The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-03-09
the NATIONAL CAPITAL.
Negotiations Proceeding for the Ex-
cIusIon Of the Heathen Chlnee.
Mr.. Reed Asks the Premier some
Hard Questions.

Mr.. Reed Asks the Premier Some
Hard Questions.
HavemeYer Tells the Committee
About the Sugar Trust.
WASHINGTON, March S.-The President
today sent to the Senate the following mes
sage in reply to the resolution that the
President be requested to negotiate q treaty
with China, containing provisions that no
Chinese laborer shall enter the United States
The Importance OF the subject referred to In
this resolution, has by no means been overlooked
by the executive branch OF the government charg.
ed, under the constitution, with the formation Of
treaties with foreign countries. Negotiations with
China for a treaty such as Is mentioned In said
resolution, were commenced many months ago,
and have been since continued.
1t IS, however, with much qualification that l
deem myself justified In expressing 20 the senate,
In response TO ts resolution, hope and expectation
that a treaty will soon be concluded concerning
the immigration of Chinese laborers, which viii
o se ~ WcS % b P
firmatfon.
(signed) GROVER CLEVELAND.
Mr.. Reed Protests.
In formulating the tariff and revenue bills,
which were laid before the whole committee
for the first time on Tuesday, the Democrat
ic members of the ways and means commit
tee have completely ignored the Republican
members, and they were as much In the
dark as to the scope Of the proposed legisla-
tion as they would be had they been menu
bers Of the English House of Commons. In
stead of representatives TO the American
Congress. Mr.. Reed, at the meeting Tues
day, took occasion to question the right OF
the majority Of the committee to proceed In
the way it had, and asked upon what au-
thority the bills were prepared, since no
such bills had been introduced in the House.
and there must be an authority for them
somewhere.
To the reply Of Premier Mills that the ma
jority read the Presidents message and the
various bills touching the tariff and internal
revenue, which had been introduced In the
House, upon which to base the bills submit
ted, Mr. Reed rejoined that he questioned
this source Of authority, and the right Of the
majority Of the committee to frame bills
which affected the industries Of the whole
country without those who are interested In
these various industries, and who alone
know and could explain their condition and
needs. having a chance to discuss the matter
and to lay before the committee the facts,
without which it must necessarily be acting
in the dark and endangering every industri-
al interest in the land. Mr. Reed said, with
great sarcasm, that the majority OF the COM
mittee might be entirely familiar with all
the countless industries affected by the
such knowledge 1t was generally
considered the work Of a mans life to mas
ter the perplexities OF each industry, and TO
understand its needs from legislative point
of view; but the Democratic members OF
the committee were assuming to know II all.
and required no outside instruction. The
committee, by strict party vote, decided
that it had the right to originate and report
to the House, bills OF the character submit
ted to the full committee.
Mr.. Reed made motion to grant hearings
TO manufacturers and others interested In
the bill. This motion was left undecided
Tuesday, but was taken up Wednesday and
voted down. The committee finally agreed,
however, to allow any interests which de
sired to address the committee on the sub
iect Of the tariff bill TO submit written or
printed statements, but 1t Vas expressly un-
derst0od that these statements should not be
read In committee nor claim any attention
on the part Of the whole committee. They
were to be treated merely as suggestions to
the individual members Of the committee:
The meeting was then adjourned, subject
to the call Of the chairman. When II re-as-
sembles, the tariff bill-will be taken up, sec
tion by section. The Democrats will hasten
consideration as much as possible, In order
to get the bill before the House. Mr.. Reed
and his Republican associates Will content
themselves with stating TO the public their
grievous treatment at the hands Of the ma
iority.
The investigation into the subject Of trusts
and their influence upon the price Of COM
modities, was formally begun today by the
House committee on manufactures. Messrs.
Bacon. chairman, Breckenridge, Wilson,
McKenney, Grimes and Smith Of the COM
mittee, were present The investigation be-
gan with an inquiry into the sugar trust.
John E. Parsons, attorney Of the sugar
trust, was the first upon the stand. He said
there was deed, OF agreement, which cre-
ated board called '"Fhe Sugar Refners
Company" He was member OF the board
and, at the suggestion Of Representative
Bacon, produced copy Of the agreement
with the exception that the part relating to
the interest held by the various members Of
the board In the capitalization OF the cOmpa-
ny was eliminated from the copy, as that
was regarded as q private matter which
could have no bearing In the Investigation.
The board was composed Of eleven persons.
Theodore Havemeyer had been elected pres
ident and the agreement was dated August
16, 1887. Mr.. Bacon asked II Il was executed
on that date. The witness said 1t was not
considered complete until October 10, but had
been signed on the date mentioned In the In
strument by Havemeyer, Elder x Havemeyer.
The others signed between August 10th
and October 1st. and the agreement went In
to operation October oath. Other parties
came in after October oath, and as far as he
knew, their interest dated back TO the time
the agreement went into operation. The de-
lay in signing the agreement, the witness said,
was explained by the fact that the agreement
required an inventory to be made OF the
property Of each member OF the board. In
accordance with the agreement, each OF the
members of the board had organized his con-
cern into corporation. Each OF these cor
poratiOns was represented by stock and that
Stock was transferred by those holding 1t TO
the members Of the board, who issued eerti-
fcates of interest in the sugar rehners' com
pany corresponding TO the amount Of stock
turned in by the stockholders. Although
the deed runs In the name OF q corporation.
he said. it must be obvious to the committee
that the stock was surrendered by indiyid-
The agreement says that the board consti-
tuted by ii may transfer to such persons as
it may be desired TO constitute trustees, or
directors of the corporations, so many shares
as may be necessary for that purpose, TO be
held by them subject to the provisions OF the
instrument, and they may be subject also to
the right OF the board TO call for retrans-
fer.
Witness said the trust was capitalized at
SJ0000.00O 1t was not Incorporated; had no
books as 1t had no money and there was no
need Of records, and had no place Of meeting.
A member Of the committee likened II TO the
Irishman's flea, "When you put your finger
on it, it isn't there The witness said the
trust was TO derive lower prices and steady
the market while making fair profit.
The Pension List.
The following Maine pensions were
granted today:
ORIGINAL, INVALID.
Thompson M. Brown, Hampden.
VIM. G. Parks, deceased, Appleton.
Jas III. Grimm, Lisbon Falls.
foaata i Morgau sherman Mills.