The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1902-04-26
Washington, d. C., News.
From our Regular Correspondent.

w WAsHINGToN, April II, I9O2.
After the most dramatic session
of the 57th Congress, and perhaps
of many preceding Congresses,
the Cuban reciprocity bill passed
the House of Representatives last
Friday by a vote of 247 to 81.
The bill, as passed, does not, how
ever, meet with the approval of
the avowed friends Of Cuba.
Through the efforts of the demo
Gratis, who voted as one man, and
with an exhibition of discThine
such as has been seldom equalea,
and with the help of certain re-
publicans who, it is claimed, had
for their object the eventful de-
feat of the measure, the bill was
amended in the Committee of the
Whole so that it would, on going
into operation, remove the differ
entail on refined sugar and so
afford relief to the American con-
.sumers as we'll as the Cuban pro-
ducers, and at the expense of the
American Sugar Refining Com
pany, popularly known as the
Sugar Trust. In this form the
bill goes to the Senate, where the
republicans have a majority of
nearly two to one, and it remains
to be seen whether those repubII-
cans who were so ready to afford
relief to Cuba at the expense of
the beet sugar industry will be
ready to afford that relief when
it curtails the profits of the Trust.
A notable incident Of the de-
bate. which preceded the amend
ment'of the bill by the Committee
of the Whole, was the presenta-
tion as an amendment, by Mr..
Richardson, of the bill previously
offered by Representative Bah
cock Of Wisconsin, and which had
for its purpose the removal or re-
vision of those sections Of the
Dingley tariff act which serve to
so greatly augment the profits of
the Steel Trust. Although the
House had just overruled the de-
cision of the chair and had deter
mined that the sugar amendment
above referred to was in order,
and by the same reasoning must
have considered the amendment
Of Mr.. Richardson in order, it
permitted Mr.. Sherman to reject
it as not germane, and so proved
how thoroughly hollow and insin-
cere have been republican protes-
tations that they desired an OPP
portunity to curtail the profits of
the Steel Trust. The position
taken by the republican leaders,
that the amending of the recipro-
city bill will insure its defeat in
the Senate, would imply that the
republicans will offer a serious
affront to the President in reject
ing a policy he has SO strongly
advocated, but the country will
withhold its judgment until the
Senate has had an opportunity to
demonstrate whether its alle-
glance to the Sugar Trust out
weighs its allegiance to the Pres
ident and its regard for Cubans
and American consumers.
L
The most remarkable feature
of The prolonged debate on Cuban
reciprocity was the speech of Rep.
resentative Cushman of Washing
ton, who paid his respects to the
Reed rules, and made the asser'
tion that in order to secure the
passage of any measure, no mat
ter how just he knew it to be, {
member Of the House must ''pu'
his manhood in his pocket and gt
trotting down the little pathwa.
that leads to the Speakers $ room
where, by comparison, all th'
glory that clustered around tn,
holy of holies in Solomon's tenn
| pie looks like thirty cents IL
| further characterized the rules o
the House as ssunrepublican, un
democratic and un-American.
Referring to General Grosveno
of Ohio, Mr.. Cushman said tha
| he had in his campaign many con
stituents who held absolutely op
/ posing views but, he continued
II finally procured the speeche
|of Congressman Grosyenor, ha
them bound together, and | wen
through that campaign without
scratch because | could alway
prove or disprove anything tha
ever came up by the speeches o
1.-THE gentleman Of Ohio =
| Last Wednesday the Senat
Ipassed Chinese Exclusion bill
!, not the measure reported by th
Committee on immigration bu
Il the Geary law, re-enaoting it fo
another term. The large lnajorit
of the democrats voted for th
more drastic measure but the II
J fiuence of the representative c
. large Pacific Coast corporations
who have swarmed the Senate en-
of the Capitol of late, and VII
! hope under the provisions of tt
Geary law to secure labor at low.
wages than they would have ha
~ .,o,y haI hbn r.axu hill haoar,,a a