Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-06-18
And on the subject of the sugar bounty
he says, in the same able paper:


The bill proposed to admit free of duty, all
sugar up to and including No 16 Dutch stand>
| ard in color, and pay to the sugar prodncers IN
| this country bounty of cents per pound eac
year until July, l, 1905, on their product. Last
wear these grades ofsugar, which are now made
free yielded to the Government SD. So, ,l0l, all
| of which is now to be surrendered, and the su-
gar industry is to become an annual charge
upon az the People WRG are engages are a i
portant and all OF which are fully as merftori'
GUS as this one.
| In 1888, which is the last year for which we
have complete returns, the sugar product in
this country was ,sT pounds, SO that
even if there should be no increased produc-
tion under the bounty system the sum which
the people are compelled to donate each year
for the support of this favored industry Will be
ST. $50 600 or Sl13 600 600 during the fifteen years
But the very object of the bounty is to eucour-
aye the production of this article, and its ad-
vocates claim that in few years 1t will result
in domestic supply aqual to the whole de-
mand for home consumption. In addition to
| the home product we imported and consumed
| during the last fiscal year 27OO,i2i 5O2 pounds
of sugar not above No. 16 in color, making a
total annual consumptioN, including domes.
tic and imported, of 3.O76 G77, ,079 pounds, and
| therefore If the system results as ITS ADVOCATES
ury will be s6l ,52S,426, even without any in
crease in the amount how consumed.
We protest against the gross favortism and
Injustice of such a policy. and we deny the
moral or constitutional right of the Govern
ment to tax the people who grow corn, wheat,
IL
for the purpose OF raising money to be given
to those who produce sugar or any other arti-
Gle. The bounty provisions contained In this
bill are confessions that the whole system
which it seeks to strengthen and extend Is q
system of determinations between the various
productive industries of the sountry-a system
which imposes charges upon some for the sup.
| port of others, and disregards every principle
Of justice and equality in distributing the bur-
| dens of taxation.
The duties imposed upon imported SUI gar
even at the present rates, are mainly fer reve-
| nue. and about nine-tenths of the charge up
| on the people on account of these duties goes
| into the public Treasury for the support OF the
| Government and only One.tenth can be added
| to the prices of the domestic product. The tax,
| therefore, is far more just and equitable than
| the taxes on cotton and WoOlen goods, linen
goods and many other articles now subject to
high rates of duty and which this bill proposes
to make still higher, because in these cases the
conditions are reversed. and the Government
receives snail proportion only of the total
amount the people ere compelled to pay.
| While we believe the duties on sugar are TOO
high, and that a reduction ought to DE made,
| we cannot see The justice or propriety of max
| ing this revenue article entirely free and pay
| ing bounties upon its production, in order to
afford an excuse for the imposition of addi-
tai taxss to the amount OF about $4,000 0CO, on
| the neces saries of life embraced in the other
| schedules.
To illustrate: a and 3 are farmers; A
raises tobacco and 3 coeoons fror which
silk is produced. A raises LOCO po1nds oi
tobacco; the tax at cents amounts to $40,
the most of which, if not all, as we have
shown, comes out of E. 3 rates 1,00C
pounds OF cocoons; the Government under
this bill promises to pay him cents for
each pouId raised. On his crop Of 1 ,GGC
pounds he would therefore realize from the
Treasury alone S70 and still he has hi!
cocoons to sell in the markets at the market
price. How does tho account stand betweeI
them?
A works hard for twelve and even four
teen months on his tobacco crop Befor:
it is marketed it ia mortgaged to the Gov
ernment for $40 of tax 3 sells his crcp o
cocoons and puts the money in his pocket
and then walks up to the Treasury Of th,
| United States and demands his $40 bolnts
granted under this bill; that is, he goa thi
$40 that AS tobacco had to pay in tax t.
the Government and $50 additional. whici
also is partly paid by a.
Can such nopstrous system of taxatio
as this receive the sanction of the people o
the country, by which one man il impover
isbed to enrich another, and under whic,
the people of Virginia, white end black
who mako their scant bnt honest livelihoot
flom tobacco, are compelled thus to pa.
tribute of their penury that the silk. grow
ers, clad in purple aud foe linen, nay ''faI
sumptuously every day" end build up thei
colossal fortunes?
So with sugar. Under this bill the GOV
ernment makes you pay cents if you rais
a pound of tobacco, and it gives you 2 cert
4 if you raise a pound of sugar. Is this Iigh
and fair to the tobacco-growei! VIII