, 1877-08-25
Einks of q Simmons Tarin

Kinks of Sinu0uS Tariff
Tbors are many persons, and they IN
clude IN their number one or tEo wen
known political economists, Nh"' WINE
unfolding nrotection As theory, con
denim il in practice. They assert that
while nrotection rests on an excellent
philosophical dictum, its attaiEments IN
wolves such manifold ana endless c2ni'ii-
cations that the good ultimately attained
gives rise to more injustice than It can
right. As to ourselves We ale cohN4.iOe'
that the endeavor 10 divorce theory nom
nractice in economic science IS paTado&i-
cal. inasmuch as a genuine theory IS ncth-
inc more than broadly generalIzed law
deduced from a broad series Il facts
Nevertheless II is well now and then 90
consider how suggestive and torciole are
some of these very facts that make any
general tariff for protection HnpoiiIio as
well as irrational. 49,,
Let us take as an example sugar, q high
" projected article, which yields many
millions of dollars in duties 10 our govern
ment every year, and which hes come N
to such general use that 1t may be regard
ed as A necessity Of life. Tie var Gus
Grades of sugar are determined, IN leYyin5
duties, by color, and great humber tllat
we NAV call low grades are imported Iur
REFINING. A consequence Of this has been
tha, artificial methods have been invented
in foreign sugar-producing countries 10y
wb;cb supars of a good quality pass
tbrougb the custom house under the low
tariff which is adjusted for their dehased
.ecoJor We notice that from Cuba,
which is the greatest sugaT-prodEelhS
country of the world, the most common
Grade PRODUCED is known as centrifugal,
and this is kind 10 which the coiorlng
trick is most generally and successfully
applied. ,.
1t would he bad enough if the compL-
cation and the opportunity for taking ad-
vantage of the government ended when
the sugar passes the custom house But
inst here we find ourselt in new twlst.
In this country We do an immense busl-
ness III sugar refining, and the value 81
raw sugar for this purpose Is determined
by its sacharine properties, which are DIS
p1lised bv the coloring 50 that high quail
itv for refining pays a low duty. Again
our government pays drawback oi about
three cents and six-tenths pound on M
norted smear refined in the United States
and exported, the average duty On the
sugar when it enters port beng about two
and five ve-sixteenths of cent pound We
are not surprised, therefore, to ind that
the trade circular Of one OF our prominent
grocery commission merchants announces
that last year we exported under .le
working of the "draw back forty-iiye
million pounds of refined sugar, for which
the refners ''draw back a goodiy sum
from the government. Just here, too, we
may appropriately quote the words OF
recent circular on the sugar trade which,
after explaining that sugar refining has
been profitable during the year, adds
pointedly "0wing TO the liberal draw
back now allowed 10y our government the
re6ners OF the Dominion (of Camada) have
been unable to compete with the Amerl-
can product, and have consequently clos
ed Their works
Leaving out all questions in commercial
ethics raised by our excluding Canada
refined sugar by protective duties and
then extirpating her refining industries
by drawback bounty on expectation, II
seems to us that such a policy As this kills
at the breech as wei rs at the mU.Zle- BY
virtue Of the drawback our sugar reEners,
rs we notice by trade circular, are selling
to foreigners at about eight cents a pound
sugar for which they are changing the
home consumer about eleven cents, In
other words. So far rs sugar Is concerned,
we are furnishing foreigners with neces-
sity of life at low price and abetting that
pauper labor which protectionists profess
to dread so much. 1t IS at best only
partial answer 10 tins to say thag the eX-
cess Of the drawback over the duty is to
compensate for expenses and losses IN re
filming, for, if the drawback were with
drawn, the home supply would be incrcas-
ed and prices would certainly fall, though
of course, We do not pretend to say that
they would react to the point at which we
are now selling to foreigners. We might
also, in this connection, point out the
emergencies which our tariff viii have TO
meet, should prices be modified by the
free trade in sugar Just opened with the
Sandwich Islands, and also the possibib-
ties Of fraud in refining home grown sugar
and exporting it under the drawback but
We have said enough to indicate, from the
example of a single article, and the COM
pick elements to be considered IN adjust
ing the duty upon it, how impossible it is
to adapt any system fairly to the twelve
hundred or more commodities 10 which
our bungling and antiquated tariff is ap-
piled.
Is it any marvel, then, that our mer-
chants so often smart under manifold and
ingenious impositions, and that protec-
tionists in theory become freetradels in
what they call practice !-Ecsnity Post.
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