Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-04-24
IDAHO WORLD.
Notwithstanding q, 1891


liz "a " u w DEPAK IA HE IN SIG IL
1t Is not easy to realize the impor-
lance aud reach in the new departure
OF sugar made by the Mckinley bill
and which has gone into effect. The
Immediate effect was to chenpen
tins article of food two cents a pound.
Inc consequent saving in the cost of
living Is bound to be enormous. There
is no duty at all on the raw article.
and half a cent pound on the refined.
Just enough on the latter to save A
large branch Of home industry from
destruction and not enough, however
the rehners may combine, to enable
trust to defeat the practical effect
OF what is practically free sugar.
The lessening in household ex-
penses could hardly have been dis
tributed as evenly in any other way
The price Of this article was so low
even under the old tariff, that the use
OF 1t was practically universal, meas
ured only by the actual desire for it.
There is no form in which the same
amount of nourishment can be nro-
cured Tor less money. The most high
priced sugar is cheaper than the
cheapest meat, or even than bread,
with butter 10 make it psIatable
lhe average consumption of sugar
throughout the country is not far from
hlty-hye pounds year for every man
woman and child, and by adding the
molasses it would be at least sixty
pounds per capita.
The old rate of duty was nearly so
per cent, ad uaiorem, and here was
case IN which the tariff was a tax, for
the reason that, Notwithstanding pro
lection, the home production supplied
only small part of the amount re.
CURED, less than one-twelfth. The
area of the country suited to sugar
raising is SO exceedingly small that
domestic competition could not pos.
sibly DO carried far enough to affect
the price. Salt, for example, was
brought down in cost by the duties
levied on the imported article, and
so lar from being tax, in any prop
or sense of the term, the salt tariff
proved TO be aud has steadily con.
tinued to be blessing to the con
sumer But the sugar tariff not only
increased the cost of the imported ar.
ticle but equally the cost of the do,
mestio article.
There are to-day only two classes
of duties, First and chief are those
levied for protection, which either do
already produce domestic competi-
ton which actually oheapens the cost
to the consumer, or has that for it's
ultimatum. Salt may be mentioned
as having attained that object, and
TIN or flax as having that end definite
~ and hopefully in view. The sec
ond class are levied on luxuries
which ars in their nature hurtful, as
wines and brandy. The time has
gone by when any duty need be lev
led for revenue only. These two
glasses meet all the revenue require
ments OF the government The sugar
tariff did not belong to either class
1t constituted a class by itself. 1t was.
indeed, levied for protection and was
protective, and its protection was so
important that its protective feature
had to be made good by the payment
O. bounty, but no amount Of pro
lection could increase the domesti,
product to the point where home
competition would determine the
market price of the article. 1t j.
equally true that to have given the
people free sugar, and there an end.
would have been absolute and ire
,rievable ruin to sugar raising as 3
branch of agriculture in the Unitee
states. As rule the bounty system
5 bad and indefensible, but there is
ardly any rule to which there is MOI
t least one exception. That a broa /!
rincIple Of applied political econom,
hould have only one exception in = q,
opntry 50 vast as ours and 50 yarieds