Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-15

pf fsaltn& F1pQaatsd- the. position Of the
seuAtA Hs denounced the self-constitutsd
{ritioS Of thS press and dsmagogues who
$ed sought to pull down men in high places.
6nl, The Senate had been mades,the scape-
toaf Ha. proceeded with great Indignation
n dsseribS the position ID which he had
yen placed during the last five months.
he bad pot an enemy IN the world. he
fisss In the position he occupied to be
erttoised denounced. .blackmailed and
95iySa N order 70 pass a blu for the relief
itsws 9f those who looked at the situation
from their own selfish standpoints.
4 Tue rules Of the Senate were responsible,
AZ said. mo wonder said he with up
4enate lags superhuous on the stage when
be sis here day after day. while almanacs,
Statistics even novels are read to us under
bur rules and We are powerless to help
ourselves.
H. The Sugar Schedule.
There was reason why the people should
t1ru on US Let u.s. he continued, look
% the sugar schedule. the rock around
Which the crosscurrents and eddies OF dis
Gussion have boiled ard seethed In one
lection OF the country lay Louisiana, with
It's sugar plantations. demanding a revenue
fhsm protection than any other class of
PRODUCERS In the domain Of the United
States.
TAT the other end Of the United States was
That great monopoly, the sugar trust, tax
ing toll from every breakfast table. With
t55.Oc0.OO0 OF watered stock IL paid per
eent dividend on half its stock and Il per
cent on the other half, and paid 1t quar-
{eriy IT was aggressive, defiant. aye. domi-
pant Between these two lay the interests
OF the people-the consumers"
Mr. Vest then proceeded with his descrip-
lion or the difficulties in connection with the
adjustment of a sugar schedule.
I he sketched the effect On the trust of the
protectlon or t0 cents on hundred pounds
given by the Mckinley bill and the enor-
nous power developed by the trust in virtue
OF that protection.
Under the Wilson biIl as reported to the
fouse from the committee, IL contained a
. When it was in the House free sugar was
Inserted. 800 -
! The finance committee prepared a bill
which gave no differential benefit to the
trust.
Some Strong Language.
And yet" said Mr.. Vest, with bitter
ness. they call us the creatures of the
sugar trust" The Senator paused for a |
moment. and then. with intense earnest
ness added: Liars, .slanderers. infamous |
ubelers" |
: he proceeded TO denounce the lies which |
pad been heaped on those who had fought
against the trust. and yet had been desig- |
pated Its creatures And when the finance /
COMMITTEES had completed its BILL" con-
tinued Mr.. Vest. 1T was taken out of our
hands before a democratic caucus. without i
our knowledge or consent"
II | misstate the rules, let Senators arise
N their seats and point IL out.
Al the end OF three days of miserable
ed out and told to prepare a bill which
would command the support of forty-three
senators We thereJpOn set ourselves to
that miserable task"
h.
Mr.. Vest said he would not enter into the
charges that the Senate was a party to the
nght between the President and the Senator
from Maryland (Gorman). He Vesp had
MS strong differences with that Senator on
the tariff. and he had written a letter long
ago TO the Greystone Club stating his OBJ
lectons 70 the policy of Mr.. German and
suppcrrfng Mr.. Cleveland for his position /
on revenue reform.
But, continued Mr.. Vest, II belong to
20 man belong 10 no faction. l am |
peitEer Montague nor Capulet, York nor
lancaster can never follow one who /
does violence to the principles of the dem
ocratic party"
The Wilson Dill Could Not.Pnss
W. Vest then took up the Wilson bill, |
and said the fact had been apparent that
II could never pass the Senate. 1t was
Fought by northern Senators, tenacious and |
determined TO defend their interests against
the attacks they supposed it contained.
Mr.. Vest said thar when the conferees /
met they gave their first attention to this /
" a-headed monster, the sugar trust"
After much discussion a compromise sugar
Schedule bad been agreed to. giving ~ per /
cent on the saccharine strength in the i'm
ported article and one-fifth dlferential.
Again." declared Mr.. Vest, I'VE were |
assailed. We were bounded with the state |
ment that the Senate was for sale to the
sugar trust. We were vflified by the vile |
cartoons, editorials and lying co-respon-
Mr.. Vest suited his action to his words |
and showed the intense bitterness OF his |
feeling.
He continued to show that wen the sugar
had been reached then 1t was |
learned that the House was not so deeply
concerned in free sugar It was in free i
coal and iron.
The Wilson Letter.
MIR. Vest referred to the Presidents let /
ter to Mr.. Wilson. and to the consequent \
change OF issue from sugar to coal and /
ron. He said he had no fight with the ex-
ecutive. He disclaimed being the Casca in
the eabal asinst the President as charged
by the Senator from New York OIilD.
III IL were necessary for him to retract /
ore word of what he had said to remain in
public life he would not do it. For the
denOunce the bill. the provisions of which
ne knew in every detail. was a gross injus-
uce to those who had Iabored and made
much more sacrifice than he.
Proposition to House Conferees
He then described the proposition made
to the House conferees by the Senate If
the sugar schedule could stand the Senate
offered the House either free coal or free
hon. In the compromise that seemed nee
essary the difference was split. The House
expressed great qualification.
After two hours of conference the House
conferees came back and said they would
take free iron ore. The confereas then ad-
journed with the statement from us that |
II would be dangerous TO make reductions
on other scheduleS-Inetal wOolens, &c
The next day the House conferees came
back and said they would take free coal
We replied: Gentlemen, take either We
can be happy with either IL the other dear
charmers away" daughter.
The chairman of the House conferees then |
said II was his duty to insist that all the
schedules should be taken up. They were
warned Of the result The trouble with the
House cOnferees throughout was that they
insisted that they knew more Of the sirua-
ton in the Senate than We did They con-
stantly insisted that we should make the
changes they wanted and take the bill back |
to the Senate. Sea
" lille this discussion In conferences was