The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-04-22
THE TROUBLE IN THE REPUBLICAN
CAMP.

The trouble which the passage Of
the Cuban relief bill with an amend
nIent removing the differential from re-
fined sugar has stirred up in the Re-
publican party is causing the Republi-
| can leaders great deal of uneasiness.
They understand that if 1t is not hand
| led skilfully it will destroy the dis
cipline of the party, and that might
mean the partys defeat in the Con-
| gressional elections next fall.
The beet sugar Republicans of the
House do not of course desire the re-
moval of the differential duty on re-
fined sugar any more than they de-
sire the twenty per cent. reduction Of
the duty on sugar imported from Cuba
They simply joined the Democrats in
voting for the amendment taking the
differential duty off of refined sugar
a duty which amounts to one-eighth
of a cent pound-because they be-
lieved it would have the effect of
defeating the Cuban relief bill.
The bill has been referred to the
Senate Committee on Cuban Relations,
and there is a great deal of specula-
ton as to what will be done with it.
The beet sugar men say that the COM
mittee is against reporting it at all
that it thinks Congress should not un-
dertake to arrange for reciprocity with
Cuba until Cuba is in a position to ne
gotiate reciprocity treaty, which
will be on and after May 20 next. They
also say that there is a ma jority of Il
in the Senate against reciprocity with
Cuba at the present time. 1t is pretty
safe to say, however, that if the bill
had gone to the Senate without the
amendment removing the differential
from the refined sugar it would pass.
But the administration will not admit
that it has been defeated 1t is its
policy to give relief to Cuba, believing
if it is not given there will be trouble
in the island owing to the lack of en-
ployment for the laboring classes.
1t is impossible to predict with any
degree of certainty what the outcome
of the complication is going to be. It
is certain that the sugar trust does not
shape. It's friends claim that with the
defferential removed from refined sugar
our market would be flooded with
sugar from the refineries of Europe.
And the beet sugar men do not want
the bill passed because it would hurt
them as much as the sugar trust. In
fact, it is said that the bill also multi
fies the countervailing provision of the
Dingley tariff. If it does, then it
strikes a double blow at the sugar
trust and the beet sugar interest.
No doubt the shrewd Republican
leaders of the Senate will hunt around
for a compromise. If it can be done
they will hatch up a compromise be-
tween the administration supporters
and the beet sugar men. Neither fac
ton wants a general opening of the
tariff question. The opening of that
question, they feel quite sure, would
be disasterous to their party. They
know that there is a big element in
their party that is dissatisfied with the
present high protective duties-espec-
tally with those duties which protect
trusts. In the meantime the Teller
resolution, calling for an investigation
of the charge that the sugar trust has
| bought up all of the sugar in Cuba,
may be adopted, and while the inves-
! tigation is being made the Republican
! factions will devise some plan for add
! justing their differences.