The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, 1910-03-09

CHANCE IN ADDhES6-Whon Oroor1no
,hanss In the address. subscribers should b sure
to give their old - veil - their nov address.
SUGAR TRUST SCANDALS OF 81.
The campaign of 1892 resulted in
Mr.. Cleveland's election. 1t was GER
tain, long in advance, that if Cleve-
land won there would be tariff revi.
sion. The sugar trust did not care
about tariff revision in general, if it
could only make the sugar schedule to
suit itself The trust, to make assur-
ance doubly sure, contributed literally
to both campaign funds that year. The
contribution to the democratic fund
has always been popularity placed at
One.half million dollars. That cOntri.
button was the price of the privilege of
fixing" the sugar schedule to suit the
trust, if the democrats should win.
The big contribution to the republican
fund was payment in advance for the
same privilege if the republicans
should win. You may see that Mr..
Havemeyer was thoroughly nonpar-
tisan.
Well, the democrats won, and COM
gress met to revise the tariff 1t soon
came out that powerful forces were
insisting on a duty On sugar. The
trust wanted it just as high as posi-.
bic. There was tremendous roar of
protest from the country, but the big
democratic politicians who had raised
the campaign fund stood by the trust,
and in the end they won. A duty of
40 per cent al valorem was Imposed,
and the wicked Dutch standard WAS
retained in the law.
Henry o. Havemeyer, head of the
trust, and a fine encourage of lobbyists
and manipulatOrs, made headquarters
at the Arlington hotel in Washington.
The sugar schedule was the pivot Of
the whole situation. Senator German,
chairman of the democratic national
committee, fatty declared there could
he no legislation unless the sugar
schedule was right" which meant
unless it was satisfactory to the trust.
The scandals became SO serious that
at length the senate was actually
forced to investigate itself. The charge
was made that senators friendly to the
trust were making big money specu-
lating in trust stocks. Senator Lodge
introduced u resolution demanding the
investigation. A committee was ap-
pointed with Lodge as chairman. 1t
took testimony that filled over one
thousand pages, and examined every
member of the senate.
There was a New York broker in
the Hayemeyer menage at the Airing
ton that busy season, whose business
was receiving and placing orders for
sugar securities-so it was alleged.
This broker-E. H. Chapman by
Lame-was summoned and declined
to produce his hooks to show his trans
actions for senators. Two Washing.
ton newspaper men, John $. Shriver
and Elisha J. Edwards, who had
printed articles charging scandalOus
things in the relations of the sugar
lobby to statesmen, were examined,
and refused to tell their sources of
information. Henry Havemeyer was
likewise recalcitrant: he would answer
no questions that might involve HIM
self or public men.
Proceedings were brought for con-
tempt against theseunwilling witnesses.
Havemeyer and the newspaper men
were held by the supreme court Of the |
District of Columbia to be within their |
rights in refusing to testify, and were
set free. Chapman was held guilty of
and went to Jail for two
but be did not tell anything.
And that was the net result of very
solemn looking effort to get at the in.
wardness of the most scandal.fogged
tariff performance that Washington
ever saw! The trust got the tariff
fixed" as it wanted; q few senators
admitted dealing in trust stocks; a
broker was locked up for short time,
md President Cleveland, declaring it
Was "peridy and dishonor," refused to
ign the tariff act, which became law
without his signature.