The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-06-21
AND SENATOR sonMAN ALSO swEARs


viewal and reversal.
ASD SENATOR GOEMAN ALSO SWEARs
The expected has happened, and Senator
German has also taken turn at swear
ing himself out of all connection with
the sugar trust. The following bit of his
testimony is rich enough to have perma-
nent place in our literature He said of
his interviews with Havemeyer, Searle.
Terrell, and the other representatives, OF
the sugar trust:
The whole consideration of this matter
was upon the highest possible plane, so
far as | know, without any regard 10
the interest of any particular individual
Ii was on a line with the narrow margin
that the Democrats have in the senate,
TO perfect the bill so that we might be
united and pass IT,, and such blll that
came as near as possible TO the Obligation
of the party. 1t was considered IN mat
way as honorable men representing the
great party would naturally consider the
bin. with a due regard to the matter, OF
course. Of the interests involved, care1ui
not to destroy any, and yet at the same
time to make the tax IS light as possible
upcn the people II the country.
A noble purpose nobly disclosed If.
however. the Senator could have arranged
TO leave off that glimpse he gives us Of
the "plane" on which the matter was con-
sidered. and his reference TO the men
who considered il as honorable men,
we think his account Of the affair would
have been, on the whole, more effective.
In watching the progress of business In
the courts of New York city. where 1t Is
safe to say there are more SINISTER law
yers in proportion TO the whole BODY than
anywhere else in the civilized world,
whenever the Judge intlmates that he
has a suspicion there is some sharp
practice taking place. the shyster s
first resort Is TO vehement protestations
that all he has done and is doing is in
perfect good faith" and this involuntari-
" raises a suggestion in the mind that
"he doth protest too much.
Whether Senator Germans reference to
the high plane" and honorable men"
belonged to the class of Mark Anthony's
cynical description of Brdtds ana was in
tended to intimate his contempt for the
whole investigation, or whether IT was
in the New York shyster's order Of
swearing himself out" we are not quite
able to say. BE 1t of the one or the
other, however. IT IS highly entertaining,
and will do to think on in future refer
ence.
That Mr.. German should have given
just the testimony that he did give was
to be expected. and was foreknown Of
all men. But a most interesting question
is, Why did not the committee examine
him about the matters that every one
else in the world. except the committee,
wanted to hear him on? For instance, the
state Of the case was this: A sub-com-
mittee OF the Senate Finance Committee,
consisting of Messrs. Vest, Mills and
Jones had the tariff bill in charge, and
it was known they had agreed on
a sugar schedule that imposed no duty
on refined sugar. ct is a duty on refined
sugar that the trust wants. They want
raw sugar 10 come in free, so that they
can get their raw material as cheaply as
possible, but they want a duty on refined
sugar that will exclude foreign sugar
from competition with theirs.
on the very day that they were to lay
that schedule before their fellow Demo-
cratic members Of the Finance Committee
Senator German. as chairman of the
Democratic caucus, called a meeting of
that body and succeeded in having that
portion of the bill referred back to the
subcommittee TO make it acceptable"
The Committee returned 10 their COM
mittee room, and there appeared before
them a delegation OF Senators Smith,
Brice. Hill and the Louisiana Senator).
headed by Senator German, all in favor of
more protection for sugar. with German
as spokesman of the party. The presi-
dent of the trust had already told the
Finance Committee. In a written commu-
nication to 1t, that the trust would be
satisfied with a duty Of 80 l-3 per cent.
ad valorem, and one-quarter of cent
a pound specific. But German steps up
and demands that the duty should be As
per cent. ad valorem and one-quarter of
cent pound specific. Now everybody
In the world, except the Senate investigat-
ing committee, would have liked TO hear
Senator German upon this phase of the
ing committee. would have liked TO
have heard Senator German upon
this phase Of the case. They
would have liked to have heard
duty on sugar. The Democratic party is
pledged to make this duty as light as
possible. and German has been posing as
amongst the most advanced Of Democrat
ic managers who favor this policy. The
innocent public wanted to know from him
how he reconcilci his open and proclaim
Cd positions with this appearance before
the committee as the open and avowed
. advocate Of the interests Of the sugar
trust. 1t would also have been
glad TO hear from him WHY he
insisted that sugar should have a
duty greater by il 2-3 per cent.
than what the president Of the trust had
written TO the Finance Committee that
The trust would be satisfied with. These
are the matters that the public wanted
to hear MIR. German upon, but the COM
mittee asked him neer a question about
them
reviewing this case. the leading Demo-
cratic newspaper of Germans own State
thus concludes its articles
The question that will occur IN evsr,