Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1891-05-07
POLITICAL READING.
The Vote on Free Sugar.

Two citizens of Burlington, one a
protec,ionist, the other democrat free
trader, in an argument upon the tariff
on sugar, referred the following to tho
Hawkeye:
/. What was the rate on sugar as
proposed in the Mills bill?
2. How did the democrats in con-
congress vote on the sugar schedule OF
the Mckinley bill?
The first inquiry is readily answered,
the second involved an unknown
amount of searching of the records OF
the fifty-frst congress, search which,
as now appears, would have been un.
house was in committee of the whole,
which does not appear on record in tho
published proceedings of the house. As
the readiest solution of the matter we
referred the inquiries to Governor Geai
and upon his return to the city from the
commercial congress at Kansas City,
received the following reply. The
data thus authoritatively obtained from
prominent member of the ways and
committee affords a good republican
text for the next two campaigns:
BURLINGTON, Iowa, April 20.
Mr.. JOHN /. WAITE,
DEAR SIR:-I am in receipt OF your
note of the 18th inst. in which You ask
the following questions: First. What
was the Mills bill rate on sugar? My
reply is that the rate on sugar provided
in the Mills" bill was sixty-eight pei
cent on raw sugar, placing the dividend
line at No. -, while the Mckinley bill
admits all raw sugars mp TO No. 16
free. The Mills rate was -. 20 per 100
pounds on all sugar above No. l3 and
up to add including No. l6. On sll
sugar above No. 10 which includes
extra &C." it was $2.SO and crushed
and granulated was left at $500 per.
100 pounds. The Mckinley bill admits
all sugar up to and including No. Is,
free And on all the high grades it
provides Il duty of a half cent per
pound, except when imported from
countries which pay an export bounty,
in which case the duty is GO cents pen
100 pounds.
My reply to your second question,
How did the democrats vote in the
house or senate Cor both) on the rate
on sugar when the Mckinley bill was
pending and the vote was taken on
that item?" When the Mills bill was
pending in the fiftieth congress Mr..
Cannon moved to make all sugar up to
No. 16, free, and on all above that
thirty cents per 100 pounds. Mr.. Can
non, myself and others supported tho
amendment with much debate, and
when the vote was taken on the free
sugar amendment of Mr.. Cannon every
Republican present voted for it, and
every democrat against it. When the
Mckinley bill was under discussion
each schedule was voted on separately,
and on the sugar schedule each and
every democrat again voted against
free sugar while all the republicans
except three or four, voted for free
sugar. There is no roll call in tho
house showing this, as all questions
pertaining to revenue are discussed in
committee Of the whole, in which there
are no roll calls. On the roll call on
the passage of the bill all the republi.
cans voted aye and the democrats nay
In the senate the finance committee re-
ported the bill. Senators Aldrich,
Jones and HiscOck voted with the dem
Ocratic members with No. IL stricken
out and inserted No. IS as free, thus
placing the line at - for free sugar,
which was in the interest of the
trust" The senate passed the bill az
reported at No. IS free and on its final
passage all the republican senators
(under the lead of Senator Allison and
Senator Sherman) except seven, voted.
for the house schedule No. l6. and ali
the democratic senators together with
seven Republicans voted to place the
line at No. -, and the bill came oven
to the house III this shape. The con.
ference committee after many days con.
ference and under the demand of the
Republican members of the house, Tin,
ally adopted the house schedule
throughout on sugar. and on the final
passage of the conference report, each
and every Republican in both houses
voted aye, and all the democrats voted
nay. The Mckinley bill gives the con-
sumner good, wholesome cooking sugar
free, and gives him the refined grades
cheaper than he has had them in the
history Of our government.
Yours Truly,
JNo. III. GEAR.
-Rm.linu.tOn Hawkeya