The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1891-09-05

Pittsburg Post.

Pittsburg Post
A correspondent asks us if the
Mckinley bill has reduced the price
of sugar. That certainly appears TO
be the case to the extent it has re-
duced the sugar duty or tax. Sugar
is cheaper because the tax is taken
of, just as tin plate, pig iron, wooden
and cotton clothing and other nee
essaries and comforts of life would
be cheaper if the customs tax on
them was reduced or repealed. Still
there is small duty on refined SUI
gar in common use of so cents per
100 pounds which goes to the benefit
of the sugar trust, as sugar is rein
ed as cheaply in this country from
the imported free sugar as abroad.
A tax, however, is levied on the peo-
Pile, as pert Of this free sugar pol
icy of the Mckinley bill, to pay. a
bounty of 2 cents per pound to
American made sugar 1t is estimat-
ed that this tax this year will amount
to $12, 100000. As there is but one
way in which this $12,000,000 can
be secured, and that way is by tax
ing the people, it may be put down
as partial set-of to the advantages
of free sugar. Summed up, the re-
finers get their raw sugar free, but
consumers of sugar pay protective
tax to the sugar trust of so cents
per 100 pounds, and are further tax
ed to pay $12,000,000 sugar boun-
ties, which will be increased if the
law stands to $50,000,000 in "a few
years.
Our correspondent will no doubt
observe that in their claim the repeal
of the sugar duties by the Mckinley
bill has reduced the price of sugar,
the republicans admit that tariff du-
ties are tax and that they are paid
by the American consumer. Some of
the more ignorant or brazen protec-
tionists have hitherto held that Gus
tom duties were not tax and that
they were paid by the importer.
They give up this position in lauding
the advantages of the reduction of
the sugar tax by the Mckinley bill.
Another thing should not he lost
sight of. The sugar duties, which
we're a revenue tax rather than a
protective tax, yielded the treasury
about 100000 year. As under
the raids of the Billion Congress the
surplus left by Cleveland has been
gobbled, and the revenues of the
government to-day are but little, if
any, in excess of its increased ex-
penses, the revenue resulting from
the sugar tax must be made up from
some other source. Only in one way
can money reach the treasury, and
that is by taxation through the peck
cts of the people. The $50,000,000
sugar tax that has been RENTED,
causing a lowering in the price of
sugar must therefore be made good
by some other form of taxation. This
will be absolutely necessary if the
increased scale of pension appropria-
tions is kept up, and there is no pur-
pose to reduce them. Hence the talk
of an income tax.
The whole thing lies in a nutshell.
With pension appropriations increas-
ed to $150,000,000 year, the ex
penditures of the Federal govern
ment in round figures may be set
down at $300,000,O00 The appro.
priations for the current year exceed
this. The revenues from all sources
last year amounted to about the
same. Strike from this $52,000,000
taxes received from sugar, 1854, 0OO,-
600 including the sugar bounty and
a big hole is left in the national bal
ance sheet that must be filled up.
There is but one way to do that, and
that is by taxation. There is no
royal road to fill the treasury, but
there are plenty of royal roads and
lots Of fun in emptying it.