The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-08-18
THE CASE GROWS DARKER.

THE CASE GROWS DAEKE Err
In showing as The Times has done
that there was no interest whatever eX-
cept the Nova Scotia Coal Company that
could have been helped by free coal as
against tax of 40 cents per ton we
have made a very dark case in the mat
ter of keeping the country IN It's suspense
over the passage Of the tariff bill But 70
understand that case thoroughly IL II
necessary to read the speech which Sena-
tor Vest made IN the Senate on Wed
nesday last We quote extracts there
fore from il this morning as 1t appears
in the Congressional Record. 1t VIII be
found that ne has added some very dark
shading 10 an already black picture. In
introducing these remarks we want 10
recall to the attention of our readers
the fact which they will all recall very
easily. that throughout the whole OF
the long conference between the two
Houses, and until within only day or
two before the conferences closed, the
public was industriously stuffed with
the idea that it was the sugar schedule
upon which the conferrees were divided
and that if that could be settled every
other difficulty would be easily solved
We want to remind them also that the
Wilson BILL as prepared by Mr.. Wilson,
approved of by the President, and re-
ported by the whole Committee on Ways
and Means, provided for a tax Of twenty
five cents on the hundred pounds Cor
quarter Of cent a pound, on refined
sugar. The Mckinley bill imposed a tax
| Of fifty cents Cor half a cent pound
on every hundred pounds Of refined
sugar. and ten cents a hundred addition
al against countries that taxed our sugar
After going over the facts that related
TO the bill as it was first prepared by
the Senate committee. and showing that
between that time and the time when
the two Houses ordered the conferrees
to assemble a second time the Senate
was gibited before the public as having
been sold out to the Sugar Trust. Mr..
Vest continued:
When we came into conference with our
brethren I'm the other House after the
first disagTeement-and II IS necessary
to 20 behind that stated myself tlhd
i make that remark in order 10 assume
the full responsibility, when the confer
first assembled, mat II was useless
TO 20 any further with the bin or with
the disagreement between the two Houses
until we had disposed Of this Medusa
head OF the sugar tariff continually con
fronting u.s. 1t was agreed unanimously
that we should take up the sugar sChedu
TO the exclusion of every otner subject,
and come to a determination upon ii.
We did take Ii up, and finally agreed,
without a dissenting vote IN the con
ference, upon sugar schedule That
q
charne matter I'm the sugar imported,
togethe~ with a dfferential Of one-ffth
of one cent In favor of the rehners. con
shutting 20 cents upon the 100 pounds.
The one-tenth differential as TO coun
tries which impose a discriminating duty
was left out and the bounty upon sugar
until the LIST of January was left out.
The schedule as ! have stated 1t was
unanimously agreed upon in the con-
ference. and was set aside.
The argument in favor Of that schedule
was that IL removed the nebulous and
scandalous accusation that in the i0
per cent. upon raw and refined sugar
In the bill there was some hidden profit
to the trust, to which they chung closely
and which was not known 70 the public
As the chairman Of the Ways and
Means Committee of the other house
suggested, when the 40 per cent was
placed upon the saccharine matter alone,
it stripped the bill of this objection and
let the whole world know that the trust
instead of 25 cents under the Wilson
bill as originally framed, and 60 cents
under the Mckinley act.
Mr. President. for five long months
the waves and winds had roared around
Congress in regard TO sugar. Cartoons
editorials, lying correspondents, dena-
gogues on the hastings had accused
the Senate Of having been sold out 10
the sugar trust Everywhere and any
where. 10y night and day, the question
was I'm regard TO the sale OF the Senate
TO the sugar trust When we had agreed
with our associates OF the other house,
and the sugar schedule had been dis
posed Of, we fondly supposed that the
great obstacle TO agreement had been
removed, and that We should then ana
there meet and embrace like brethren
and stand as one before the American
people Imagine our surprise when we
found that the insuperabie obstacle was
not In the sugar duty. but that II came
from the duty upon coal and iron ore.
the tariff bill was published 20 the world,
10 the % day of July when the Presi-
dent wrote his letter to Mr.. wilson
no intimation had been made 10 the
y hi with a duty upon coal or iron ore.
or both constituted perhdy to Demo-
cratic principles and dishonor TO the
i, sir recurFing again TO an unpleasant
snhisctNI hope for the last time-I have
no quarrel With the. President of the
United States. / made no attack upon
the President Of the United States; The
Senator from New York (Mr. HID did
me an Injustice when ne put me In the
cinsstc role Of the envious Casca who
stabbed Caesar at the foot of Pompey's
state / simply defended the motives Of
myself and my colleagues upon the FL
nance Committee against the imputation
in the Presidents letter.
II IL were necessary to-day in
order to remain In public life,
that | should retract-~ one word
OF what | said in the Senate.
| should not utter IT, No man. no mat
ter how high his position. has a right to
perpetrate an injusice upon another. Az
ter the President OF the United States
had told my colleague-for | had not
been TO the White House-that although
he preferred free coal and free iron
still the bill as we were preparing II
wonld receive his support: and after we
had given our labor. our energy, almost
l for fhA pesaeiAaslf 10 co..,a h.xssNN ~