Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1831-02-03
G0M@B@SSI0NAss
HOUSE or REPRES E.NT4TJYES.
JANUARY IL, 1881.
DUTY ON SUGAR
speech y Hr Haynes Of Georgia on, his ,,otion 10
reduction Qfrhe Dutu on Rroirn S,,rnr

" N'e DtUy BFOcn Sugar.
Mr. Haynes said he was glad notwiths,and, ,h
rule which, however wisely adopted was in he onoa
uon so well calculated TO abridge the ,iher,v o sna
tna' the House had extended 10 the resolution lust offered
inc courtesy OF consideration. He was willing In have
rested the subject solely upon the resolution first or
eu' ana put Tor the apprehension OF refusal TO consi.
uer H. should not have modified by the addition of the
preamble. But, as the House had somewhat upax
pecedly, afforded him the oppor,uni,v of nreser,in =
lew observations TO its attention. he would not permit
,i a' opportunity 10 pass away wholly unnproved by
nun. men ne mad the honor TO bring this subject 10
e consideration OF the House at an early dav of the
present session, he had extended his proposition 10 the
giass oi sugars because, whether they had been
,"poseu lor me purpose OF revenue protection lie
hougn he time had arrived when the duties ought 10
De entirely abolished. But, i'm Introducing the sb;ec,
mus broadly he did not consider that the Committee of
=" uys ana Means would be necessarily restricted i'm
tneir inquiry TO the question of repea bu II in
their wisdom should be determined that partial re-
auction OF the duties all the exrencies of the
country would permit, they would be authorised to o
so lar and no farther. For his part he had formerly
believed, he now believed, and ever should beIieve
Wat the true end OF Government was the bapn;ne 60
ana prosperity OF the peoples and for the furtherance
OF TINS end, was essential that the necpss,res Of If
should be subjected 10 the smallest amount of taxaon
"bich the public exigencies would permit
hatever might have been the original use of the
arucie oil sugar-if it was first medicine and then
iuNury-lt had become article of essential necess
as was proven by the estimated consump,ion of ne
present year, at one hundred and fifty millions nj
POUNDS Nor in this character is its confined TO anv
hnf
through every degree aud condition in life Nor is il
any answer TO this assertion say that some twenty
nVe or thirty thousand dollars of revenue has been de-
rived from their consumption within tho v.ars oirh
teen hundred ard fifteen 10 eighteen bundred
ty-nine. inclusive. And here he would remark that
Notwithstanding the laws OF the country accessible
10 an IS important that the public mind should he en-
hgh'ehed upon the existing tax sugar But before
proceeding further with the subject, he would her
IeaVe 10 remark, that how much soever gentlemen
might sneer at the proposition that under our svste,n
are 1a1 hxrf
position was, to his mind, clear and undeniable "a
consumption must necessarily be regulated by rroduc-
uen by an examination of the tariff of 1916 and re.
ference 10 the annual reports from the Treasury De,
partment upon the commerce and navigation of the
United States, since that PERIOD il would be found that
'he uuues imposed upon the import OF lump and ref
ned sugars and sugar candy, had amounted TO prohibit
TOM thus eficctually deprving the consumer oi any
rholce whatsoever between the foreign and domestic
arucies Nor is this ALL for inasmuch the consump-
uon oil brown sugar among the poorer classes is much
greater in proportion TO their means than among ue
weaithy the tax falls most heavily those who are
ieas able TO bear it, And here he would take the oc
casoh 10 remark, that although he still entertained the
opinion under the influence of which his resolution Of
me l9 oil december was offered the advice of friend.
ana me nope oil more favorable considerations had in
uueeu hlin 10 narrow that resolution its present
shape But who seeks for the repeal or reduction of
taxes! Not the receiver, but the payer of taxes
ne regretted that he had specific information az
10 the price OF sugar 10 foreign countries when The t
run o. 1894 was imposed. But, II he had beeu correct
" informed, the foreign OF brown sugar nporeJ
mo this country at T. at period was not less than ioht
to ten cents per pound If this be true il ia The Oh
Vous inference, that Government did then intend
by tarlh OF two cvn,s per pound, to impose duty
which should operate "a more than twenty or twenty
ne per cent. al valorsm, the original cost of e
article But, as the foreign cost has cons eraby de-
cDed since that period thereby increasing the relation
OF e uuty to such cost, il the duty OF 1894 had not
been increased by the act of 1916 it would ov ore.
