Honolulu Republican, Volume IV, Number 501, 19 January 1902 — CUBAN SUGAR’S FIGHT WARMING IN CONGRESS [ARTICLE]

CUBAN SUGAR’S FIGHT WARMING IN CONGRESS

Different Lobbies are Working for Tbeir Interests at Washington. (USE Sin BEET MEN SRE BUST Redaction oi Twenty per Cent in Duty on Cuban Product is Decided. Vjny Republicans Opposed to Any Concession Whatever to Atlantic Islanders—Pressure Brought Upon Payne and Grcsvenor of Ways and Means Committee, I Special Correspondence! WASHINGTON. D. C-. Dc. c Within the last few days the Pr*-si-rti-nt and th«- men who are close to I. m In Congrc-s, have tsK*-ii their stand squarely in favor of reducing th- Antics upon Cohan sugar by twen tv per cent which, it is argued, will .iv< the Cuban planters enough of a margin to place them upon their teet That program has been ani ouneed squarely, and there Is certain to tu a strong flgut to put it through (xngre-s All of the leading Admin '-tration newspapers of the Kast. ini lading th* New York Sun and the v. w A'ork Tribune. have come Into tiii*. in advocacy of the plan Lobbies Hard at Work. M»m of th« Kiist -rn Senators and il« presentatlves are lined tt(> for the proposition, but the men from the West and .'mm the South where b-ct •near and cane sugar arc produced, r- sp»*ctlvely. are ready to make a • Idiom fight against what they tie • v< would be the almost complete min of the beet s' gar industry and iv inlj w rk damage to the l.nusiana I lantcrs of cane Th. licet sugar men l :,ve a strong lobby in Washington i.nj it is understood that this loldiy also representing, to some degree, th.- cam sugar producers of Hawaii, x. ho appear to be very much alarm- • it over the outlook. Western men declare tha? the proposed 1« gislatlon will do th*’ Coban Mtgar planter absolutely no g*hh!, he • -t i- conceded that th* Xmerl < an Sugar Trust has control of the t'srvi st.-d .crop of Cuban sugar that i- now awaiting tariff legislation before being shippid to (he United States, and it Is also claimed by many that the sugar trust owns or has options on all of the larger t'l.ban sugar plantations. Hottest Fight In Congress. Th« tight over this measure Is bound to be one of the hottest that bits ever been brought up in Congress and upon it will depend th;' success of President Roosevelt a- the lender of his party in legislative matters. The President luts-’s his attitude upon the i ■< easily for doing sometning for the ('ubane, whereas tile opposition Is base,} entirely upon the protection of American interests. The present indications are not bright for the sue css of th* tariff reduction plan. A majority of the members of the Ways and Means Committee of the House ere on record as opposed to making The proposed concessions to the Chi l>nna. Payne to be Brought Round. The rna'ice that Is being injected into this fight which is as imp-riant •o Hawaii as to any oturr se* turn of th-- l'rit<>d States. }s shown by tbe remarks of the New York Tribune, an Administration paper, this morning; "There is no doubt at all that at the proper time a measure will be ri-sected in Congress through the Ways and Means Committee of the House providing for a reciprocal trade arrange ment with Cuhm To what ext- nt this reciprocity will go is a defhJf that will be worked out carefully by repeated conferences between majority members of the Ways and Means Committee and of the Senate Cummfthee on Relations with Cuba, of which Senator Platt, of Connectl- < ut. U chairman. Chairman Payne of the Ways and Means Committee is sill! understood to be opposed to naming any concessions to Cuba, but i; is confidently believed that he will - ,; c b brought around to a radical ; ly dltf. rent view of tbe question. Grosvenor is Weakening. ‘Oners 1 Grosvenor. of Ohio, an other majority member of that com n.iltee. has frequently express* d opposition to giving Cuba any tariff

conresaion*. bat tt is said that while be vk among his < onstUnents ic the holiday recess he learned that th-'ir * «ntlm-au were so strongly opposed to his attitude on th“ Cuban ques tion that he is now willing to yield to the insistence of the Senate for tfle greatest practicable liberality to Cuba by this government. "The beet root sugar men continue to practice their characteristic tactics an ‘ (Jon 1° frighten House mem L fc rs by threatening to defeat them for re-election but this campaign of bii.ff and hlnstl-r has about lost its terrors, since the people have b en mad* to understand that even free trade with Cuba would not destroy the beet root sugar industry in this country It is expected, however, that they wiil persist to the end in their course, as they have establish »d an expensive lobby in Washington for the winter, which must show signs of energetic activity in order that a large number of men may retain their residence at the national capital through the session of Con grass at th expense of other people.”