad-
monished. II he has not already been. that
| 1t will be both impossible and impracticabie
| for the United States to renew the existing
| reciprocity treaty in case the commercial
| treaty recently concluded between Great
Britain and the Cuban government is rati-
| fed. the reason being that Great Britain
will claim. under 1t. all the advantages now
| enjoyed by the people of this country.
The British treaty has been signed. but
has not been ratified. It is now under con-
| sideration by the Cuban senate. which may
reject 1t or make 1t good. The chances are
about even.
Our government does not oppose COM
, mercial treaty between Cuba and Great
Britain, or between Cuba and any other
country. under the Platt amendment 1t
comedies the right Of the Cubans to make
any commercial treaties they please, but
ne political alliances will be permitted and
no European power will be allowed to oc-
cupy Cuban SOIL The objections to the
treaty with Great Britain, therefore, are
purely commercial and not POLITICAL; be-
cause. from the standpoint of the British
government, 1t gives the merchants and
manufacturers OF Great Britain all the ad-
vantages that were secured for the mer-
chants and manufacturers of the United
which President Roosevelt had so much
trouble getting through Congress. 1t con-
tains most favored nation clause, under
which, according to the traditional con-
struction placed upon such provisions by
the British government. the products of It's
people will be placed upon an equality with
those OF all other nations and enjoy every
advantage that has already been granted
or may hereafter be granted to those of
any other country.
The government Of the United States has
never conceded that point. The question
has come up frequently. We have been in
collision with Great Britain over treaties
with her own colonies, particularly in 1901.
02, when Great Britain demanded from ia
maica, Trinidad, Barbados and British
Guiana the same concessions they had made
to the United States under the Blaine reci-
procity arrangements. The dispute has been
almost continuous for many years, and
neither government will yield. The United
States insists that in order to enjoy equal
advantages, Great Britain must make equal
concessions or give equal compensation. In
other words. If her merchants are to en-
Joy the same reductions in duty that are
made In favor of American merchants un-
der our treaty with Cuba, they must give
the planters of Cuba the same market and
the same advantages for their sugar and
tobacco that are found In the United States
which, of course. 1t is impossible for Great
Britain to do.
Our Treaty With Cuba.
Our treaty with Cuba was proclaimed De-
cember II, 1903 and went into effect on
that date, although 1t was signed one year
previous It continues five years from the
date Of going into effect. and hence will
expire December H. 1908. Therefore, it
must be renewed within the next two years
for the ratification of the present Congress,
either this winter or next winter and the
Cubans must be advised, and probably al
ready have been. that a treaty giving Great
Britain equal advantages will be construed
as an unanswerable argument against re-
newal.
Under our treaty all articles Of merchan-
disc being the product Of the soil or indus
try OF Cuba are admitted into the United
States either free Of duty or at a reduction
Of 20 per cent below the regular ra tes i'm
posed by the Dingley law. On the other
hand, all products Of the United States are
to have similar advantages in the Cuban
custom houses. Machinery and other ar
ticles Of iron, steel and copper, glass
whisky, brandy, salted fish, pottery and
earthenware have a reduction of 25 per
cent below the regular duties; butter our
and other breadstufrs. drugs, malt LIQUORS,
linen, paper and stationery, cotton goods.
cutlery. boots and shoes, gold ana silver
plated ware, preserved vegetables and fruits
and long list of other articles have a re-
ductlon OF 80 per cent. while knitted goods.
cheese, perfumery, watches and jeweiry.
woolstufs and other articles erioy n reduc
ton Of 40 per cent
been of enormous value to both countries
and 1t certainly has harmed no one. The
Deet-sugar manufacturers of Michigan
colorado and California. and the cane crow.
ers OF Louisiana. who fought 1t so despe-
rateiy, have not been ruined, by any means
although they pretended to fear that they
would be They are not only paying 6 big
dividends as before, but the control az The
beet-sugar industry has practically nassed
into the hands Of the sugar trust and is
managed by the Havemeyers. Tha retail
price OF sugar has been kept up; it varies
but little at our groceries notwithstanding
the variations of the wholesale market
The report of the bureau of statistics for
August, 1908, shows the wholesale nrice op
standard sa granulated sugar to have been
the same-5 cents pound-on the 7th of
February, 1900, as IT was on the Ttb ne
September, 1904-the first and the last
dates for which the quotations were given.
In the meantime there was considerable
variation in the wholesale market sugar
ran up as high as $50 cents a pound in
August, 1000. and ran down as low as
cents in midsummer Of 1903 On the Cd
of December, just before the recfprocitv
treaty was proclaimed standard granm.
lated was quoted at 436. and it gradually
advanced to cents in August 1901 and
has since remained about that figure So
you see that our domestic producers have
not been injured by the reduction of du-
ties on Cuban sugar. notwithstanding the
enormous imports from Cuba which have
increased from $1S.205.359 in 1902 to S56-
547, ,4O3 in 1904 and $81, ,67l, 600 for the eight
months ending August 81, 1905.
The total imports of dutiable merchan-
disc from Cuba into the United States
since the treaty went into effect up to
June 30. 1005. are valued at s124, ,7a7.547.
and $66,771 .450 in duties have been colIecs-
ed upon them In our custom houses But
for the 20 per cent discrimination afforded
by the treaty the duty collected would
have been $S3. AGA 300, showing a balance of
6s2.s50. which was relinquished by the
treasury Of the United States to encour-
age our trade with Cuba.
Effect on the Sugar Industry.
A good many members Of Congress and
other critics and opponents of the reci-
procity policy have been going around ask
ing button, button. who got the button"
and they usually declare that It can be
found in the pockets of Mr.. Havemeyer
and his associates Of the sugar trust They
are in the habit of insisting that neither
the people of the United States nor the
planters of Cuba have derived any benefit
from the reduction OF duties. Their con-
tention is not sustained by the facts No
one familiar with economic conditions in
Cuba will deny that the sugar industry