The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-04-17
perhaps any influence, of the secretary

perhaps any Innuence, OF the secretary
while under consideration by congress.
AS sugar is one Of the commodities largely
in use in this country, and also largely an
article of import. any scale of duties which
materially affects the price to the con-
sumner is question of great Importance to
the people generally. The objection to the
proposed tariff of duties on sugar in the
bill now before the house may be briefly
summarized and stated as follows:
ut is claimed that for revenue purposes,
! which no doubt is the paramount consider
| alton with congress, simple duty of q
certs per pound on all sugar will yield
$37, 100000 to $40,000,00O. and can be
collected by simply weighing the importa-
| tons, without possible fraud or evasion,
and at very small expense to the govern
ment compared to the present system.
There is no doubt of gradual increase
in the importations of sugar with a duty
at this rate, the consumption having in :
creased in 1877 over 1876, with an average
rate of 2-36-1O0 duty during the uprece-
dent depression existing among all classes.
1t then uniform rate is the best for the
government, and was found to be eminently
satisfactory when there was duty upon
coffee and tea, in which articles the differ
ence in quality is at least as great as in
sugar, if it is found to be equally salts
| factory in the case of molasses, upon which
| there is now one uniform rate, what reason
| is there for making sugar an exception
Simply, to protect what is considered to be
the interest of 25 reiDers, some Eve
eighths of whom have their manufactures
in New York. And it will be done at the
expense of all the rest of the sugar import
ing and distributing trade, as well as that
of the whole consuming class.
1t is apparentsthat this is unfair legisla
ton; that 1t is legislation for class; and
that the gentlemen representing this class
have had the shaping of the proposed
schedule of duties to suit their own inter-
ests,
1t has been found that the practical
effect of the present discriminating tariff,
is to exclude all sugars not suitable for
refining purposes Reference TO the official
statistics will show that the average rate of
duty is but little above the lowest rate,
which proves that three~fourths or more
of the foreign importations of sugar paid
the smallest rate of duty of the existing
tariff. This proves, also, that no sugar
can be imported but what refners will buy;
and no sugars can be distributed but what
refners have for sale; therefore the whole
sugar trade of the country is forced through
this one channel, and every customer has
to pay toll to the refner, as we'll as duty
to the government.
Why cannot the consumers, especially
the poorer classes, have good raw sugar if
they want it instead of the adulterated
refined yellow sugar now forced upon them
through the refining interest? Upon the
sugar consumed by the laboring class a
very large tax is added to cost by passing
through the hands of refners.
But one great objection to the discrimi-
mating duty is, that all parties do not pay
alike. AS there are differences in oppor-
tunity, and also differences in honesty,
so there will be differences 10 duty
upon sugar of the same quality. In the
color system there has been continual
difficulty with the government, but if
polarization is adopted, it will be a dark
lantern arrangement entirely; no frauds
can be detected; and there will be no fair
ness in the trade.
If any one is disposed to defraud the
revenue, what is to prevent him from
getting the expert who is to do the POLAR
lzatlon into his pay, either directly or in
directly, or how can he be detected? From
the same hogshead can be gotten samples
varying in test many degrees. The Polar
iscope is such delicate instrument that
no two persons will make the same sugar
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