Evening journal., 1894-05-15
Proceedings In Senate and House.


WASHINGTON, May 15.-1he senate de.
bate on the tariff dragged wearily on, the
Republicans nagging and harassing the
majority and baking progress at every
step. Only six paragraphs Of the second
section Of the bill-those relating to alumi
ma, alum and its products, ammonia and
its products, bone char, borax, camphol
and chalk-were disposed of as a result OF
seven hours work
The senate is new on page 8, paragraph
II, of the second section. There are 231
pages, 600 paragraphs in the second section
and l05 sections in the bill. A glance at
this will show the progress made as the
senate entered upon the seventh week OF
the debate
About % amendments were offered by
the Repu ublicans to the six items upon
which the rates were fixed and debated
with a persistency which exasperated the
Democrats beyond measure. The latter
kept their temper fairly well, however,
and refused to be drawn into controversy.
The only features of the days proceedings
were Mr.. Platt's observations on the al.
legged surrender of the Democrats to the
Sugar trust.
Platt Runles the Majority.
Mr.. Platt commented at some length on
the manner in which the senate bill was
framed When it came from the house,
he said, an intelligent scheme of tariff re.
vision lay at its base. Here il encountered
the opposition of "A few so called Democrat
ic conservatives, variously estimated at
from to 10 Democratic newspapers de
nounced them as traitors and called upon
those who were still loyal to the Chicago
platform to read them out of the party.
But she loyal had been unable to proceed
without the disloyal, so they made an tx.
nominous surrender. The price of their
votes appeared in the protective duties in
this bill
Take the item of sugar. 1t was found
by those who insisted upon a duty on sugar
that the bill could not be passed unless the
Sugar trust was taken care of. The iron
ore and coal interests had not been as pow.
erful as the Sugar trust They did not
have the negative votes behind them, but
they, too had sufficient backing to secure
a duty of 40 cents per ton each. The con.
servatives had played the part of stand.
and-deliver brigands.
Mr.. Platt's observations rufIied some OF
the Democrats, and he was soon engaged
in a controversy.
"The duty proposed in this bill, " said
Mr.. Harris, interrupting the Connecticut
senator, sis reduction on refined sugar
in the Mckinley bill from a half to an
eighth Of cent per pound"
"This bill makes no such reduction" re
torted Mr.. Platt decisively.
'"rhen all the sugar experts in this coun.
try" said Mr.. Harris, "are wide of the
mark"
"Oh," said Mr.. Platt, ''there is not a
speculator, a stock jobber or "A man in the
Sugar trust in New York or a senator on
this floor who demanded this sugar sched-
ule who does not understand what it means
for the trust. This schedule gives the trust
duty Of at least g cent, sometimes fiuc-
tuating as high as 4 cent. He appealed to
Mr.. Allison for his opinion ms to the pro-
lection afforded by the sugar schedule as
finally framed.
Mr.. Allison said that the ad valorem
provision in the BILL in view of the great
difference between the value Of raw and
refined sugar, certainly would afford a
protection of $40 cent before the differen-
tial of Is cent was reached
Mr.. Vest called attention to the fact
that the Mckinley law gave the raw ma
terial free to refiners and then gave the
latter a protective duty of = cent pei
pound.
Mr.. Allison insisted, however, that tn
great difference in the price Of raw and re
fined sugar gave the refner the benefit OF
at least $40 cent under a 40 per cent ad
valorem duty before the S cent was inn
posed at all The discussion OF the sugar
schedule was adroitly diverted by Senator
Vest into "a dalrafe a bout American yvrcps