West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-02-08
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
The Sugar Trust PaYOrS the Phil
ippine Tariff Bill.
TRADE IN THE ORIENTAL EMPIRE
Of the Standard OIL Company and the
American Tobacco Company Has
Been Entirely Killed by the
Chinese Boycott.
Regular Correspondent OF The Argus.

Regular Correspondent OF The Argus.
WASHINGTON, Feb. s, too6.-
1t was thought by good many adj
voca,cs of the Philippine Tariff Bill
that the measure might secure some
Democratic support by making q
feint at free trade. But il will be
seen by the history of the measure
up TO date that it has not. The
tariif revision bait that was held out
was merely in the reduction of those
duties whose retention might have
helped the southern states. AS long
as there seems no present prospect
OF general tariff revision the half
way measure that would hurt their
own and neighboring constituencies
was naturally rejected by the sugar
and tobacco states. The measure
is now awaiting its turn In the Senate
and there il is expected that such an
opposition will be mustered against
il as will lead either to It's defeat or
to its material modification. The
statement put out lately that the
Mormon Church was solidly against
il on account of the church interest
in beet sugar was of course made by
the friends OF the bill who hoped
that The injection of the religious
element into the controversy would
make friends for the measure. 1t
was easily proved that the Mormon
Church had not enough interest in
beet sugar to make its feeling very
strong one way or the other. But
il may be said on the other hand
that there is one trust decidedly in
favor Of 1t though it has not come
out into the open to fight for the
bill. That is the Sugar Trust. The
trust is refining interest altogether
and is naturally to its advantage to
get sugar as cheaply rs il can ir-
respective OF its source. So the
Havermyer interests can be counted
as surely for the bill just as all the
beet and cane sugar interests and
the tobacco interests are against it.
Rate legislation will in all proba
bility have the gauntlet to run in the
Senate, though that body is as yet
saying nothing much on the subject
and biding its time to kniie the
House measure in as many different
places at once as 1t can. 1t is Just
possible that the Senate may lay
down its hand on the subje:t OF rate
legislation, seeing the strong com.
bination against it in the persons OF
the Speaker and the President. II
this Is so, it can be depended on
that the Senate will take il out in
having fun with the Payne bill and
the Statehood bill. The majority
ought to be able to pass the State
hood bill by strict party vote, but
there is enough opposition to the
measure to blossom into a respect
able insurrection if it IS given a
chance.
There will be another smaller
perhaps but still lively fight ahead
when the Foster bill is presented
amending the Chinese Exclusion
Law. This measure will be bitterly
fought from the Pacific Coast where
Chinese Exclusion is fetish. But
it really forms the only possible
path towards a reasonable UNDER
standing with China and the quell-
ing the boycott which has already
worked great injury to some branch
es of American trade. II may he
regarded by the pious as a dispensa-
tion Of providence that the two in
terests most hurt up to date arc the
Standard Oil Company and the
American Tobacco Company. Both
OF these trusts have had their Chinese
trade absolutely killed But the
next great interest in line for the
Chinese headsman is the cotton
trade and as there is the whole of
cotton belt and millions Of dollars
in both northern and southern mills
interested, the prospect is not an
alluring one.
II may be stated for the benefit
Of those interested but not altoge
ther informed, that the new bill
does not provide for the wholesale
admission Of Chinese to this coun.
try Il does what the Chinese gov.
enmen, is perfectly willing to agree
to, defines the excluded classes arc
laborers "both skilled and unskil.
ed, b" to use the language Of the bill.
That lays the ghost of monaghan
invasion at the start. II lets in any
Of the upper classes on credentials