The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-21
END OF THE SUGAR INQUIRY
Only a Few More Senator's to Be
Heard by the Committee.

No Direct Evidence of Any Formal
Conference Between Senators and
Sugar Men-Brice Exonerated From
the Charge of Speculation The
Trusts Political Contributions Not
to Be Used in State Elections.
Washington, June 20.-The prospects
are that there will be no further testi-
mony heard before the sugar trust in
,vestigation committee, except that of the
few senators whose absence from Wash
ington prevented their answering to
the ''Dragnet'' questions. One
by one, as these senators re-
: turn to town they will probably
be examined. The committee has heard
a large number of witnesses, including
newspaper men, officers of the American
Sugar Refining Company, and stock
brokers, and all but about half dozen
members of the Senate. The result
is summed up in this way Sew
eral senators have told of talks
they had with President Have
meyer, Secretary Searles, of the Ameri-
can Sugar Refining Company, and with
H. L. Terrill, whose status was not
clearly established, but there has been
no direct evidence of any formal confer
ence between the sugar men and senator's
BRIoE ExoNERATEp.
The allegations that Senator Brice had
speculated in sugar stock, and had thus
been improperly influenced in helping the
refining interest, were not supported by
the evidence.
Those allegations were contradicted by
corroborated by Broker E. K. Chapman
While the committee ascertained that
the sugar trust had contributed to the
Democratic and the Republican parties in
state campaigns, it failed to secure any
evidence showing that contribu-
tions were made to either
party in national elections. Messrs.
Havemeyer and Searles denied that such
contributions had been made, and
Senator German, member of the ldomo-
cratic national committee, and the
manager of the national campaign in 1884,
and several other senator's, said they had
never heard of any.
oUAY's SPECULATION.
Senator Quay told the committee point
blank that he had speculated in sugar
prior to the time the tariff bill came to
the Senate, and he asserted that he had
perfect right to do so. Another sena-
tor, Mr. Mcpherson, said he had mad
vertently become involved in sugar specu-
latiOn during the tendency of the bill,
through the blunder of a servant in send
ing a telegram directing the purchase of
sugar stock after the senator had de-
cided that it would be improper for him
to buy any.
1t was also shown that the son and
clerk of Senator Ransom and the me ssen-
ger to the senator's committee had placed
L,,%e
SONS knowledge Senator Ransom's
testimony was sufficient to show that he
was blameless in the matter, and the
committee will so report.
TO MAKE OUT CASES.
To-day Senators Gray and Lindsay, the
democratic members of the inves LEGATION
committee, have been busy arranging the
case of Messrs. Havemeyer and Searles,
which will be reported to the Vice Presi-
dent for certifcation to the district at
torney because of their refusals te an
swer questions. So far the COM
mittee has reported and the Vice
President has certified three recalci-,s
trant witnesses; Correspondents Shriver,7
and Edwards and Stock Broker Chap
man. Other witnesses who refused to
answer questions were Messrs. Have
meyer Searles, stock broker, and
Fisher, telegraph operator. The latter
will probably not be certified for criminal
prosecution.
Senator Mitchell, of Oregon, appeared
before the committee this afternoon and
answered all the drag net" questions in
.he negative
The expected formal indictments of the
newspaper correspondents Messrs.
Shriver and Edwards, were not handed
in to court to-day by the grand jury. The
reason as given at the district attorneys
Office is that no similar cases are on rec
ord, and the Office in the absence of prece-
dent, is exercising great care in framing
indictments that will hold water.