Evening star., 1902-03-05
Beet Sugar Men Think They
Control Situation.
PRESIDENTS INQUIRY
CONFERENCE WITH THE SPEAKER
AND MR.. CANNON.
Still There is Hope of a Compromise
Being Effected Before the Next
Conference.

| That is what the beet sugar men in the
tariff checker game now going on in the
| House said to the ways and means leaders
| today.
And you Will have to bring out your
king from the back row to beat u.s. they
| added. meaning thereby that only the exer-
| tion Of supreme party pressure could dsin-
| tegrate the high protection forces.
| Speaker Henderson and Representative
| Cannon, the caucus chairman, advised
| President Roosevelt today not to send a
! special message to the House on the Cuban
| sugar tariff They took the ground that
such message at this time, instead of
| having the effect desired by the admins
| tration, would further irritate the 'insur
gents who have revolted against the ways
and means committeemen's bill and very
likely bring about situation which would
render them intractable for the remainder
of the session on other party questions.
The Presidents Inquiry.
The President is understood to have in
quired in langua age-wel, vigorous and en-
phatic. if the House of Representatives was
to dominate the whole situation, whereupOn
answer was made that it must be allowed
the House had at present pretty good grip
on the situation.
1t is understood that inquiries made by
the 1reSlO6nt during the DAY In Otnef quar-
ters verified the statement of the case pre-
sented by the Speaker and Mr.. Cannon.
The impression among members Of the
House this afternoon was that the Pres1-
dent would withhold a message at least
until after tomorrow nights conference OF
republicans.
From the viewpoint Of the House leaders
there Is more in the present situation than
the mere question of the kind Of a Cuban
relief bill to be passed. The mastery Of
the House Is at stake. AS the case stands
majority of the republicans have refused
to follow the leadership of the committee
outline the tariff policy of the party. The
revolt is aggravated by the fact that
Messrs. Dalzell and Grosvenor of that COM
mittee. also with the Speaker, form the
majority of the committee on rules.
The insurgents, therefore, seem to be de-
flying the entire leadership.
Only the Case in Point.
The insurrection does not extend beyond
the specific case in point, however. There
is no criticism of the general leadership, nor
is there a disposition to be fractions. Rep
resentatives from districts in which the
peet sugar industry exists, or promises to
exist are afraid of being defeated for re-
have won to their support by the invocation
of the republican doctrine of protection to
all American industries sufficient number
of men from other districts to put them in
that some form of relief for Cuba other
than tariff reduction shall be applied.
With the facility of the republicans for
compromise on party differences in view.
and in the light of past experience in cases
where party discipline was in the issue.
the prediction was freely made at the Capt.
tOl today that a basis for common action
will be reached by agreement Wltnln the
next few days.
Legislators returning to the Capitol to-
day from the White House came away
with the distinct impression that the Pres
ident does not contemplate at this Time
sending a special message to Congress on
the Cuban tariff question. He is not in
clined to interfere in the efforts OF the re-
publicans of the House to compose their
differences, but believes that they will sue
ceed in coming to an amicable understand
| ing or that the situation will otherwise
| adjust itself.
Program of Beet Sugar Men.
The program of the beet sugar men for
| tomorrow nights conference is to attempt
| to secure indefinite postponement OF the
| question. They are lining up their foi ces
| to this end and hope to be able to adopt
| a resolution declaring it to be the sense
| of the conference that action should be
| postponed.
The effect of such a rule would be to
| completely tie the hands of the ways and
V'o1 Would to put an end ID to % the agitation
| Of the Cuban tariff question. 1t Is
unsafe to predict whether the beet
| sugar men will be able to thus dispose OF
| the problem. 1t Is considered that it would
be rather a summary disposition of the
Presidents recommendations and would
| draw sharp line Of difference between
| the administration and the House of Rep
| resenta tives.
Tomorrow nights conference, therefore.
| promises to be the most interesting of the
series unless some compromise Is reached
| in the meantime.
Agreement to Abolish Bounties.
The State Department has received a re-
| ply from United States Minister Townsend
! at Brussels to it's inquiry as to the accura-
| cy of the press reports of the results Of the
| conference of representatives of beet sugar
| producing, bounty paying countries. Mr..
| Townsend reports that the proceedings
| were supposedly secret. hence 1T Is not pos
| sible to make an official statement of the
result Of the conference However, 1t is
| the understanding, he says, that the con-
| ferees have agreed to abolish all bountfes
on beet sugar and to adopt uniform
| per 22O pounds. or about half cent a
pound. 1t was the plan to vote yesterday
| upon the whole proposition, but the details
| Of the vote are not yet known.
| United States government Of the proposed
action, the State Department has Informed
| the Treasury Department Of the substance
of Mr.. Townsend's dispatch and will like
| wise acQuaint the ways and means COM
| mittee of the House with the cablegram.
| in view of the fact that the House is now
| engaged in considering the propriety Of re-
| ducing the duty on Cuban cane sugars, a
| proposition likely to be affected by the Eu-
| ropean action. For its part the Treasury
| Department must plan to remove the coun-
| tervailing duties on bounty sugar, which
| action will not depend upon congressional
movement but will nevertheless consider
| ably affect the customs receipts as whole.
| Agents of the Hawaiian sugar planters
| have shown particular interest in the re-
suits Of the Brussels conference, visiting
| the State Department daily in pursuit Of
| informa ton on that subject. They are sat
| isfied that the result Of the Brussels con-
| ference will be to enormously advance the
| interests of the cane sugar growers and
| are naturally pleased at the outcome.