Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-06-17
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Jane IA, 1897.

Oh yes! the Republican Senators are
harmonious! so harmonious that it has
been necessary during the past week to
hold no less than four caucuses. at every
one of which there was red hot talk against
allowing the trusts to dictate their wishes
as to the schedule of the tariff bill in which
they are interested and about other things
which are being crammed down the
throats of Republican Senators against
their own wishes and against the wishes Of
their constituents Still they vote as a
unit on the floor of the Senate. 1t came
out at one of these caucuses that Mr., Me-
Kinley has a treaty for the annexation OF
Hawaii, ready to send to the senate,as soon
as the tariff is out Of the way. The state
ment was made to stop the fight that was
being made for the abrogation of the
reciprocity treaty with Hawaii.
The report If the Committee on c0ntin.
gent expenses against Senator Tillman's
resolution for an investigation of the
charges that Senators had been specializing
in sugar stock since the tariff bill had been
under consideration, attracted very little
attention, because it was known that it
would be against the resolution eyer since
the Republican caucus decided an inYesti-
cation to be inadvisable. The report argues
against an investigation because other in
vestigations have been barren of results,
which is about equivalent to saying that
one or two criminals having failed to be
convicted, it Is useless to bring any more
to trial. Senator Tillman has been drop
ping hints of sensational information in his
possession on this subject, and there is a
rumor that he will make some charges in a
public speech that will make an inyestiga-
ton absolutely necessary.
The minority of the Senate Committee
on Finance will have a vote on the tariff
amendment prepared by them, which pro-
vides for an internal revenue tax for a
period of five years of 2 per cent on all
estates exceeding the value of SIS 900, ex-
cepting those bequeathed to religious,
charitable, educational, or like institutions
II would be difficult to find an easier way
to add a considerable amount TO the
revenues of the country or one that would
he less felt by the people, but there are no
cuts in it for any trusts, so the trust bound
majority OF the Senate will most likely
vote IL down.
Nothing could more clearly demonstrate
the selfshness and grab game nature OF
Protection as seen by the average Re-
publican Senator, than the attempt oil
Senator Quay to get good thing for two
or three big concerns which are interested
in Cuban and Nova Scotia iron ore, by
offering amendment to the tariff bill, ex-
empting from the duty of forty cents ton
all iron ore imported by manufacturers for
their own use. These friends of Mr.. Quay
are about all the manufacturers in the
country who import iron ore for their own
| use.
What small figure consistency cuts
with the most prominent Republican
Senators, was shown during the debate
which preceded the adoption, by the aid Of
two Populists and Stewart, OF Ne
vada-one Democrat-McEDery, of La
and 20 Republicans, of the so-called com
PROMISE sugar schedule, which is said t.
ne even more beneficial to the sugar trust
than was the schedule prepared by the Re.
publicans of the Finance Committee. Sen
ator Gallery, who, although himself sugar
planter, voted and spoke against the sugar
schedule, which he declared to be entirelv
in the interests of the sugar trusts, and
quoted the attacks made upon the sugal
schedule of the Wilson bill by number Of
the Republican supporters of the present
sugar schedule. These men attacked tht
Wilson schedule solely because they
charged it gave the sugar trust too much
and now they have the affrontery to jan
through schedule that will give the sugal
trust three times as much as it secured
uuder the Wilson schedule, or rather the
schedule of the Wilson bill which was pre-
pared in the Senate and was more favorable
to the trust than the original Wilson
schedule The sharp rise in the stock O
the sugar trust shows Just what the Wal
street speculator thought of the "com
promise" schedule.
Senators Cannon, Mantle and Pettigrew
aud ex-senator Dubois, have been appoint
ed a commission by the executive com
mittee of the silver Republican party, ant
charged with the duty of visiting Japar
and China and possibly India, for the pur
pose of investigating the silver question il
those countries. They will go as soon al
Congress adjourns.