The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1902-06-21
Washington, D. G., News.
From our Regular Correspondent.

From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, June Is, 1902.
The inquiry into the connection
of the Sugar Trust with the agita-
ton in favor of Cuban reciprocity,
which was instituted by Senator
Teller's resolution, has produced
extensive, and, to the republicans,
alarming results. Mr.. F. B. Thur
Der, of New York, who had several
times been called before the Com
mittee on Relations with Cuba,
finally made his appearance, and
from him was elected the state
ment that Mr.. Havemeyer, presi-
dent of the American Sugar Rein
ing Company, had contributed
$1,000 to a fund used by Mr.. Thur
ber "to educate American ,senti-
ment in favor of reciprocity" and
that General Wood, acting for the
Cuban government, had contrib
uted to the same fund the sum of
$3.50. General Wood was obliged
to admit the payment, saying that
he had made it in accordance with
the wishes of the Secretary of War,
and Mr.. Havemeyer has made no
denial.
Acting upon the testimony of Mr..
Thurber, eighteen senators, of whom
Mr.. Elkins is the leader, resolved
to contest the passage of the Cuban
bill to the end and to notify the
democratic leaders that such was
their intention. The news of Mr..
Thurber's disclosures was tele.
graphed to the President, then at
West Point, and he abandoned his
intention of spending a day with
his family at Oyster Bay and re-
turned to Washington Immediately,
and on Friday sent special mes
sage to Congress urging that body
to pass the Cuban reciprocity bill
and incidentally mentioning that
he could not approve of the rebate
scheme put forth by the "insurgent''
senators. While Mr.. Roosevelt's
statement is a very fair exposition
of his views it does not appear to
have produced any marked impress
sion upon his opponents in the Sen
ate, and the question of Cuban re-
ciprocity is as far from settlement as
ever.
In this connection it should be
borne in mind that were the Presi-
dent or the republican senators who
desire to befriend Cuba, willing to
take any action which would tend
to decrease the profits of the Sugar
Trust, the way to aiding Cuba would
be made clear. The eighteen re-
publican senators, who oppose
straight reciprocity with Cuba on
the ground that it would result
merely in augmenting the profits
of the Trust, would gladly vote for
the reciprocity bill as it passed the
House and which removed the diff
ferentiai on refind sugar and they
could count on the combined sup.
port of the democrats. The sup.
port of the ''insurgent" republicans
and large number of the demo.
Gratis could also be secured for the
substitute bill of Senator Dietrich,
which would transfer the duty now
Imposed as q differential on refined
sugar to the raw product and then
grant straight reciprocity to the
extent of 25 per cent to Cuba. The
difficulty with which Mr.. Roosevelt
and his supporters in the Senate
are contending is their effort to
serve two masters, the Sugar Trust
and Cuba, and the indications are
that they will fall between the two
and that republican harmony in the
Senate will suffer as severely as il
did in the House when the same
bill was considered there.
On Thursday the Senate will vote
On the Nicaraguan Canal bill, tht
consensus of opinion being that tht
Spooner resolution will be adopted
But two appropriation bills remain
to be considered in the Senate an(
they will be disposed of with com
paratively little debate SO that tn
Senate will be face to face with thu
Cuban dilemma, and some action
have to be taken. The Presiden
still insists that if adjournment i
taken without action on the Cubal
matter he will call Congress il
Especial session. All day Frida
! the Senate spent in secret session
the supporters of the President Ell