The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-05-15
THE DARKEST SCANDAL

LIE DAhhESI SCANDAL
hat has tainted the highest officials in
this country since the Gre ais Mob1lier reve-
lation in that wild speculative era following
the war, and it is greater than that national
disgrace because it affects higher sources of
power and involves tie betrayal of the
whole people.
when President Cleveland, within three
days after he entered the White House,
commissioned Mr.. Blount of Georgia an am
bassador with paramount authority to act
in Hawaii, and instructed his Secretary of
State to prepare the letter in which what
has since been called the policy of infamy
was set forth, it could not have been sur
posed that these acts mad any relation to
the tariff policy of the Democratic party
Nevertheless the same influences which had
chief weight with the administration in the
Hawaiian case have also controlled the
Democratic Senate and the administration
as well in its action upon the tariff bill
Hawaiian annexation would have over
thrown the Claus Spreckels sugar monopoly,
which controls the Pacific coast, and Claus
Spreckels is one of the giants of the Sugar
trust monopoly. The same obligations re-
lentlessly, insistently, constantly brought
before the administration which in part ex-
plain the amazing change of front in re-
spect to Hawaii, have wrought as complete
a change in regard to the Wilson tariff bill
and the re pudiation of the platform of the
Democratic party.
'There is no Democrat of such oonse-
quence as to justify his active participation
in the national campaign of 1892 who will
deny that much of the success of the cam
paign was due to the friendly cooperation
of some of the gentlemen connected with
the Sugar trust. Yet the relation of these
men to the canvass was very simple. All
that they did was
TO FURNISH MONEY
and to receive in return for it definite
pledges that whatever the policy of the
party might be in other respects, it would
not be one which would cause the Sugar
Trust to regard their interests as in peril
THE general public did not know the
Sugar trust at that time as anything but a
purely non-partisan corporation. 1t was not
supposed to take any particular interest in
the intrigues of politics or the ambitions of
political leaders. Yet with two or three ex-
ceptions the strong men in that trust were
then, and always have been, Democrats.
They were especially friendly to Mr.. Cleve-
land. Some of them contributed to the fund
which was raised by the Anti-Snappers.
Mr. Cleveland had been brought into inti-
mate personal relations with some of them,
His best friend, E. G. Benedict, was inter
ested in the Sugar trust, although not
conspicuous in its management. Mr.. Bene-
diets relations were close with the presi-
dent.of that trust, Mr.. Havemeyer, who
is fellow townsman in Greenwich. Conn.
Mr.. Whitney and Mr.. Lamont were asso-
ciated with that group of capitalists, some
of whose members were in the thick of the
Sugar trusts affairs.
s'There is nothing in the statutes, nothing
in the common law that prohibits member
of parliamentary body from speoulating
in the market upon information and
therefore Senators Brice and Smith COM
,citted no legal crime if they did take ad-
vantage of this information, so that accord
ing to common report they have been able
to gain enormous profits, nor have certain
other Senators, who were told that the
president of the Sugar trust had said that
with the schedule as finally adopted Sugar
would rise thirty points in thirty days,
violated law if upon that hint they have
MADE CONSIDERABLE FORTUNES. 4
Sugar rose not thirty points, but thirty
| four exactly.
Senator Brice has never seen fit to deny
the accusations publicly made that he had
| been speculator in sugar and had gained
as much as half million profit, nor has
| Senator Smith of New Jersey seemed to care
| that it should be said of him that his favor
| ite brokers in New York have, acting upon
his orders, also invested in sugar securities
| in such manner as must nave splend1dly in
creased the New Jersey Senator's wealth.
Senator Vest has emphatically denied upon
| the floor of the Senate that he ever bought
dollars worth of sugar stock, while Sena-
tor Mcpherson. .whose honesty has never