rave - the rate OF forty TO fifty sixty per cent, sd
valorem on the original foreign cost Blu, nv ras,nr
'ne guy 10 1910 10 three cents pr pound brown
susIr' US 40 VdIotrm operation is still greater being
not less an one hundred per cent In the discusso1
'bs Jct W. nghi be told, that the average price
oil sugar bad declined in consequence OF it's manuiac
ore III 'h's country and therefore sound policy requires
me continuance OF the present duty. II gentlemen
would take the trouble TO inform themselves on tiis
SUBJECT he was 50 ished they would find that such an
assertion was wholly without foundation For hi. par,
NJ had been at some pains 10 obtain tutor ion the
SUI oil which was, at the oG sugar impot in.
to Engaad, from the year 1911 to 1923 inclusive had
undergone an astonishing diminuon, no par of which
could be ascTibed to its manuiacu in this conniry
ny References 20 statistical work on the popua ion
and resources Of Great Britain which he had exsmined
would be found ha, the average price of brown SUI
gar imported into England, iD the former year was
venty three shings and four pence one farih,ng the
huodr ed weight, sod in The latter year but thirty.ons
sh''iDgs and enc fdrhng. Surely This could not be
sscribed TO lis manufacture here. Nor does IL appear
lha The price of either year depended upon siinted
supply IN the one, or excessive importation in the
other az considerable surplus was exported in each
And here he would repeat suhst antaly what was said
during the dcusrion OF the Eas, India sugar Gu,y in
The House OF Commons, in 1923, by thp late Nj fus.
klssoo, one OF The able and practical statesmen
England has produced, and whose dea NAV '.
be lanened in that country, great public calamity
hst whenever there is Of Import over con-
sumption, the price OF the article must be regulated bv
the markets OF the world He said that rr,posiion
oil such obvious truth did not require the aid OF u,a.
ion or argument from bin. Not onl, had the British
market exercised an iH1nence on The price of The
drucls, but the French market also. And here he was
not prepared to speak d-nitely as 10 the rrice in
France az he h id done OF Euglond Nor wa. il i'm
portrait r him TO do the Influence exercised bv
the French market the price Of sug7r originated
principally from the partial exclusion of the article
IL must be well known 10 every member of this House
tia, during the OF The French revoluon the SUI
gaT eoi9nies Of France n from the mother
couniry-and that although the commerce between
those co ones aud the country entered for
veral years very largely ioio the American carrying
trade, yet the interpretations OF national law broukh, To
Ope ate upon rds ny the Efhcipal heIig rents at
length destroyed the trade emit ely Accustomed 10
the ne Si sugar, the Fcench people were not willing
20 foteso this necessary article OF c0nsumpiion an
their ingenuity soou iufnished substitute N the sugar
extracted from hc he I. The culture OF the ct and
the extraction oi sue.r rom H. had gown to such az
extent before the general pacihcation OF Europe in sl5
that the Government Imposed high duty on 10 eie,
sugAt Tor The pr0tec lou Of the domestic THE svss
had not been abandoned sincr the rec very Of the
French sugar colonies IN the West Indies Thu. 3.
probable, that considerable portion of tie sugar
manufactured in those colonies was necessarily IN own
upon tha great market OF the world
lie sddt Tire 'ars and differences upon which he had
thrown himself were true, and he did not think they
could be successfully cOntfovertsd. the price suga
arising from is manufacture In this country, 50 Ear
rom regulating had been regulated by the market oil
tre world Bat before dfmissing III. branch a Inc
subject, lie would observe, that the price Of sue /,
the ENylsh market could % have bpeu In D.,