Rensselaer Republican, Volume 26, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 June 1894 — THE CAMPAIGN. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE CAMPAIGN.

The Farcical Sugar Trust Inves- —_ - ——- How Not to Investigate. Indianapolis g c urnal. The guarded w:iy in which Chairman Gray gives out the testimony before the Sugar Trust investigating committee might be likened to the efforts of the captain of a ship to confine a fire to the hold—by battening down thtr hatches and keeping the air out. Senator Gray has not had much experience as a censor of the press, but his legal training and Democratic instincts serve in good stead to tell him what to give out and. what to suppress, and how to pat the information furnished in the form least likely to hurt anybody or to impinge upon the courtesy of the Senate. In the report of the proceedings yesterday it was stated that “Senator McPherson reiterated the statements he made recently on the floor of ttre it became apparent that sugar was to be made the subject of legislation he had instructed his brokers to cease all dealings in sugar stock in his name." Not another word about Senator McPherson’s testimony. He is one of the Senators who is charged with having made a large sum of money speculating in sugar stocks. He admits that he had speculated in stocks, but says he stopped when he heard that sugar was to made the subject of legislation. Now, he knew, and everybody knew, as soon as Mr. Cleveland was elected President that sugar was to be made the subject of legislation in one form or another. The Wilson bill, as originally introduced in the House, imposed a duty on sugar. This was more than six tnonths ago, and sugar has been on the tagis ever since. Now. when did Senator McPherson first learn that sugar was to be made a subject of legislation, during what period did he speculate in sugar stocks, and when did he stop speculating in it? This is what the country would like to know, and it would like to know i F he was questioned on these points. Dates are the essence of the case; was he asked togive any, or was he dismissed on his simple statement that he stopped speculating in sugar stock when it became apparent that sugar was to be made the subject of legislation? Perhaps it was apparent to everybody else before it was to Senator McPherson. If he was making money by speculating in sugar stock, as. has been charged, it may have taken him a long time to discover that it was really going to become a subject of legislatioir. Press censor Gray does not vouchsafe any information on these points. The report goes on to say, ‘'the committee also examined Senators Harris and Mills.” Senator Harris did ndt-ddhow an W Mills testified that Secretary Carlisle had given Mr. Haveiiiyer, head of the sugar trust, a letter of introduction to him, but that he bad declined to receive the letter. This is i surprising piece of information. Why should the Secretary of the Treasury, whose duty it is to look out for the interests and revenues of the United States, give a letter to the head of the sugar trust, whose interests are opposed to those of the go ver n meh hi m t<r a Senator known to be unfriendly to the sugar trust? Was Mr. Carlisle trying to help Mr. Havemyer placate hostile Senator’s? Senator Caffery to stifled a few days ago that he was told, that Mr. Havemyer wanted to see him, but he was-not asked Who told him so. -Was it-Mr. Carlisle? Mr. Mil 1 s showed nerm in dec! ining to receive a letter from the Secretary of the Treasury introducing the head of the sugar trust, and his action does him credit, but the public would like very much to know what was in the letter, whether Mr. Havemyer presented it in person, and what passed between them on the subject. The committee does not seem to have made any effort to obtain these facts. Following is the report of Secretary Carlisle's testimony:

“Secretary Carlisle denied explicitly all the charges made in Mr. Ed- ( wards's letter, except one. This one ’ was the assertion that while_ConferrmgWiLli the committee, hb (CatTMp) on one occasion, at the suggestion oL the members Of the committee and using thejr figures, put a sugar "schedule in t o shape, as he did other f paragraphs in their bilk This, the Secretary said, he had done. He declared that he had not made such a visit as that he was represented as making to the committee to demand that the sugar interest be cared for in the tariff bill because of the Democratic party’s obligation to the sugar trust,” This carefully guarded statement shows that Mr. Carlisle, who is shown to have given Haveinyer a letter of - did ule into shape” for the committee. f Was it the one in the finance committee's bill or the one in the Have-myer-Gonnan bill? It'is something f for Mr. Carlisle to have been forced ; tp admit that he formulated a “sugar schedule,” but it would be much more interesting to know what schedule it was. In the absence of further information the public will conclude I that it was the schedule which largely increased the profits of the sugar ; trust, whose head Mr. Carlisle was : favoring with letters of introduction to Senators. Thus, although the hatches are battened down, smoke continues to pour through the crevices, indicating fire in the hold. The driblets of, information which the chairman of the committee gives out indicate that more is suppressed, and that a much greater amount exists which the committee is careful not to elicit.

A Cali to the Presidency. Courier-Journal. AIT the Courier-Journal's dark forebodings with respect to tariff legislation have come to pass. The situation could not be worse, the outlook darker, the act with whos? passage we are threatened more disreputable. Action of some soft i? urgent. Has the President the supremo courage to retire the Administration from all responsibility-and concern as to the measure before the Senate, by sending' a message to Congress denouncing the whole proceeding, calling the Demdcratio masses to his side, and having the effect to stampede and adjourn the entire rotten Rump concern? .Nothing could be lost by such a proceeding. As matters are going, and in any event, Democratic hopes arc baffled,Democratic pledges stultified, Democratic prospects blighted. Better another two years of the McKinley tariff, pure and simple, and another appeal to the people upon the old line fair and square, with everybody forced to toe the mark, or to go over to the enemy, or to take to the woods. If we lose we should at least go down with our 11a g fly ing, our honor Ln tact; whereas victory, under present conditions, can only be purchased by the degradation of all things great and nobl« in our National life. Besides, it is not victory, but. defeat, that stares us in the face.

A Northwest Blow. —New York Commercial Advertiser.