Evening star., 1902-04-18
Ending the Reciprocity Fight
in the House.
THE ALLEGED BARGAIN
MR.. HEPBURN DECLARES DISBE-
LIEF IN THE REPORT.
Dir. Dalzell Makes an Eloquent Plea
for the Passage OF the
Measure.

there was a prospect of a memorable ses-
sion ahead. The general debate upon the
Cuban reciprocity bill to close at 3
o clock. and it was the intention of the lead
ers. if possible. to hold the House in ses-
sion until the final vote was taken. The &C
ton of the democratic caucus last night,
which decided to vote solidly for the re-
moval of the dfferential on refined sugar.
gave the leaders much concern. as they were
unable to figure out exactly what strength
the proposition would command on the re-
publican side. The disclosures of Mr.. I'm
derwood last night relative to overtures
made to the democrats on the basis of an
abandonment of the Crumpacker resolution
added a new complication to the situation.
and there seemed a likelihood that it might
figure in the debate today in a sensational
fashion. The whole atmosphere of the
House, in fact, was charged with electricity
and presaged the coming storm.
Mr.. Richardson's Position Stated.
Mr.. Richardson (Tenn.), the democratic
leader. was the first speaker today. He
made a careful, dispassionate speech, ex-
planning why he had voted in favor of re-
porting the bill. He stated frankly that he
doubted whether the enactment of the bill
would do much to bring about the recipro-
United States, which was earnestly to be
desired. But he had voted for 1t In the
hope that it might accomplish something.
1t would at least reduce by 20 per cent the
Outra geOusly high rates of the Dingley law
so far as Cuba was concerned. Those high
rates could not stand. and. he said, Mr..
Grosyenors speech a few days ago was a
warning of the coming storm. He thought
the time for revision of the tariff was at
hand. and the fact that the pending bill be-
gan 1t in a modest way commended the
measure to him.
Mr.. Richardson called attention to the ac-
ton of two counties in the district of Mr..
Babcock (Wis.) indorsing the latter's bill
to remove the duties from steel, and amid
democratic applause said that the demo-
Gratis proposed to give Mr.. Babcock an op-
portunity later on to vote for the bill his
constituents had indorsed. He also outlined
the democratic program relative to offering
an amendment to abolish the differential
duty refined sugar If this amendment
carried, he said, five or six million dollars
would be taken from the sugar refineries
and given to the American consumers of
sugar.
The Reported Bargain.
Just before Mr.. Richardson took his seat
Mr.. Bromwell (Ohio) asked him this aues-
tion: Does the gentleman from Tennessee
know anything of a reported bargain be-
tween the leaders on this side and the DEM
ocrats on that by which the Crumpacker
resolution is to be smothered in order to
aid the passage of the pending biu?'
Absolutely nothing" replied Mr.. Rich
ardson
Mr.. FOrdney CMich.) opposed the bill. He
declared that not single Cuban appeared
before the ways and means committee in
favor of the bill. Every one Of the wit
nesses for it. he said, was either an Amer
lean citizen owning sugar land in Cuba or
ihdirectiy or directly representing the in
nuence of the sugar trust.
MIR. Hepburn GOWa) aroused considarahIa
excitement by bringing forward the revela-
tfon made in the democratic caucus last
night concerning the alleged overtures
made from the republican side to aba ndon
the Crumpacker resolution if the democrats
from the states threatened would vote
against Overruling the chair After reading
the account of the caucus In a morning
paper he proceeded with great emphasis to
declare that the charge il true or the
statement, if made. was of very serious
character
1T charges some members of this House
with attempting to traffic with the IegisIa
tiOn before this body" he said TT charges
them with willingness to shelve legisla-
tlon which members here consider very i'm
portant in order to secure the ultimate
triumph of this bill. / do not believe it
think the gentleman from Alabama (Mr.
Underwood) must have been mistaken or
misinformed; but. nevertheless | think il
his duty to this House to be more explicit
and TO locate this offense where it properly
belongs"
With great earnestness Mr. Hepburn con-
tinued to express his doubt whether such
alleged methods would be resorted to to
pass bill which he was convinced 90 per
cent of the republicans were Indifferent or
opposed to.
Friends of the Bill Ridiculed.
He held up to ridicule some of the most
ardent friends of the measure He quoted
from the speech of Mr.. Grosvenor (Ohio)
the statement that Mr. Grosvenor declined
TO support bill for a 80 40. 30 or - per
cent reduction. II was only when the con-
cession was reduced per cent further that
ne was induced to support it. In other
words. said Mr.. Hepburn had 1t not been
for that last nickel of reduction the gentle
man from Ohio. TO quote his own language.
would today have been with the insurgents
attempting to divide the republican marty
and to destroy it.
Great Cod" exclaimed Mr. Hepburn con
what a slender thread hang everlasting
things! Great laughter and applause)
Mr. Hepburn also satirized the two-and-a-
haf-hour speech Of Mr. Long (Kan) which
he described as great physical effort"
Whlcn oentted the Kansas statesman for
cha mpionship in the prize ring under the
Marquis of Queensberry rules
He denounced the feature of the bill to
compel Cuba to accept our immigration
laws when the greatest need of Cuba today
was labor. IL the Yankee was what he
sometimes was said to be-cunning grasp
ing. avariciUus and adroit-then he would
say this section of the bill had been written
by Yankee"
The remaining time after Mr. Hepburn
conciuded-two hours and twenty minutes
was divided equally between Mr.. Tawney
lMinn). who closed the debate against the
bill. and Mr.. Dalzel (Pa), who concluded
for the measure
Tawney Defends His Associates.
Mr.. Tawney at the outset defended the
course of those on the republican side who
had not surrendered their convictions that
thrift might follow fawning" He pointed
to iuustrious instances in the past where
republicans had opposed measures advocat-
ed by majority of their colleagues not
ably the case of ex-Speaker Reed In the
Fifly-third Congress when he voted to
issue gold interest-bearing bonds He de-
clared that those of his colleagues who be-
Eeved as he did had been denounced as
traitors. their motives had been impugned
and they had even been insuted because
they had dared to assert and defend what
they believed to be to the interest of their
party, their constituents and their country
Mr. Tawney argued that IL the beet sugar
industry were properly protected in a few
years II would supply the entire domestic
consumption. 1t was for this reason. he
declared. that the sugar trust was seeking,