Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-08-28
SHAW TO CUMMINs
Secretary of Treasury Takes Excep.
tions to a Statement Of cummins
In His Reciprocity Convention
speech-claims He Was Misquoted.

Chicago, Aug. 2S.-Secretary of the
Treasury Leslie M. Shaw made public
the following letter written by him to
Governor A. B. Cummins of Iowa in
reply to statements made by Governor
Cummins before the recent reciproci-
ty convention at Chicago:
"Chicago, Aug. 26.-My dear Gov
ernor Cummins: In a carefully pre-
pared address delivered before the re-
ciprocity convention at Chicago, which
the papers say your read, lest you
might be misreported,' you used this
language:
"'The secretary Of the treasury in a
speech recently delivered In Des
Moines, is reported as saying that the
explanation Of the refusal of the SEN
ate to consider the French treaty Is
that it gives everything to France and
nothing to the United States must
do him the justice to believe that he
never read the treaty. for otherwise
he has committed a grave offense
against the proprieties of debate
II did not see that portion of your
address until I came west. and have
delayed writing that / might ascertain
where I was reported to have made
such statement. ] knew I/did not
say 1t, or anything that could be so
interpreted, but I was not so sure
about the report. The occasion was an
informal luncheon, and the speech was
impromptu, though not extemporane-
Gus. I find that both of the Des Moines
republican daily papers represented at
the luncheon reported me as saying:
az 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 consideration of
which she agreed to apply her mini
mum tariff to our exports to France,
except as to twenty articles, including
horses, butter eggs, cheese, leather
goods, machines machine tools), dy-
namos, etc. That is, If we would treat
France better than we did any other
country, France would treat us about
as we'll as she did any other nation
"Of course the treaty was not ratf-
fed. say OF course l mean merely
| to say it was not ratified. There were
those in the senate who declared that
they did not believe this nation should
discriminate against Great Britain,
where we sell $500,000,000 of our ex-
ports for the benefit Of nation which
takes less than $200,000,000."
While the report is not verbatim, it
is substantially correct. Whether I
read the treaty before making the
statement is relatively of little i'm
portance, but if the treaty as negotiat-
ed did not give France reduction
from our regular tariff rates on sub
stantially seventy articles (to be ex-
act) sixty-nine articles, counting every
variety of silk manufacture as one ar
ticle, then it may be conceded that 1
had not read it; and if it did not ex-
,empt twenty American articles from
the Provisions Of the French mini
mum rate of duty as follows: Horses,
butter, lucerne and clover seed, fodder,
cast iron, skins, and hides, prepared:
boots and shoes, and parts of same;
beltsand cords and other leather articles,
manufactured for machinery; dynamos,
machine tools, dynamo conductors and
parts; arc lamps, known as regulators;
sugar, chicory roots, green or dried;
eggs, cheese, honey, porcelain, card
board rough in sheets; then it may be
conceded that I violated the proprie-
ties Of debate though an informal talk
at a luncheon is several removes from a
debate.
You, my dear governor, and have
had some experience in the trial of
cases, and we have seldom lost thru
the Misrepresentation of our opponents.
Attorneys, usually, and lawyers, all
ways. exercise great care lest they in
correctly state position of their pro-
fession adversaries. Certainly friends
and adherents Of the same political
party will be more careful still.
knowing, therefore, that you would
not violate the proprieties of debate"
by quoting me without authority as
having made specific statement, 1
write to inquire WHERE you saw the
report of my speech given in your
Chicago address. l have not seen 1t
and I wish to correct the record as
soon as possible. Please advise.
Very sincerely yours.
LESLIE M. SHAW.