The St. Johns herald., 1897-06-12
WASHINGTON LETTER. A Proposed Investigation of the
 Sugar Scandal.
Corespondent |


 From Our Regular Correspondent
 WASHINGTON, D. C., June 5. A real investigation of the sugar scan dal-one that would go to the bottom of things and not get frightened off when on the track of information that would incriminate senators-would be good and desirable thing to have, but another fzzle like the last one would be worse than useless, because it would do more harm than good. The people recognize job of whitewashing as quickly when it is done by senators as when done by humber wielders of the brush Sena- tor Jones, of Nevada, who was inferen- tially charged by Senator Aldrich with having given out the sugar schedule be- fore the tariff bill was reported to the senate, is chairman of the Committee on Contingent Expenses, to which Sem ator Tillman's resolution for a sugar in- vestigation by committee of five sena- tors was referred, and he says the com mittee will report the resolution favora- bly,. That makes it reasonably certain that the resolution will be adopted, be- cause number of senators who would like to vote against it will not dare to do so. It will all depend upon the forma- tion of the Investigating committee whether it will mean business or farce. Senator Tillman will be chairman of the committee. If he be given four colleagues as fearless as himself, the guilty senators, if there be any such, will be brought book, and the sugar trust, the head of which got cleared on that other indictment will also be shown up, but if he be given colleagues who are afraid of their shadows, nothing will come of the investigation.
 The Republican Steering committee of the senate is slowly but surely undo ing the work of the sub. committee that prepared the amendment to the Dingley tariff bill. and by the time the bill gets through the senate, the rate of duties imposed therein will average almost or quite as high as the Dingley bill The tax on tea and the in, reased tax on beer are doomed, and we are likely to have an internal revenue tax on bank checks, mortgages, etc, in their places, unless the republicans get frightened out of the idea by protests.
 Mir. T. G. Peyton, well-known Vir- ginia gold democrat, thus sizes up the present situation: 'It seems to me now that those of us who contributed to the success of the republican ticket have been the victims of a confidence game. As l view it now, a very great mistake was made last November. It would have been much better for the country to have elected Mir. Bryan. have not become a convert to free silver since the election, my belief in sound money is as strong as ever, but am satisfied that if Bryan had been elected, the country would have recovered more quickly from the ills that have afflicted it."
 Speaker Reeds readiness to reverse rulings made by him as speaker, and opinions given by him as an authority on parliamentary law would be amusing if the matter was not of too serious nature to be so regarded. Whatever standing as an authority on parliament ary rules and practice Mir. Reed had previous to the present session of con- gross, has been lost by his decisions, which have made it plain that he recog nizes nothing higher than his own will in making decisions. Heretofore many people who disagreed with Mir. Reeds parliamentary rulings in many particu- lars have been willing to give him credit for conscientious belief in them himself, but they are not now. After all, MT. Reed is not solely to blame. A few of the republican members of the house could at any time rebuke the methods pursued by Mir. Reed, by voting with the democrats, but they have not done and are not likely to do so. On the contrary, if MT. Reed should rule that that the chaplaln's prayer was out of order and 8 democrat appeal from the ruling, the republicans would almost to a man vote to sustain the speaker. With the republicans in the house, it is not question of which is right to do, but of what Reed wants them to do. Senator Morgan was doubtless out of order when he made that stirring attack upon Speak CT Reed and the house on the floor of the senate, but the attack was certainly deserved, and Senator Morgan's asser- ton that the present methods of the house are not constitutional is receiving close attention, and may result in 8 change.
 Something to Know.
 It may be worth something to know that the very best medicine for restor-