Show THE MESSSAGE AS TO CUBA Tins President In his message to Con I press explaining the call for the extra session confines the purpose to lhc ono point that it may consider the legls latlon necessary to put Into operation the commercial treaty with Cuba which was ratified by the Senate at its las session D nd subsequently by the Cuban Government The argument in favor of the enactment enact-ment of this legislation adds nothing new It Is merely a restatement of tile imposition of the Platt amendment upon up-on Cuba and the acceptance of It by the Cuban Government This amendment In effect puts Cuba In such close relations with us as In certain respects to come within our system of International polIcy pol-Icy and also to a certain degree wIthin the IIiicH of our economic policy We cannot In wisdom allow the strategic advantages of Cuba to be made available avail-able by any foreign power and Cuba has consented to the transfer to us of naval stations necessary for the maintenance main-tenance of our strategic command of the West Indian waters and the negotiations nego-tiations as to the details of the transfer of these naval stations ore on the eve oC completion The Importance of these stations to us will be largely Incrcaset with the building of the Isthmian canal Cuba is I loyally performing her obligations obliga-tions to us and is entitled to like observance ob-servance by us We gain the control of the Cuban markets which are grow InS In Importance and are capable or large expansion Jt would be shortsighted shortsight-ed for us to refuse to take advantage of what Is offered The treaty stands bj Itself offers a great opportunity and will harm none of our industries while expanding materially our foreign trade And it Is desirable as a guaranty of the good faith 1 of our Nation toward our young sister republic whose welfare must ever be closely bound by ours The plea made that good jailh 10 luires the ratification of Ihls treaty Is precisely the plea urged by President 3IcKinley and there in no doubt much force in It One would Indulge In hardi i l hood Indeed who I should attack the mo I tives or tao calm judgment ot tuat u ustrioun statesman And yet Congress while conceding the force of it has been low to grant the measure deemed essential es-sential to the carrying out of that good faith The denial of the assertion now made by I President Roosevelt that this realy will harm none of our indus trles has caused this reluctance to act It has been held that this reciprocity treaty threatens our beetsugar Industry I Indus-try and for some time the representatives representa-tives of that Industry fought heroically against any reductions of the duty on Cuban sugar The Tribune has from line to time pointed out the reasons why this fljtjlu was made It was thought to threaten a reduction In the jrlce of beets to the farmers as well as to be a measure that would prevent the addItion of more sugar factories hroughout this region and elsewhere In he United Stales But in reply it was urged that the very benefits desired by Cuba would necessitate a stable sugar market and Mr Cutler our chief local authority on the production of beet FU gnu declared that the reduction of 20 icr cent In the sugar duty In Cubas ehalf would not In any woy Injuriously affect the Industry In this region Add to this the silencing of the beet sugar objections generally by the acquisition of a half interest In ail the beetsugar notaries by Interests affiliated with the sugar trust If not by the trust Itself and there was nothing more to say i hough the feeling lingered that pass l bJy the beet ugr raiser might event ally rue the treaty Still the Influences suggested have quieted opposition to the treaty save only from Louisiana whose Representatives arc anxious on account of the canesugar Industry of their State but as they are all Democrats of the tree tratle variety they cannot consistently Istently with their professed theories lake any effective fight against the treaty |