The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-01-25
THE NATIONAL SURPLUS.
It Must be Reduced-The Tax on Sugar
What ii Means

It Must be Reduced-rhe Tax on Sugar
What ii Means.
WASHINGTON, January l9.-[Speeial. l.
The carbon bird is said to be a blessing 10
mankind, and it may always be found
where the purifying carcass is. The car
cass in this city is the surplus in the Ma.
tional Treasury, and the birds of prey exist
in every form Of monopoly. This surplus
is menace to business stability, and has
been gathered from the people without
right, and fearing the indignation of public
sentiment, the vultures are devisiDg all
kinds of means to reduce the surplus rather
than TO relieve the people from the needless
taxation that has produced it. One OF
these schemes is that OF New Hampshire's
Senator, Mr.. Blair, which is labeled, 'S79.-
OOO,OO to be divided between the States
for school purposes" Another pet hobby
with many Republicans is that proposed
by Blaine, to divide the surplus to the
States for the use of the same in the State
governments. Other Republicans, after
the fashion OF John Sherman, think that
tie drain from the pockets of the people
that has created, and is still creating this
surplus at the rate of ten millions per
month, might be stopped by reducing the
revenue on whisky. There are still others
who urge large appropria ions for naval
defenses, river and harbor improvements,
and hundreds of other schemes to expend
the surplus.
What does all this mean is the question
asked by the Western farmer. II means
keep the tariff tax On the American PEG.
pie that is annually taking out of their
pockets $780, 600 more than is needed to
run the Government. The more we read
President Cleveland's Message aud study
this question the more apparent it is that
the monopolies and high tariff benefci-
aries are brought face to face with the peo-
pie and that it is fight in which the peo-
pie, will ultimately win. Seeing this, we
have the reason for all the schemes now
proposed by the leading Republicans of
the East to reduce the surplus.
EsThe war tariff has been on sugar for near
ly qUsrter OF a century. The poor grade
of sugar from the tank bottoms Is taxed
Ia cents per pound. Sugar for table uss is
taxed from 234 to 81 cents per pound, &C.
cordiDg to grade. Before the protective
craze seized upon the Republican party
this country produced 100000 tons of
sugar, as shown by the reports nov on file in
the departments here. These same reports
show that last year We produced less than
140 coo tons. These records also show that
We consumed in this country last year,
over 400 Goo tons of sugar. Take from
this the 10000 IONS produced, and we
have l, lG0, COO tons as the amount OF sugar
imported to this country, on which
the American people paid from
cents to 8 y cents per pound tariff tax.
We fiud, further, that no refined sugar is
imported bat the low grades. There are
eighteen sugar refneries in the United
States, all in favor OF keeping the tax on
sugar. Why? Last year these re6neries
exported nearly 800 100000 pounds of re.
fined sugar, on which the Government
paid back rebate of BIS cents per pound.
Besides this they are enabled to get from
? to 3 cents more per pound for their re-
fined sugar from their consumers in this
country by resson of the tariff duty.
Yet, with this gross injustice, Senator
Sherman, of Ohio, and his party associates
are not willing to take the tax Off of sugar
without providing bonus tn be paid to
these fellows out of the United States
Tressury-the money of the people. Can
the voters be deceived by such a scheme?
The tax on sugar Is now q bonus to the
importers and refners and TO change the
form of giving these monopolies that
bonus by paying il directly ont of the
Treasury of the Government will snot re-
lieve the people.