The Forrest City times., 1894-08-31
THE sENAToR's STATEMENT.

THE SENATOR'S STATEMENT.
 When the Wilson bill came to the sub committee, composed of Senators Vest. Mills and myself we knew little of the views of many of the democratic senators, and especially of the new ones. as to the details of the tarir bill The bill as first reported back to the commit tee by us may, therefore. be considered as an expression of the opinions of our subcommit- tee, unmodihed by the views of our associates fin the senate.
 As l write I have the bill before me as it was reported by us and printed for the use of the committee. There are few changes in it from the Wilson bill. and these changes are in the line of lower duties. The entire intricate and complicated cotton schedule. for instance. is replaced by simple ad valoren paragraph of few lines. embracing all cotton goods. Lead is on the free list. and other like changes. while sugar, coal and iron ore are left on the free list us We found them in the Wilson bill While large majority of the democrats in the senate were perfectly satisfied with this bill. a number complained of different parts of it. and in an effort for harmony presented another. This, also, lies before me as printed. and while there are changes in number of the sched- ules of more or less importance. this second re- port of ours provides also for free sugar free coal and free iron ore.
 DEMANDS OF THE SUGAR TRUST.
 The senators representing sugar interests were so persistent in their demands during all u that we became convinced that they would not act with us unless there was some duty placed on sugar. and at last. with great reluctance and regret hoping thereby to secure united democratic action, we sub mitted further change in the bill imposing tarin ranging from eight-tenths Of cent to 1 cent per pound on all sugar, giving additional tax whatever on refined sugar. In this bill we proposed tax of 50 cents per ton coal and made iron ore free.
 The democrats in the senate held a caucus to consider this bill which lasted three days and was extremely acrimonious and stormy. The senators from Louisiana especially Senator White, now of the supreme court. argued with great vehemence that tarin of II. cents per pound, or of 45 per cent. ad valorem upon all raw sugar was strictly revenue tarin and was lower than any tarin had ever been on sugar since the foundation of the government. ex- cept when bounties were paid, and that. with any lower rate of duty on sugar. their people would be absolutely destroyed, and that their sense of duty to their constituents would not permit them 10 support bill which they re- garded as so grossly unjust.
 At the same time senators in whose states sugar reineries were located urged that as MT Wilson, chairman of the committee on ways and means of the house, had reported to the house of representatives in favor of allow Ing onc-quarter of l cent per pound upon refined sugars. and as the president had in his
  Wilson's bill, including this one-quarter of a cent, and as these senators asserted that this One-quarter of cent was absolutely necessary to enable American refners to compete with their foreign rivals in refining sugar. they de- cIared that allowing nothing whatever on re- fined sugar would destroy the refining indus try and throw thousands of men out of en- ployment: that they could not support the bill without some tariff on refined sugar if there was tariff on the raw, which was the raw ma teral of the refiners. The result of this pro- tracted and stormy caucus was the adoption Of resolution sending the bin back to us, with instructions to amend 1t so as to meet the difficulties which had been developed in the caucus
 AMENDING THE BILL In obedience to this action of the caucus which really equivalent to an order to tax sugar, coal and iron-ore, we brought in oill with tax of cent per pound on sugar testing so degrees by the polariscope and l.l cent addi- tional for each degree up %, and 2.l cents for each degree above 90 and up to ss, and upon sugar above l6 Dutch standard in color. an ad- ditional tax of one-eis'lth of l cent per pound. With this promise. and with coal and iron ore at 70 cents per ton the bill was reported 10 the senate on March 20.
 This rate was very far below the !. cents per pound or i5 per cent. ad valorem demanded by the sugar planters. and was only one-hah of the quarter Of a cent demanded by the rerners. and of course, did not give satisfaction. and il only required few days after the bill was re- ported to the senate. to convince everybody that IL was absolutely sure of defeat. The publicans were naturally in high spirits; the del. Ut of all tariff legislation seemed ineyita- bic and in fact. was looked upon as about ac- complshed. and the democrats were core spondingly Geleeted-
 In this emergeucyI determined to see if there were not some means of saving the bill. l felt that for this congress to fail to pass a tarir bill would discredit and humilate the demo- cratic party beyond measure, and would give our political enemies immense advantage 
 HILLS HOSTILITY TO THE BILL.
 There were A democratic votes. all told, in the senate.
 Gov Hill one of the A. was openly hostile to the bill and utterly irreconcilable To pass the bill would require i3 votes Hence, II was necessary that the remaining i3 votes every one of them be secured for the support of the bill Several of these had already openly de- clared that they could not and would not vote for the bill as reported. Whether II were possi- ble to so amend the bill to secure the sup port Of these senators and yet effect material reduction of tarif taxation no one knew, and determined to find out. To do this il was necessary to go through the bill. paragraph by paragraph with each of the dissatisfied demo- crats, discuss each item fully ana keep memorandum of the insurmountable obstacles This was no small task. but at last it was fin- shed and knew just what was the smallest possible change in each paragraph of the bill which would secure the united support Of all the democrats except Senator HILL These modl- fcations involved changes of the sugar schedule from a specific 10 ad valorem duty, the lni- position of an additional tax of one-tenth of cent per pound upon all sugars imported rom countries paying bounties. and that the sugar sehedule should not become operative until the