The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-01-28
THE SUGAR TARIFF.
DnrplCULTIEs IN THE WAY o. 81
CuRrNG ACTION FAVORABLE 10
DOMESTIC PRODUCERS.
AJlaslins ~ 1nterests Detween the Im-
pgrters. MsHnsrs ana Producers mt
Little Prospect NJ = Tariff Favorable
t0 Louisiana BEING Adopted During
the Present session Of Congress.
Special Correspondence Of the Democrat
WASHINGTON. D. 81. January "a. 1879

Especial Correspondence of the Democrat
WASHINGTON, D. o., January "a, 1879.
IL is beginning TO look like there would b
no Legislation of any account on the suga
tariff this session. and / write this lette
snainly for the purpose Of pointing out 10 tn
various classes Of the readers Of the DEMO
uIlA1 who are engaged In
THE PRODUCTION OR THE HANDLING OF
SUGAR
the difficulties which appear to beset Ou
Representatives here In their efforts to con
serve the interests of their constituents.
may say Mt the outset that while there viii
he no attempt In this letter to publish an In
terview with Gen. Gibson, the facts and con
illusions IL contains may be regarded as sub
istantlaly HE. having been derived from him
by me In number Of conversations on The
eubjeci, Ia which he has given me the entire
benefit Of his own studies and labors.
There is little dispute, either In the Ways
and Means Committee, or among the various
classes interested In sugar production and
commerce, tpon the proposition that The
present tariff Ia defective aud ought 10 be re-
modelled. lite defects relate mainly 10 i'm
PROJECTIONS In the methods provided for Its
enforcement; In the looseneHa of its olassi-
cations and In the insccuracy Of the tests ap-
pointed by law registering grades al ports of
entry. All these faults combined make the
government practically powerless to protect
its own interests In the collection Of the c,is-
toms revenue, to say nothing OF tho utter
failure Of the tariff to protect the interests OF
American production. The present tariff Is
the result Of Ave or six years Of Republican
NrsV Isl "a t.,rs. ~
marks OF
of political economy. 1t Ia q mess of patch
work. In which duties were fixed at one time,
standards established at another, tests pro-
vlded at a third, and inetrumentalties of en-
forcement devised on still fourth occasion.
All this work has been done In the Ways and
Means Committees Of various Congresses,
from the Tbirty-ninth 70 the Forty-third, by
men who knew very little about tho subject
matter they were dealing with, and who re-
ceived nearly all their technical advice either
from persons directly Interested In certain
classes OF sugar interest, as the reilners and
the importers Of the Northeastern cities, or
from theorizers In political economy with
hobbies to ride.
Among the interests represented and adj
vocateda at these various periods Of legislation,
That Of
THE ONLY RAW SUGAR PRODUCING SOIL
In the Countrywide Louisiana low lands has
ranked last aud least Still, the instinct Of
protection, which Horace Greeley had ground
into the Republican mind until 10 became al
most second nature to statesmen of that
party, has asserted itself all along; 80 that, |
In spite OF the adroit manipulations Of what
may be called the sugar manufacturing In |
terests, the existing tariff embodes the prin- |
ciple Of incidental production to home grown |
raw sugars, and is deficient only In means Of
enforcement. Under these circumstances, AZ |
hae been stated by one Of the experts called |
IN by the Ways and Means Committee, IN the |
preface to an apparently fair and careful
pamphlet on the subject. "While everybody |
seems to admit the necessity for new tariff /
on sugar, there IL bewildering conflict Of
opinions as TO what that tariff should be-"
In general terms 1t may be said there are
four separate and In the main,
CbAsHtNa INTERESTS
% BIO looked after by Congress IN legislating
upon the sugar tariff:
1. The producers of raw sugars from the
soil-4in other words, the planters Of Louis
lana,
.. The refinerH. who are for the most part
located In the North and West and must de-
pend upon long lines OF transport by sea-
river or rail for supplies Of raw material.
8. The Importers of New York, Philadel-
which are the five leading ports In the impor-
tation Of ths staple. Ii
4. The general public whose individuals, Oh
are Interested to tho extent of I
their domestic wants merely.
In order TO show what wide and irrecon- :
rllable conflict arises from these classified I
Lions OF interests IL Ia necessary to sketch
briefly the desire of each in the matter Of ,
tariff. !
The planter of Louisiana. who with few OK
septions, IL n man of too limited capital to ,
enable him 10 produce anything but tho raw |
material OF various grades below No. IA ID. b.,
The quality of his soil and the nature of his
appliances for rendering. desires tariff cal !
,ulfNed to protect him and the higb-prioed
labor which, under the new social conditions
~ the country, he must hire, against tho com ,
petition Of the Spanish planter In Cuba or the
philippines, who enjoys the advantages Of !
slave or peon labor, the Dutch planter OF
Demarara, who has the benefit OF the
pisnter 81 the Madras presidency, who, by
The system OF leasing enforced IN that coun-
try, for the benefit OF the European proprie-
tpr or the favored native landlord, enjoys the
fruits OF the llindoo ryots labor almost as
sheaply as though the latter were his slave.
Ia fact, taking the statistics Of East Indian
production IA a guide, IL appears that. when
bhe interest and risk on the capital invested
n slaves is deducted, or set of, against the
pittanee of daily wages In India,
passed upon an almost ridiculously small
share OF the crop,
THE rNDo-BRrTIsH PLANTER OF MADRAS
has the advantage over even the Cuban slave /
holder, or the peon proprietor OF the Phillip |
pines. Il
All all events, they all have the advantage ,
,ver the American planter in every cOnceiv /
lblc form. In the first place they all enjoy n
IN absolute political supremacy over the i
abor that they employ, welding. power OF !
almost lite and death FOR the enforcement OF |
contracts not only, but also for the fixing OF I
scales Of wages whore they hire, and OF hours q
IL work where they own the muscle which d
tills their soil and brushes their cane. The /
american producer, on the contrary, has to Q
deal with his laborer from the stand s
point Of political parity, must make the I
best contract he can as to wages,
and resort to his own ingenuity and
mastery over human nature to get his money :
back in days work. This, Of course, consti-
iutes an enormous inequality In primary con-
dltions q production an inequality which .
can pe femedied by nothing short Of govern.
mental protection, and which IL not remedied
10y some sort OF forced balance Of the laws !
oi trace. VIII speedily cause the abandonment !
81 sugar planting in the United States. So I
much for description Of the character and Q
extent OF the planters interests in the prem (