The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-06-06
TESTIMONY.
The Wire Manufacturer Before the
Senate Committee,
HE RECOGNIZED NO SENATORS.

Though He Did Hear Conversation Re
Earding Sugar in Mr.. Tertelrs Room at
the Arlington HotsI-Thers Was Very
Little Politics In the Discussion.
WASHINGTON, June 6-The committee
investigating the sugar trust gave out
last night the testimony OF Walter Gas
ton, the wire manufacturer OF Wilkes
barre, Pa, who occupied the room next to
Mr.. Terrell at the Arlington hotel, and
upon whose statement to a congressman
was based the article in the New York
Mail and Express which is one of the
topics considered by the committee. The
article was read to CASTOR, and he said;
with the exception OF the fact that I
was in the room-that overheard a con.
versation on sugar. that told congress-
man next morning from what heard
that l did not believe the Wilson bill
would pass, nor any other tariff unless it
was better bill-it is absolutely manu-.
factured out of whole cloth, absolutely
false from beginning to end In telling
| this congressman-we had contidentialre re-
latiOns together for some time-l told him
this in pure confidence without giving
| him details | mentioned nobody. | sim.
| ply told him that from a sugar cOnversa-
tiOn the night before in an adjoining room
| ] did not believe the Wilson bill would
pass, nor any tariff bill unless a much
more favorable bill for the various in
! dustries of the country were framed
That will admit"
He then told that upon being awakened
he learned from the conversation in the
| adjoining room that the sugar men were
J not satisfied with the sugar schedule Of
| fered by the subcommittee of the finance
committee He did not recognize the
voice of any person in the room, although
| it was those persons who were dissatisfied
with the sugar schedule. From the gen
eral course of their conversation he was
sure they were interested in sugar. He
denied that he arose and peeped through
the keyhole, The only reason he had to
suppose that senators were in the room
was the familiarity they displayed with
what had been going on in the sub-com-
mittee on finance that day. He had never
said to anyone that he recognized the
voices of senators.
1t was his understanding that the sub
committee had offered the sugar industry
40 per cent. ad valorem and one-eighth of
a cent defferential for refined sugar, and
this was unsatisfactory to the men in the
room, and from what they said he was
sure that the Wilson bill would be de-
feated He was asked concerning many
of the statements in the newspapers, and
declared most of them absolutely false in
every particular. He knew Terrell was in
the room, because some one come in and
saidi Good evening, Mr.. Terrell" One
Of the men seemed more familiar with the
subject of sugar than the others, and was
complimented by the others for his knowl-
| edge. There was no politics in this dis
oussion, ell sugar and some social talk.
Asked as to why he thought the bill
would be defeated, he said: The interests
| of one In tariff matters should be the in,
terest of all. and knew, or thought
anew that the sugar men could not get
II all. and that II would have &C be live
and let live, as Il ls In all those matters
Therefore. II the sugar men werG better
taken care OF the other soheduleL would
Be better taken care Of That wac my In.
terence and II was not an unnatural one. u
Senator Allen-"l understood you to say
awhile ago that you knew the sugar trust
Lad il In their power 70 defeat this bill II
not satisfactory to themH
Eyes sir "
What do you mean by thatf''
Mr. Gaston-"l mean this There are
two senators from Louisiana, and in Lou
isiana there Is a bounty OF two cents OF
sugar The sugar interest having certain
senator's representing it, in the closenes:
OF The vote in the senate OF course there
il not very great margin, as you know
HI went on and stated that in a general
2 way that he thought the various senators
who did not like certain features of the
! bill would combine with the sugar inter
, ests and defeat the measure. This he
) inferred, he did not know anything about
It.
He did not give the name of the con
gresham that he had told of the CONVEX
= sation. and was given until today to de
eide whether the congressman's name
should be given 10 the committee