Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-22
He Will Postpone His Speech for a
Few Days.
BE DOES MOI YIELD lHIs POSITION
Arguments Used in Regard to the
Sugar Trust.
RTO RICAN RIFF

The decision of Senator Beveridge to post
pone his speech in the Senate on Porto Rico
is with the distinct aVowa that he does
not yield his position in any particular
He says that he is simply willing to wait
awhile to sec if the efforts to reach an
agreement can result in the accomplish
ment of anything. The republican senators
who oppose the Porto Rican tariff say that
the claims of the friends of the measure
that they have votes enough to pass the
House bill are incorrect. The opposition
assert that they have enough votes pledged
against the House bill to render its adop-
ton impossible.
1t must be taken into account. however,
that the party pressure in the Senate and
at the White House is being brought TO
bear with all possible force upon the sena-
tors who are pledged against the tariff, and
there is apparently firm determination 10
pass the House bill.
How 1t Has Become Party Bill.
The manner in which this bill has become
a party measure is one of the curosities OF
legislation.
1t is asserted that even al this time there
is not a majority of the party actually in
favor of it. To start with, there were very
few men in either house of Congress in
favor of the tariff. To these few were
added a number of men who were simply
Indifferent To this augmented number
were then added those who do not believe
the measure wise. but who will vote for 1t
If the party says These three elements
combined make a majority of the party.
On the strength of the party majority so
constructed the bill is made party meas
ure and the party whip is cracked about
the heels of the men who earnestly oppose
the tariff The measure has accumulated
force from the fact that men in the House
who, contrary to their better Judgment
voted for it, now insist upon vindicat1on
through its being accepted by the Senate.
For the Senate to adopt free trade would
be, they feel, to cast reproach upon them
for yielding their convictions and support
ing the BILL and extra pressure is brought
to bear on the Senate with the argument
that failure to do so would embarraSS
members of the House and cause the loss
of many republican seats Those members
of the House who voted for the bill under
protest after openly avowiES their opposi-
tion are now most insistent that the Sem
ate should adopt it, because they do not
want it to appear that in the Senate there
are men stronger than they to resist the
influences to which they yielded. They
want it to be fashionable for foxes to wear
short tails
As to the Sugar Trust.
Two arguments are being advanced to
impress the credulous with the idea that
the tariff bill is not the work of the sugar
trust and Mr. Oxnard. One is that the
sugar trust wants free trade. The other is
that the sugar trust wants this bill de-
feated, so as to maintain the Dingley tariff
against the island Indefinitely.
One or the other of these statements Is
made according to the temper of the man
to be convinced that this bill is all right
What the sugar people want is either the
IL per cent tariff the continuance of the
Dingley rates. What they do not want and
intend not to have is free trade with Porto
Rico.
The suggestion that the sugar trust is
benefited by the free importation of raw
sugar for their refineries. and therefore
could have no motive in continuing the
tariff, has no validity when it is remem-
bered that the sugar trust contracts COM
pei a deduction from the price paid the
planters equivalent to the duty paid, the
trust thus aving no duty to pay It's
raw sugar, While being protected against
the refined product and having The planters
at their mercy.
They do not want rcGneries set up in our
new possessions, endangerng break IN
their monopoly involving further eX-
rense to absorb newly developed interests.
The advocates of the tariff claim that
they have enough votes in the Senate to
pass the House bill, and the impression
that they will pass that or thing near
it is very generally felt.