The times., 1897-06-13

Because the Republican party in the Sen
ate has been able to find the two opposi-
tion votes necessary TO pass the amend
ment which increases the subsidy of
the Sugar Trust from o 1875 cents to
o.95 cents, II does not follow, necessar-
lily, that il yet possesses the power to
enact the whole schedule. This suggestion
needs to be made with some hesitation, be
cause it seems rather apparent that what
ever Nj. Hanna and the Sugar Trust may
need in the Senate they are able to pro
cure In one way or another.
For present purposes it is more instruc-
tive TO consider the moral attitude of the
Senate Republicans in the premises, about
which there can be no doubt. They have
pledged themselves in caucus TO vote solid
ly for whatever the Trust, represented by
Senators Hanna, Aldrich and Allison, may
choose to demand, and the vote on Friday
is sufficient evidence that they viii not
violate tlfeir caucus oath.
The whole performance in that oonnec-
ton has been at once IidcuIoGs and q
startling illustration of Republican sub
serviency To the dictates of an obnoxious
national monopoly The Trust influence,
in the conception of the or gtnaI Aldroh
sugar schedule, was so thoroughly exposed
and the enormous subsidy which il proposed
to give the institution so apparent, that
its sponsors were afraid to pTessft en- the
Senate, and Mr.. AldIioh IetiIed to bed
Of sickness and anguish to construct a new
one What happened thenis famiI:arnews
to the public. fresh schedule was
evolved, one which Senator Vest later
characterized as artistic ard ingenious"
1t was presented to a Republican caucus,
called fer the purpose, as one which met
popula. criticism 10y reducing Trust bene-
fits 10y as much as One-twentieth of a cent
pound Under carefully arranged pro-
gram, the henchmen of Hanna and Have
meyer were ''jolIied' into accepting this
as ready means Of escape from a party
dilemma, and also were liz duced to make
a solemn Joint pledge to stand by 1t through
thick and thin, world without end This
pledge extended to the whole tariff as is
various features might be arranged by
Senator Hanna in the general interests of
the trusts and rnonopolies to whom cam
paign debts are due
1t is only fair to suspect that some
ne The Rcn1,Il tcan cauo,,S co,syir -, ,,,r, ,l;,1
not know the full effect of the oath they
were Compelled to take. A portion of its
diabolieal meaning must have dawned
upon them when the test vote on the
differentiai came up Before that W rs
taken, it was Iucidly explained to them
that, instead of mending thing which
had excited widespread condemnation and
Indignation, the new proposition was
worse than the abandoned one, by the
sum Of an additional $4,000, 900 to $780,
100000, which it presented to the Trust
Still, the Republicans stuck to their caucus
oath, and voted in body.
In this and other like action the party
of trusts and monopolies. engineered and
dictated to by the people and influences
that bought the election of MI Mckinley,
places ftself helplessly upon record as
the enemy of justice, decency and the
people From a patriotic standpoint, tt
is exaSperating to see such infamy in
Legislation From a party point Of view,
there is a slight Compensation in the
knowledge that the Republican party is
digging a grave for ITSELF so deep that, |
when the American masses get an op-
portunity to fill it, and pack the earth |
down. as surely they viii, there can be
no resurrection.