The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-08-21
The Distinction Discovered.

In the course of desperate struggle to
show how the tariff on sugar differs from
the tariff on other articles, the Rochester
Tribune evolves the following statement OF
"the republican doctrine of a protective
tariff"
Where revenue duties are imposed on articles
which can not be produced in this country, as
coffee, tea, ETC., in these cases the tariff is tax
on the consumer to the extent of the duty, or
when duties are imposed on articles which we
can produce only to a limited extent, so that
the price must be determined by the cost
abroad and not by competition at home as in
the case of sugar, the tariff is tax nearly to
the extent of the duty imposed. On the other
hand duty levied an imported article
which can be procured here TO the extent of
our needs does not operate as a tax on the con-
sumer, but on the contrary encourages home
industry and gives home markets, increasing
the prosperity of our people and diminishing
their burdens. Here the price is not the foreign
cost with duty added, but the lowest point for
which the article is sold by the great leveler,
competition.
This diagram OF the republican position
certainly goes far toward explaining how
tax is tax or is not a tax, according TO
what you may desire to call it, but it is
fatal thrust at the proposition that the
tax on sugar is tax. There is not the
slightest doubt that sugar "can be pro-
cured here to the extent of our needs"
All that is necessary to secure the result
is to adopt the policy of raising the duty,
which is 50 warmly advocated by the enc
mics OF British free-trade. If we should
make the duty on sugar 90 cents pound,
we w'r,4 soon be able to produce all we
wanted Ne would not want very much
at Jae price which would then be fixed,
and our agriculturists would at once
devote attention to beets and sor-
ghum, greatly developing these neg
lected industries. Besides, the people
could very we'll afford to use glu-
cose and terra alba for few years to Sc
cure the great blessing OF raising our own
sugar. Suppose this country should be-
come involved in a war with Cuba and
the Sandwich Islands What would we
do then, with our supply of sugar cut off
and no facilities for domestic production
Will these republican free-traders answer
that question?
Wecannot consent to the statement that
the price of sugar 'is determined by the
cost abroad and not by competition at
home" The price is fixed by the sugar
trust, and when it saws cup" it goes up,
up, up, and when it saws "down''-but it
says that so seldom that is is not worth
mentioning. Like all the other tariff
trusts, the sugar trust is the product of
''the great leveler, competition, under
protective tariff which shuts out foreign
competition. When the sugar magnates
found that they were refining sugar
faster than it was consumed, and
that the price was coming down,
they reasoned together that they were
chumps for so doing, and thereupon
stopped production and put the price up
to the point of foreign competition. So
likewise do all the other trusts, and thus
'the great leveler. competition" is always
leveling up, as it were, instead OF down.
The Tribune will see on reflection that
the tariff on sugar encourages home in
dustry" by raising the price of the
product, gives home markets by shut
ting out foreign competition and forcing
the people to buy of domestic producers,
and is increasing the prosperity of our
people and diminishing their burdens" by
transferring the money from the pockets
of the people to the Golfers of the trust,
Just like the tariff on other articles. 1t is
clear that the Tribune is really in favor of
the tariff on sugar. but has accidentally
attached a conclusion to its argument that
belonged to some other article. This was
doubtless the error of the intelligent com
positor, and we trust to see it rectified in
the next issue.