The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-05-23
Turn on the Light.
Eostou JournaI

J AS we have before suggested, the public has
I had enough of secrecy in connection with the
Sugar Truss. scandals; what il wants now Is
TO have the light turned on. That can hardly
be accomplished with the Senate Committee
OF Investigation sitting behind closed doors.
Some kind III reports will be
#fsae-ffem aay 10 day eff the testimony In
troduced before the co mmittee. There will
be dribblines of information, surmises. gos-
sip, inventions. what not. mixture OF truth
and falsehood. II is in the interest of public
morality that there should be no misun-
derstanding or contus at that the facts
as developed should come known. No
innocent mans repu,ai,on will suffer from
the widest publicity; as 10 the guilty. the iu-
vestigation should not be so conducted as to
m kc the situation easy for them.
AS TO the charges against Euttz, no sane
person attaches any importance to them, so
far as the character of Senators is concerned
Whether the man is sane or not. ne Is looked
upon as irresponsible. He had neither
money nor hackers, and If he conceived the
absurd idea that he could manipulate some
kind of a speculative movement in Senatorial
votes that is a matter of little concern TO the
public. though IL would not be surprising IL
Nhot hc Sow dStuhAit boiifG WI III tuC ohhIt VI
corrupt intrigue encouraged such scheme.
The other charges are of a far graver char
acter. They are made by responsible man.
and they are corroborated az many points by
the open history OF the negotiations over the
German Sugar Trust bill Tie story In
brief is that the Administration Hawaiian
policy as well as the sugar sched ules In the
tariff bill was dictated by the Sugar Trust
Al.
for the gift of half million dollars to the
Democratic campaign fund in 1892; that last
February the Administration, through Secre-
tary Carlisle, directly interyened with the
Senate finance committee in behalf OF
the trust; that the secretary told the COM
mittee that the Democratic party was
under obligations to the Sugar Trust mag
mates. which IL could not afford TO disregard
that the Secretary himself presented, in his
own writing. a memorandum of what was
required, which was subsequently incorpo-
rated In the sugar schedules; and that when
these schedules were in preparation, on the
Sunday before they were presented, repre-
sentatives of the Sugar Trust were In room
close BY, and In frequent communication
with the finance committee. Ii is also charged
that number of the Senator's, notably sena-
tors Brice, Smith and Mcpherson. have pro-
nted heavily by speculations In sugar certif-
,ates while these negotiations were pending.
This Is an outline of the charges II they
are true they convict the Administration and
he leading Democrats in the Senate of gross
in official power for the advance
ncnt OF personal and partisan interests.
no intelligent person could he
ound who has watched the course Of the
senate during the past few weeks who be-
ieve that they are wholly false. Certainly
Democratic papers have been quite as out
pokcn as Republican In denouncing the COR
'upt influences which were at work. IL is of
he utmost Importance, IL the standards OF
american public life are TO be maintained.
hat tho true should be sifted from the false,
md that the public should know precisely
Who are guilty, and Of what. Possibly this
may not be obtalnable In any
sse; but the way TO IL certainly does not lie |
through a secret investigation,