Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-05-11

is extremely farcical The members
are allowed TO certify their own alb.
sence and the highest number Of days
that any member has owned up to be-
ing absent was six, while any number
of them who were absent at times dur
ing the month of April retained no
certificate Of absence and drew then
full months pay. The speaker Of the
house, who, under this law. is required
to .. X. the certificates of the member,
before they are paid by the sergeant
alarms, declines TO 90 behind the re-
turns made by the members, even il he
has actual knowledge of their incor-
rectness, this leaving the matter en-
tirely with the conscienees of the mem
bers. Experience has proven that
mems consciences are very much like
rubber when questions arise affecting
their pocket-books.
Sugar has certainly played a star
part in the tariif-tinkering farce com
edy that has been going on in the sen.
ate for five weeks, and unless informa-
that has been received from Louisiana
is Incorrect, sugar is going to get all of
of the flowers in the last act or it is GO
ing to break up the show. Demands
have been made upon Senators Gallery
and Blanchard, of Louisiana, by the SUI
gar planters of that state, that they re-
pudiate the forty per cent. ad volorem
duty put On sugar by the present bill
and demand II straight duty of two
cents pound-forty per cent. is "a faac-
ton less than one cent pound-and
vote against the entire bill if the two
cent duty is not put upon sugar This
is very embarrassing to the senators
named, who have already in caucus
agreed to support the bill as it stands.
They are, it is said, given their choice
of obeying the demand of the sugar
planters or retiring from the senate.
They both hold guDernatorial appoint
ments, and the legislature that will
meet on the 18th inst, will elect sena-
tors to fill both of the unexpired terms,
as well as one for full term. To fully
understand the situation it must be
remembered that the Louisiana legisla-
ture overwhelmingly in favor of two
cent duty on sugar, and that it has the
power, should Gallery and Blanchard
decline to fight for it, to send, within
forty-eight hours after its meeting, men
who will. 1t must not be forgotten,
either, that with the votes of the two
Louisiana senators and that of Hill, of
New York, cast against the tariff bill,
even If there are no more democratic
defections, that measure will be killed.
The oil, sugar, whiskey, and other
trusts have been taken care of, through
democratic threats to defeat the tariff
bill, so who can blame the Louisiana
people for taking advantage of the
power given them by a chain of extra
ordinary circumstances TO demand
what they wait. Ever since the senate
began It's tariff tinkering it has been a
grab game. Why shouldn't Louisiana
grab her share? 1t is to head off the
action of the Louisiana senator's that
the proposition has been made in the
house to put an amendment on the leg
islative and executive appropriation
bill, repeating the sugar bounty, but
its efficacy would be more than doubt
full, although there is little doubt about
its being put through the house easy
enough. But, if the Louisiana sena-
tors can defeat the tariff bill. unless
their demands are met. they can also
defeat the repeal of the sugar bounty.
1t looks to man up tree as though
they can be absolute masters of the sit
uation if they have the nerve and the
will TO be such.