The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1913-06-03
HEAR|NG "A" Of
PLEA FOR TARIFF
By Ernest @. Walker.

] NASillNuiONy May lS-lhOse IRON
Honolulu, urging Haw4iian interests. in
sugar duty, viii tpke ayrg from here
4 remarkable impressions of the Demo-
GRATIS Congress. One OF these impress.
sions viii be Of that ,sabcomrnittee on
finance, Of which Senator John Sharp
Williams, of Mississippi. is chairman
They went against that committee
with disastrous results.
Notice of the i" hearing to those
concerned in the sugar duties was Civ.
en-. The " hearing,ji. it should be borne
in mind, was not a hearing at all and
was not intended to be-7simRly an. op.
portunity to talk things gwen with the
senators of that subcommittee. The
various sugar interests represented at
! Washington took due notice of this
"heafing. 1t was certain that there
would be no publicity about it, No
stenographers would ,be provided to
take down what was said, although
there were minor exceptions to this as
will be seen bit later Consequently a
conference of those from Hawaii, Loui-
siana and the beet sugar States, agreed
that it was wiser not to put in an APP
pearanee.
This was decided in spite of the fact
that much preliminary work had been
done with hepurpose of making com
prehensive statement to the senate com.
mittee. Ex-Governor Carter, of Homo
lulu, who participated in that confer
ence, had prepared brief with much
care. Others had done likewise. 1t was
decided that Charles b. Warren, of Mi
chigan, who is here in behalf of the
beet sugar factories of that State,
should 90 to the capitol on the appoint.
ed hour and tell the subcommittee about
the decision of the sugar men. This
was to be done as matter of cour-
tesy. $50 tu
Compromise Suggested.
As soon as Mr.. Warren got within
the room where the subcommittee, or a
couple of its numbers, including Sen
ator Williams, had assembled, questions
were pressed upon him. While it was
his intention to withdraw, he speedily
found himself the center of an animat-
ed conversation with Senator Williams.
Mr. Warren had a brief in his inside
pocket. He took that out and began to
read it. When he had proceeded a lit
tie, Senator Williams demanded to know
whether Mr.. Warren would prefer the
provision in the house bill of one cent
duty ON sugar and free sugar after
three years or a permanent reduction
OF nifty per cent, which would make
the duty about sixty.fve cents hun.
dred.
This point, or something very like it,
including some compromise, had been
discussed exhaustively at the various
conferences of the sugar men. Mr..
Warren, among Others, had declared
he would prefer to take the duty as
the house enacted it and stand chances
of Republicans coming back into power
before the three years had long ex-
PRED. Accordingly he fenced with SEN
ator Williams. That performance, be-
hind closed doors, is described as in.
teresting in the extreme. Senator Will
liams arged his questions with fuency,
Tor which he is well known, and Mr..
warren sidestepped and sidestepped and
sidestepped. Finally Mr.. Warren, al
though he had told his sugar confreres
that his position was to stand for the
house duty, rather than lower duty
than one per cent, admitted that the
beet sugar industry in his Judgment could
get along with a fifty per cent reduc.
ton.
Thereupon Senator Williams called n
stenographer Mr.. Warren was asked
to repeat what he had said and it was
taken down. This language was much
to the amazement of the Hawaiian and
Louisiana people. Mr.. Warren requested
that he be allowed to correct the proofs
OF his statement and permission was
gwen. Accordingly he corrected his
language so that it does not appear
quite so bald.
Ex-Governor Carter did not appear
before the subcommittee and had no
opportunity to submit his brief. He
talked much with old friends at the
capitol. House. Republicans, whom he
knew, were very friendly
1--WE would be very glad to helm
you,' said they, "but it would be
waste OF your time to tell us your
ease. 1t is apparent we can do nothing.
There were friends likewise among
house Democrats but their statements
were:
This case of sugar has gone to the
caucus and been decided upon there.
We must stand by the party program.
You see, it is impossible for us to do
anything for you.''
Carter Meets Underwood.
The former Governor met Represen.
tative Underwood one day and is said
to have told the chairman of WAYS and
means that he Carter was Interested
to see the man who had caused n re.
duetion- Of ffft~-per- vent III v,iucs in.