Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-28
SHAW ANSWERED CUMM1Ns.
Declared That Governor Misquoted
Him at Chicago Meeting.

Secretary Shaw made public the following
letter at Chicago yesterday. written by MIN
to Governor Cummins of Iowa, In reply TO
statements made by Governor Cummins
before the recent reciprocity convention at
Chicago:
CHICAGO, August %. 1905.
My Dear Governor Cummins-In care
fully prepared address delivered before the
reciprocity convention at Chicago. which
the papers say you read. lest you might
be unsupported" you used this language:
The Secretary of the Treasury, in
speech recently delivered in Des Moines, Is
reported as saying that the explanation OF
the refusal of the Senate to consider the
French treaty is that 1t gives everything to
France and nothing to the United States.
must do him the justice to believe that lie
never read the treaty. for otherwise he has
committed grave offense against the pro-
prieties of debate
did not see that portion of your address
until came west. and have delayed writ
ing that / might ascertain where 1 was re-
ported to have made such statement L
knew l did not say 1t, or anything that
could be SO Interpreted, but was not so sure
about the report. The occasion was an In
formal luncheon. and the speech was I'M
promptu. though not extemporaneous;
find that both of the Des Moines republican
daily papers represented at the luncheon
reported me as saying:
Il was an enthusiast among those VINO
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 to twenty articles. including
horses butter, eggs, cheese, leather goods.
machines (machine tools), dynamos, etc,
ia NO Vould Fra better
than We did any other country, France
would treat us about as well as she did
any other nation.
"Of course, the treaty was not ratified. 1
say, of course. 1 mean merely to say 1t
was not ratified. There were those in the
Senate who declared that they did not be
lieye this nation should discriminate against
Great Britain where we sell $5O0,OOO,OO0 of
our exports, for the benefit Of nation
which takes less than 500 100000"
While the report is not verbatim. 1t is
substantially correct. Whether I read the
treaty before making the statement is rela-
lively Of little Importance; but II the treaty
as negotiated did not give France reduce
ton from our regular tariff rates on SUD-
stantially seventy articles-to be exact, six
ty-nine understanding every variety OF
silk manufacture as one article-then IT
may be conceded that I had not read IT,:
and If it did not exempt twenty American
articles from the provisions Of the French
minimum rate of duty. as follows: Horses,
butter. lucerne and clover seed. fodder, cast
iron, skins and hides prepared. boots ana
shoes and parts Of same. belts and cords
and other leather articles manufactured,
machinery dynamos, machine tools. dynamo
conductors and parts, are lamps tknown as
regulators sugar. chickory roots (green or
dried). eggs, cheese. honey. porcelain, card
board Trough or In sheets), then ii may be
conceded that / violated the proprieties OF
debate, though an informal talk at lunch
con is several removes from debate.
You, my dear governor, and have had
some experience in the trial of cases. and
we have seldom lost through the misreprs-
sentation of our opponents. Attorneys usu-
ally and lawyers-always exercise great care
lest they incorrectly state position OF
.heir professional adversaries. Certainly
friends and adherents of the same political
pa rty will be more careful still.
Knowing, therefore, that you would not
violate the prophecies of debate by quot
ing me without authority as having made a
specific statement, l write to inquire where
you saw the report Of my speech as given
In your Chicago address. / have not seen
1t, and i wish to correct the record as soon
as possible. Please advise. Very sincerely
YOURS, LESLIE NJ. SHAW.