Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-06-19
The SUGAR Investigation.

the Senate investigation of the Sugar
Trust scandals, after the decision of the
committee to conduct its inquiry in pri-
vate, it would be the fact that the reports
of the testimony given out from time to
time to the public do not furnish the eV-
idence as actually given. These reports
are withheld until they have been edited
by the committee or revised by the wit
nesses. This privilege of revision is a
very unusual one to be accorded to wit
nesses, and it allows an opportunity to
modify expressions, to eliminate awk-
ward admissions, and to diminish the
impression upon the public mind of such
facts as may be elected by the questions
of the committee. Even from the evil
dence which by such processes as these
is filtered through to the public, enough
is disclosed to show the controlling in
fuence which the managers of the Sugar
Trust have had in shaping the sugar
schedules of the pending bill. The dis
Cussion between Sugar Trust magnate
and Senators over the details of the
schedule, which was, overheard at the
Arlington, is confirmed by the testimony
in substantially the form in which it was
reported by the newspaper correspond
ents who were pronounced in contempt
because they would not disclose the
name of their informant. 1t is admitted
that Secretary Carlisle prepared sugar
schedule with his own hands for the
committee, and that he gave Mr.. Have
meyer a letter of introduction to Senator
Mills. 1t is admitted that the trust has
been heavy contributor to Democratic
campaign funds, though it is of course
denied that the concessions to the trust
contained in the pending billwere exacted
because of those gifts, and the amount of
the gifts is also automatically concealed.
1t is admitted that there was a conclave
of leading Democratic Senators at the
house of Senator Brice to consider the
sugar schedule, with Mr.. Havemeyer in
waiting in another room, where he saw
Sentor Caffrey and perhaps Others of the
tariff revisers. Moreover, as TO Senate
rial speculations in sugar certificates in
spite of clumsy attempts at concealment
through the agency of clerks and rela-
tives, through all evasions and equivo-
cations the fact is clear that heavy prof
its were gathered in by Democratic Sen
ators, as the price of the sugar certifi-
Gates mounted under the influence of in
side information regarding what was in
progress in the Senate Committee.
These facts have been extorted from
reluctant witnesses, and they have drib-
bled forth to the public in an intermit-
tent and fragmentary way. No one i'm
agines that they represent more than a
small part of the truth. But they are
sufficient to show the character of the
forces which control the Democratic
party and shape its policy. That party
processes great adherence of trusts !;
yet it gives over the making of its loudly
advertised measure for the reform of the
tariff to the managers of the least scru-
pulous and most rapacious trust in ex-
istence. The Democratic party procured
its return to power on a platform declar-
ing that protection of any kind or degree
is inlviolation of the Constitution, yet it
presents a tariff streaked with favoritism
and sectionalism, and imposing a need
less and heavy burden upon the people
by a tax on sugar for the enrichment of
a gigantic monopoly which has contrib
uted generously to its campaign chest.
1t is futile for the Democratic leaders
to try to deceive the people as to the
real character and purpose of its bogus
tariff reform policy. The Democratic
party has wilfully plunged the country
into industrial depression and suffering
scarcely equalled in our history, and it
has done this, not in the execution of a
sincere and definite, even though mis-
taken policy, not in the fulfillment of its
platform pledges, but for the purpose of
passing a mongrel bill, wantonly destruc-
tive of some interests and recklessly Law
ish to others, honeycombed with fraud
and corruption, and with the trail of job
berry over il from the first line to the
last. 1t is no wonder that the country is
impatient to punish such recreancy, and
that its wrath finds expression mean
while in every State and local election.
Boston Journal.