The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-01-28

, that az tU standards, the nature OF duties Ol
the extent q the tariff For example, II The
our ports Of entry, can make with his CHEAP
labor really high grade sugar. and thei
deaden ts color by. pouring mOlasses over It,
the Importer can Import and the retlner buy
IL at prices fixed by the tariff for really low
grades. Then It can be resolved back Into It's
original high grade at very email additional
cost, to compete destructively with the high
grade sugars produced from homegrown
raw material by the regular processes Of re.
filming.
Upon this point turns the whole question
OF test and standard. For example II melado
anf. concentrated molasses are TO be let In
under the same color standards and polari-
scopic tests that govern home grown sugars,
lney would have to pay only the duty liked
for sugars that are now. according to the
| market reports OF tho DEMOCRAT OF Sunday
last, selling on the levee at New Orleans for
4c. TO 4sc. But they could be then rendered
| Into the grades quoted In The same price list
at Tao to 7s4c at refining cost Of 70 or less,
thus giving a margin of at least 2,,.c profit as
| against margin on the same class Of home
grown, honestly-colored sugars Of less than
| 1Lc. Under these conditions 1t appears that
the present system Of test and standard, az
applied 10 these particular classes Of foreign
| grown sugar, is almost fatal TO the home In
| terest Irrespective OF
THE EXTENT OF THE spEulr1u DUTY
which may be levid under IL. The com.
pllcation which these facts produce In the
mind OF the legislator can easily be compre-
bended by any planter familiar with the
technology Of his vocation. and the difficult
ties which meet Gen. Gibson on every side In
his efforts to harmonic and protect the in
terests 81 his constituents, either In his seat
az the Ways and Means Committee table or
from his place on the floor of the House, will
he apparent
The next class TO be considered is the i'm
porter. The wants and demands OF this In
diyldfial are more easily summarized.
What ha.,u the importer wants is -. simply
loop-holes In 1t the better II the duty is TO
be specific he wants the Dutch standard and
the polarHcope adopted as sixteenth amend
ment to the constitution, because what the
one does not cover UP In the way OF fraudu-
lent possibilities, the other fails 10 expose; SO
that between the two his own invoice clerk
can have more potent voice in fixing the
amount Of duty he is 70 pay than the govern.
ment appraiser can. III the duty is 10 DO I'D
valorem the importer wants the scale Of
values fixed upon the basis of the foreign cost
Of production, plus freight and insurance,
the rates Of which he can fix himself
u he has capital enough TO run
ca car a SO s" that, in this case the i'm
porter's shipping agent at Havana. or Man
lila, or in Surniam will be able TO fix the
amount OF duty he has TO pay. Thus we OBJ
serve that the Importer and the refiner have
llict, while neither has any IN common and
both have all In conflict with those OF the
planter.
Fourth and last, we come TO consider the
up n the desIderatum Of getting the most
sweetening for the least money at all times
and under all circumstances.
Now IL happens that Of these four interests
only two the retiners and the importers
have been either habtually or effectively rep
resented before the Ways and Means Com
nittee at any time when sugar tariff legsla-
lion has been pending. In the committee
Itself these two interests alone have been rep
resented by anything like zeal or intelligence
until Gen. Gibson came I'm az tho representa- ,
i've Of
THE PLANTING INTEREST.
For example, let us analyze the Ways and
Means Committee as 1t stands to-day:
The refining interest Ia represented by 6
Wood Kelley, Garfield and Banks, every ono 2
II whom knows just what his clients want. I
ust how to go to work to get It, and how to {
lefeat the efforts Of opposing interests. In 6
hort, the refining Interest has. in the Ways l
md Means Committee, as well az constantly
ONE extent unecrupulous advocacy
whose members, If not In actual receipt Of /
ees. are at least aetuated by an intimate and !
ccurate knowledge as to which side their q
gay Of explanation, that this criticism 10 ex- !
lhsively my own. and Gen. Gibson is not = !
ven indirectly responsible for 1t, as he Is for Q
he general line of information set forth In a
he other portions Of this letter. Whatever t
ray be Gibson's private opinion on this .
ranch Of the subject, am not authorized to 4
uote him In criticism upon the motives OF q
is committee colleagues Phelps of Con- q
ecticut. is also TO be considered rs n repre- :
sntative Of the refining interest though his !.
atus ~ that particular ie largely modified I
Y his Democratic MOTORS of political econo- q
". and his action has been thus far consider @
bly, influenced by the personal appeals OF 4
en-. Gibson on behalf OF the impoverished G
1d struggling Democratic community which \
represents.
Tucker, Sayler, Harris and Robbins, Dem !
rats. and Burchard, Republican, all repre- 2
mt the general free trade predictions of \
hat by personal feeling and sectional pre- g
ldice; all substantially IN favor Of q revenue \
riff. but willing TO stretch their !,
FREE TRADE DOCTRINES y
a inch or two for the incidental benefit Of r
he American produoer-for the sake mainly q
the market which that producer makes = =
II the pork packed by Saylers constituents, Il
,e -four made by Burchard's, the tobacco j
aised by fuckers. the lrice vended by b
hose of Harris, and the tar fried out of the "
Itch pine OF the State OF Robbins. 9
Gibson alone stands for the planter. Thus b
" he has been able, by the exercise Of really 2
imirable tact, to play off one opposing in !,
rect against another In the committee until ~
O has got % tariff bill ready to report which, q
it could be passed and become law, would Il
> the first real protection Louisiana has en- Il
,yed since the days when the old line
yhig was In bis prime, and Henry Clay and :,
oraoe Greeley shouting and writing In uni =
IN against allowing the pauper labor OF other -
lnds To invade with their plebeian products y
40 charmed markets Of the American sover- =,
gnl But here's the rub, Gibson, having v
orked his bill up to the status OF report, =
ght over the head OF his chairman, and In v
10 teeth of the advocates of other special y
terests, finds himself stalled by the opera y
on Of parliamentary procedure, which pre-
snts him from getting the bill out OF the COM !
ittee on to the floor OF the House. :
his, as | said In my dispatches some 2
ghts since, amounts to a deadlock, which, as !,
intimated In the outset of this letter is not =
kelly to be broken this session. The raison y
etre Is simply that Gibson alone, and un-
ded by special outside Representatives. or /.
ivocates OF the interest which he champions !,
committee cannot make head against the :
tive advocacy OF the congressional repre- y
Of the other interests, backed as },
icy are by y
AN ARRAY OF PAID COUNSEL. q