, 1870-02-12

osly colorable foundation for the nasstA'o
meat that suesrrefners arc losing money
sud need Additional protection heVersne-
less. such statements weEu believed oy 'ue
| msicr;ty Of tho Committee Of Ways ana
Means. and, In adjusting their proposed
changes of The sugar duties, they called
only 7eane1s into thstz counsel Ihe m
cenuity displayed in the pln elaborated
under th,sc auspices is very great; they
have no, added to the duties on the higher
grades Of sugar, md they have cut down the
rates imposed upon the lower qualities.
Every consumer Of sugar fanoies thut tho
alteration must result to his advantage
but it Is really calculated to inu.e wholly
and solely to the benefit OF the sugar mo-
nopolists,
To understand this We must rocur to the
fact previously stated, that only ono eighth
Of the raw sugar now imported is OF such
quality as to adapt it for grocery purposes.
This one-eighth is mado on some
Of the plantations Of The Wes,
Indies and Dcmarara, by an i'm
proved process, which produces directly
from The cane clarified yellow sugar, that
is greatly in demand By the poorer classes
Of or country, and which relieves them
from the necessity Of purchasing from the
monopolists oriy. Thus, while our present
laws completely exclude all competition in
refined sugar, and throw into the hands Of
our retners seyen-eighths Of all tho sugar
imported, without restriction OF the profits
they shall make in reselling to the people,
so far as foseigu-redned sugars are COZ.
cerned, there nevertheless has been left
open a little door by which few cheap
grocery sugars can come IN. That little
door would be closed by The new duties
nov advocated. They propose to admit ths
lover grades Of sugar used by the reaaera
at two cents per pound only, while imposing
three cents per pound on the admission of
I such clarified sugars as We have described.
This discrimination wona render it impos-
sib1e in the futr1e to import these grades OF
sugar into this country, and the rafiuers
would thus be relieved from any check
whatever to limit the puce they might
choose to demand for their refined sugar.
They could, therefore, easily maintain its
value fully as high as at present, rs they
would have no competition from any sor.
Of imported sugar adapted to the wants ol
the consumer. Thus the reduction Of the
duty would make the rsw sugar cheaper
TO the refner; but the people could gair
nothing thereby, since refined sugar wouls
be as dear Rs before.
Such q reduction Of the sugar duty a
is proposed would cost the governmen
$40, ,OO0, goo annually in revenue; and th
people would derive no advantage from il
since the whole would be absorbed by th
refine1s, as We have shown. Now, II a
equal reduction Of the tariff [Sl0, 0,oo0, ,00t
we're wisely made. by taking of all the du
ties upon iron, coal, salt, aud other article
judicioualy chosen, it is easy to demon
strate, as HI. Wells has shown in his tepor
that the people might be relieved (
Sc, 0,O0O, 900 OF more In the indirect tar,
which they now pay to the monopolista
the inczeasedprices Of their ''protected" pr
ducts. In fact, the gain to the country t
such vise tariff reform, in the new stiu
ulus which it would give to branches
industry which are now lauguishing, won
amount to many times tho sum Of ff
millions annuallY.
This exposition Of the practical worki1
= of the proposed reduction in duties {
= . sugar, together with the other ILLUSTRATION
= cited above, will snf6ce, We hope, to pro
- our point, that the true friends Of thrift I
- - form should listen to no propositions con
u | sr.. f-.V,, 4ho o{hor cida Tha n11 Tonft