New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-06-21
THE Auction IND THE Trust.


The Gray Committee has opened the way for
a renewal Of the struggle over the tainted
sugar schedule I'm the Senate. In their labori-
Gus efforts to avoid thorough investigation OF
the scandal and 10 release by implication the
Democratic Senators from their responsibilities
in drawing M and executing the Bill If Sale
10 the Sugar Trust. members If the committee
have exposed themselves Ia destructive crit
icjSm. These Senator's while admitting indl-
vidually that the revised schedule was rcpus-
nant 10 them in one detail or another. have
found shelter behind the plea of political n"ccS-
sity. Acknowledging either with frankncSS or
with cynical Indifference their participation III
various conferences with representatives, 81 me
Trust the leaders have sircnuouslN denied lhhi
they had any personal interest in the schedule
or that they were Influenced 10y the lobbying
which was conducted 10y Mr. IIayomcycr. Mr..
Scarlcs and other rctincrS Their sole excuse Tor
agreeing 10 and voting for schedule Of Wlich
they diSapprovcd was the necessity Of putting me
Tariff bill into such shape n to secure the forty
three votes required for lis passage. This raises
an ISSUE Of which the Republican Senators
ought 10 take full advantage when the Tariff
bill is brought up for final action.
When The Democratic caucus was held ana
the conservative group under the leadership
Of Senator German convinced he ma iorty that
the Finance Committees revised bnl could not
be passed the auction began under HE direction
of that practical man # business. senator Jones.
lie listened 10 the bids from Senators repre-
scnting communities interested in special indus
tries. such as coal iron. lead, sugar collars ana
cuffs. or holding peculiarly friendly relations
with various monop,lc> and trusts. He found
out what every one wanted and made his series
Of bargains When forty-Ihrcc votes for ihc BIZ
of Sale had been secured in This way The auc
ton was closed The German Tariff bill as
whole was rcpugnant 10 every Democratic sen
ator who agreed to vote for H. but political ne
cesSity required. 50 it is assumed. that meas
IRE Of some kind should be- enacted and that
was the only way in which It could be done.
The dickcring process Is plain and Ineligible
except M one point The sugar schedule was
drawn up. rs senator sherman has au'horl-
tatively asserted. not 10y Il legislator nor 10y a
lawyer hut by an experienced manufaciurcr.
This is proved by internal evidence since il is
wholly in the interest Of the Sugar Trust; and
the pcrniciouS activity Of The rcfncrS in con
fcIring with the Secretary Of The Treasury. the
Finance Committee and Democratic Senators
has been disclosed by he evidence taken by
the Gray Committee. Who were The Senators
representing the Trust in Senator JoncS's auc-
tion: Apparently not the Louisiana Senators,
who were only Interested In having a duty i'm
posed upon raw sugar in place Of the bounty;
and they acted without regard for their con
stitucnrs in Louisiana. where the planters IA
yorrd the continuance Of the bounty system.
Those Senators have denied most cmphaiicany
that they were concerned with the duty on re
fined sugar and other devices, which Senator
Sherman has laid bare. for pcrpcuatlng and
cnriching the RcfncrS' Trust. If The TWO LouSl-
ana votes were not brought in by concessions
10 The Trust. then whose support was secured
hv this surrender? Senator Jones. the auc-
the bill was in danger Of defeat without these
concessions Otherwise the whole plea Of poliu-
cal necessity falls to the ground.
The high duties on collars and cuffs are In
tclligblc because senator Murphy insisted upon
them as the price Of his vote. Nearly all the
other conspicuous notifications Of the Wilson
bill may be explained In the same way. But no
Democratic Senator has yet been found who is
willing 10 accept tho responsibility Of the abicci
surrender made 10 the Rcfncrs Trust With
one accord the Senators on that side have in
sisted strenuousy that they are not, and have
not been interested in legislation for the Trust.
The Republican Senators in the final divisions
ought to vote solidly and with full force against
the Trust sugar schedule, and 10 compel the
Democratic Senators TO place themselves on
record as the dupcs and tools Of a rapacious
MONOPOLY