Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-04
Members of the Finance Committee
Tell About Sugar Legislation.
JOHN DEWITT WARNER AND THE TRUST
How Secretary Carlisle Came to
Draft the Proposed Amendment.
ALSO PLEADS CONFIDENCE


committee to investigate the alleged opera
tions of the sugar trust in connection with
tariff legislation, today submitted to the
Senate the second batch OF testimony
taken before that committee concerning
the examination of all the democratic MEM
bers of the finance committee, including
Senators Voorhees,. Jones. Harris. Vest.
Mcpherson and Mills, and Secretary Car
Isle, and John De Witt Warner Of the
House of Representatives.
Senator Jones was questioned especially
about Secretary Carlisle's agency in the
preparation OF the sugar schedule. He
said that he and Senator Vest met Mr.
Carlisle incidentally in the room of the
Senate committee on appropriations the
day before the last amendment to the tariff
bill was introduced and he asked Mr. Car
Isle to prepare the schedule just he
would have asked the clerk of the COM
mittee to do. because he had the facts at
his command.
I'VE had made up our minds" said Mr..
Jones, that were going to prepare
40 per cent schedule, and when this propo-
sitiOn was made 1 proposed to Mr. Carlisle
to draw up the amendment, or have II
drawn / do not remember whether 1 sug-
gested to him that he should draw il 40 and
45 or 40 Is; my impression is ~ Is. and
the question was whether We would agree
to 45 or whether We would stick to the is.
What Secretary Carlisle Did.
Il asked Mr.. Carlisle If he would have
that drawn giving him the points, and re
said he would. l asked him merely to save
myself the labor of it, because, the DATA be-
ing in the Treasury Department, 1 thought
he would be sure to have all the points COW
cred. 1 think the next day got N the nail
a typewriter schedule which WIS just such
as 1 asked to have made. and Senator Vest
and / met that morning and talked the mat
D6 Aara In n NhDr Nhkz
cent would give the refners larger mar
gin than the proposed schedule of 40 per
cent and one-eighth, as We did not intend
TO make a larger margin for the retiner
than We had already maze. We did not re-
port that schedule. l may have taken this
schedule from the Treasury Department and
changed that. but that is the only instance
In which MIR Carlisle has been connected
with the drawing up of the schedule at all.
and he drew that at my request, when We
had under con nsideration the 40 and - per
cent. or the 40 Is. / do not know which
way he drew it,"
In reply 70 a question from Senator Lodge
M Jones first stated that there were no
lnterlineatlons in the schedule as thus pre-
pared. but afterward said that his memory
had been at fault on that point, and that
Mr.: Carlisle had made the changes, and
added:
My recollection is that first asked Mr..
Carlisle to write that schedule one way,
either for 40 and As. or for 40 1-s. / after
ward asked him to write IL the other way.
L
him. but my recollection Is he made that
change from one to the other. That Is the
schedule l talked about here. think that
was lone. The change was made at my re-
quest. II there was one made i think there
was change made at my request"
Mr.. Jones stated that Mr. Carlisle had
been with the committee frequently when
the bill was in course of preparation, but
never except when he was sent for. and he
never made any proposition with reference
to the sugar schedule. though he discussed
IT at the request Of the committee.
II heard him say number of times. with
reference to collections, that the law could
be enforced on ad valOrern and duty col
lected on sugar without any difficulty. As
about the collection Of the tax, there
was never sny sort OF conversation at all"
Senator Harris Denial.
Senator Harris testimony consisted of a
general and specific denial of all the allega-
tiOns upon which the investigation is based.
He had never he said. heard Of the reported
secret visit of Secretary Carlisle to the
finance committee. or of any suggestions he
had made with regard to a sugar bounty.
he also stated that he had never invested
In stocks OF any kind, and If other Senators
had bought sugar stocks he was unaware of
the fact.
Representative John Dewitt Warner was
examined on the basis of a newspaper state
ment that an effort, which had been insti-
gated by men of great prominence in the
ucinOCfallC party, mad been made to cause
Mr.. Warner to cease his fight for free sugar
while the tariff bill was pending in the
House.
Mr. Warner said that the suggestion had
been made TO him that IL there was not a
duty on sugar the sugar trust would beat
the bill. but he declined to state from whom
Ine suggestion had come, except that IL was
from members Of the House of Representa- =
tives.
Instructions About the Sugar Trust.
He said ne had heard very little about the
Bugar trust until the day before the tariff
Dill passed the House. and 1t had there be-
Come noised about that that interest was
organized for the purpose of defeating his
amendment and carrying a duty on sugar
Senator Davis asked the witness how manv
times IN the course OF the considerable
oI the Dill IN the House il was Intimatsd
TO him that persons interested in the sugar
interest had contributed to the success
OF the democratic party in New York Mr.
warner answered that this phase Of the
question has frequently been suggested to
him. not as information, but as a proba bill
uy- In regard to the alleged campaign
contributions by the sugar trust. Mr.. War
ner said he had often heard il charged that
there was one, possibly amounting to SNU-
OOU. but he knew nothing about it. Mr.
Warner several times refused to give the
names or Representatives and others with
whom he had talked, saying that he had
COlverSed with these persons III confidence
ana tnat they had given him informal! zion
rather than attempted in any improper way
TO influence his course. He thought MANY
OF them intended, in a general way. to show
MIN the size OF the work he had under
taken These refIJsals brought about fre-
QueHt controversies with Senator Allen,
but Representative Warner stood firm.
In reply 10 questions by Senator Allen
Representative Warner said that he had
seen II reported in the newspapers that the
sugar trust had given $4,000 to the anti
srapper campaign in New York, but he did
not D';ileVe the report. He had been init
rately acquainted with this movement and
vas sure he would have heard Of a $1,000
Donation. which w@uld surely have been
noised about among those particularly in
tereSted and in authority.
senator Noorhcc.. Gives Evidence
Senator Voorhees, was fret asked about
the report Of Secretary Carlisle'5 recent
visit to the finance committee. and his
deinand for protection to sugar because
OF campaign contributions, and he denied
that any sucn interview had ever take:
pace L never" said he. talked with MI
CaElsle on the subject OF sugar but once
aI that was in the office of the Secretary
ana II was early in the tariff work waen