The New York herald., 1879-01-03
THE LECTURE SEASON.

THE SUGAR TARIFF-ADDREss OF MR.. W. H.
MAXWELL BEFORE THE FREE TRADE CLUB.
Mr.. William H. Maxwell delivered an address last
evening on the subject of the "sugar Tariff before
the New York Free Trade Club at their rooms No. II
West Twenty fourth street He said that the need OF
change in the tariff must appear to be evident TO
every one. Sugar is beyond all question one OF the
prime of modern lffe and yet, according
to the present system its introduction into the coun-
try is more heavily taxed than that of champagne or
lace any other Injuries The public dispeased
with the law it now stands. those concerned in
the trade are displeased and it is plain that the
Secretary of the Treasury is displeased since new
law has been laid before Congress bearing his in
dorsement "A general feeling PREVAILS said
the speaker, ''that this bill will favor
the interests of these traders who desire
to import at low rates the semi-refned sugars
Of Cuba and the operatives employed In the Brooklyn
refneries speak Of it that is calculated
to take the bread out of their mouths The govern
men in his opinion. ought, on the contrary to pass
such law would favor the American nianufac-
turers. In 1868 the refining business gave employ
ment to 4.597 hands, and distributed among them
S3277.2ss According to the best estimates. ten
thousand hands employed in it, and it gives
over 900 to the work ing classes.
From the free trade point of view, of course,
tinucl Mr. MAXWELL if the rehneries cannot do the
work cheaper than it can be done elsewhere they
ought to 20 to the wall. But matter Of fact they
do so. They can take any low grade and bring it
up to . high standard at as low rates the
refiners Of any other nation The best processes
in use both here and in England, and the
difference in the cost Of refining in the two
countries has been undergoing change in favor OF
be performed cheaper here than the other side OF
the Atlantic the actual cost being about cent per
and the s0sp speaker
II adopted, have the effect of raising the price Of
sugar greatly to the injury of the public by giving
sugars refined in Cuba an advantage in the market
AN ANTIQUATED SYSTEM.
The government raises about thirty per cent Of its
import revenues through the duty on this article
and it is claimed that it must always rely on it for
large part of its income But it collects the duty
now on basis that is regarded as antiquated by
Dutch system of grades. This system has been
abolished by all other governments as utterly unre-
to detect and the whole system Offering the greatest
facilities for deception. The home supply of sugar,
which forms an important element in the question.
has actually dwindled year by year, though nomi-
nally protected by very heavy tariff administered in
this way. The annual production in Louisiana is
less than one-half of what it was in 1885, when
all circumstances less favorable and the tariff
less than half its present rates
The refners want free trade but they know it is at
present unattainable Failing that they want tariff
that will discriminate in favor of low grades, which
they import cheap and refine up to high grades.
Shermans bill, on the contrary discrmnates in avor
of higher grades since rates all under No. Is alike
thus putting the American refners at disadvantage
as compared with the CuDanS Tne meaSu that
ought to be adopted such would
admit the low grades very cheaply and would pro-
tect American labor by excluding the high But
present fallscious standard and the substitution Of
the poarscope which, il not infallible, is at least
tho best method of tossing sugars yet invented
REV. JOSEPH COOK ON REPENTANCE AFTER DEATH.
The talk that preceded the lecture of the Rev.
Joseph Cook at Association Han was on the resump-
ton Of specie payments. He said that 1t was an
occasion for thanhulness that the nations promises
to pay to be met honestly in full payment
and that gold was at par. despite tho croaking
prophets who said that such an event could be
reached. He attributed this great and glorious result
mainly to the influence Of the press and the pulpit
which had prominently kept before the people the
imperative necessity Of sustaining national honesty.
After the singing of stanzas from the hymn
entitled J. Stand Up for Jesus" and prayer,
Mr.. Cook delivered his lecture Repentance
After Death" He began with the inquiry as to
he was speaking. We might not be able to say what
was hidden behind the veil OF eternity, but
able to soc the laws that worked in the character
ton on the good side and Burr was on the
bad and their characters were worked out by them
to our discernment here The same condition Of
things existed in the characters Of Bryant and Tweed
able to see how they developed their characters We
could not make Washington out of o Burr, and
we "a could not make Bryant out of q
Tweed. One of the Hindoo sayings that sin
impaired the Judgment, and that an impaired judg-
ment rapidly sins. Canon Farrsr said that there
might be an opportunity for Repentance after death
but the question to the mind when this was
suggested whether we should have any more light
to sin after death than we had before9 The
lecturer then gave number OF marvellous
illustrations Of the binding effects Of sin, but it
warped the mental vsion until there nothing in
this world utterly inexpcable to the heart of
has lecture with the claim that the translation
of the words eternal and forever in
the Bible to be taken in their gen.
eral acceptation Of meaning sgnhying endless,
and with the recital of Whttier's poem, 1.-The An
swer illustrative Of what his tthe lecturer
idea of the doctrine of eternal punishment and which
had been acknowledged by the poet recently being
what he wished to indorss In his latest thought
that subject.