The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-06-06
GASTON'S TESTIMONY,
The Wire Manufacturer Before the
Senate Committee.
HE RECOGNIZED NO SENATORS.

Though Ho DID Hear Conversation Re-
Enrding Sugar in MIR. Torrelrs Room Mt
tho Arlington Hotel-Thero Was Very
Little Politics in tho Discussion.
WAsHINdToN, June 8.-The committee
investigating the sugar trust gave out
last night tho testimony of Walter Gas
ton, the wire manufacturer of Wilkes;
barre, Pa, who occupied the room next to
Mr.. Terrell nt the Arlington hotel, and
upon whose statement to n congressman
was based the article in the New York
Mail and Express which is one of the
topics considered by the committee. The
article was read to CASTOR, and he said:
With the exception Of the fact that
was IN the room--that / overheard a CON
Sersation on sugar, that told cnngrcs3-
man next morning from what | heard
that | did not believe the Wilson bill
would pass, nor any other tariff unless it
was a better bll-it is absolutely manu-.
featured out of whole cloth, absolutely
false from beginning to end. In telling
this congressman-we had confidential re-
lations together for some tlmc-I told him
this in pure confidence without giving
h m details. ] mentioned nobody. | sim
ply told him that from sugar convcrsa-
tion the night before in an adjoining room
did not believe the Wilson bill would
pnSs, nor nny tariff bill unless n much
more favorable bill for the various in
dustrieS of the country were framed.
Thnt will admit
lie then told that upon being awakened
he learned from the conversation in tho
ADJOINING room that the sugar men were
not satisfied with the sugar schedule of
fered by the subcommittee of the finance
committee. lie did not recognize the
voice of any person in the room, although
II was those persons who were dis ati,iied
with the sugar schedule From the gen
eral course of their conversation he was
sure they were interested in sugar He
denied that he arose and peeped through
the keyhole. The only rrnsun he had 10
suppose that senators We're in the room
was the familiarity they displayed with
what had been going On in the sub-con-
miitcc OH finance that day lie had never
snid to anyone that he recognized the
voices of senator's
1t WAS his understanding that the sub
committee bad offered the sugar industry
40 per cent. ad valorem and one-ei,-hth Of
n cent dcitcrcntial for refined sugar, and
this was unsatisfactory to the men in the
room, and from what they said he was
sure that the Wilson bill would be de-
icatcd. He was asked concerning many
OF The statements in the newspapers aud
declared most Of them absolutely false in
every particular. He knew Terrell was in
the room, because some one come in and
said; Good evening Mr.. Terrell" One
of the men seemed more familiar with the
subject of sugar than the others, and was
complimented by the others for his kno,vl-
edge There was no politics in this dis
cussion, all sugar, and some social talk,
Asked as to why he thought the bill
would he defeated, he said: The interests
oi one in tariff matters should be the in
terest of all, and ! knew, or / thought |
bntw that the sugar men could not get
it all. and that it would have to he live
and let live, as il is in all those matters.
Therefore, il the sugar men were better
taken care of the other schedules would
he letter taken care of That was my in.
terence, and 1t was not an unnatural ouen
Senator Allen-"I understood YOU to saw
awhile ago that you knew the sugar trust
had il i'll their power to defeat this bill ii
not satisfactory to thumY'
'Yes sir"
what do you mean by thatp"
Mr.. Gaston-'1 mean this: There are
two senators from Louisiana, aud in Lou
isiann there is Il bounty of two cents on
sugar The sugar interest having certain
senators representing it, in the closeness
of the vote in the senate, of course there
Is not very great margin, as you know"
He went on and stated thnt in general
way that he thought the various senaturs
who did not like certain features of the
bill would combine with the sugar inter
esls ntd defeat the measure This he
inferred; he did not know anything about
ii.
He did not give the name of the CON
gresham tint he had told of the conver.
sation, and was given until today to de-
eide whether the congressmlu's name
should be given to the committee.