The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1894-08-18
THE PASSA GE OF THE TAR.
IFF BILL,

After many months of turmoil and
travail, Congress has enacted a tariff
bill.
As the Picayune predicted, the dem
~ocratic cancus held yesterday Mon
day finally decided the fate of the
tariff bill by resolving that the House
of Representatives should abandon It's
opposition to the Senate's amendments,
and later the House itself carried out
the recommendations of the caucus by
adopting the Senate amendments by "a
large majority.
The reasons assigned for the action
taken by the House yesterday Mon
day. ire first, the claim that should
the bill be permitted to go again be-
fore the Senate, it would be defeated,
and all prospect of tarifflegislation for
the present session destroyed, and Sec
ond, the anxiety Of the members to re-
turn to their districts to look after
their chances of reelection.
The bill has now been accepted by
both Houses and goes direct to the
President for approval 1t is not
known whether the President will sign
the bill or permit it to become law
without his signature, but it is certain
that there will be no veto As to the
merits of the bill itself, it must be ad-
mitted at once that it is not such a
measure as the masses of the Demo
cratic party could have wished. 1t,
nevertheless, embodies some steps in
the direction of tariff reform, and re-
duces the taxes on a large number of
articles entering into the daily on
sumption of the people. Taken as a
whole. it is, therefore, a vast improve
ment over the Mckinley bill.
Among the grave shortcomings of
the measure is the great injustice it
works to the State of Louisiana. In
framing the sugar schedule Congress
entirely the interests of the
sugar producers and accepted the die
tation of the Sugar Trust, the sched- !
ule being arranged with every regard
the interests of the monopoly, but
with no care for the just rights of the
domestic sugar industry. At one blow
sugar growers are deprived of
practically one-half of the protection
they have hitherto been accorded, and
tbs ase of the present crop the
protection will be much less than half
its former figure, because of the enor-
nous stocks of raw sugar which the
rust has accumulated in anticipation
the passage of the Senate bill.
Although Representative Robertson
las introduced a bill in the House pro-
for a bounty ON this years crop,
t woald be folly for the sugar produ-
'ers to entertain the slightest hope of
he passage of such a measure. The
House in its anger at being forced to
lccept the dictatation of the Senate.
las hastily passed bills placing coal,
ron, sugar and barbed wire on the
rec list. They must, Of course, 90 to
he Senate.
The success of the Senate in forcing
he House to accept its amendments
demonstrated the complete domi-
latlon OF the Sugar Trust over nation
j legislation. A realization of this
act by the people has created a wide
pread popular hatred against the o.
monopoly. AS Mr.. Wilson sta
ed in his speech in the caucus yester-
ay (Monday), the course of the trust
as precipitated a contest between it
nd the American people which must
uninterruptedly until the nc
opoly is destroy ed.-Last Tuesdays
'icayune.