The Opelousas courier., 1894-11-10
A G APPARITION.
Some Plain Facts Concerning the Sug;
RnRinnoe

Some Plain Facts Concerning the Sugar
Business.
The bugaboo which has been held up
before the public that the repeal OF
the Ubiquitous Mckinley law would be
followed by an enormous advance in
the price OF sugar has proved a myth.
There has been no advance in the
price of sugar, and there will be NO
change in the value Of that commod-
ity except such as the natural law OF
supply and demand may create. The
free breakfast table is freer than ever,
for the reaso that the excessive tax
on china, spoons, cutlery, e~arthenware
and glassware has been reduced to a
evenue basis, with incidental protec-
ton. The bogie man is a bogus ap-
partition. He has neither spurs nor
carbine. He is harmless.
There has been no advance in the
price Of sugar, even to the extent of a
nickel on a million pounds, since the
new tariff law went into effect" says
the head of a large mercantile company
of this city. The retailers have made
the trifing advance during the car
ming and fruit preserving season
this year that they made last year and
made every year. 1t Is the logical
consequence OF an extraordinary de-
mand. But the tariff legislation had
nothing to do with it, direct or remote.
There has been no increase to whole
sale purchasers, whether the demand
is for English, Scotch, German Or do
nestle product. The delay in legisla-
ton and the protracted session of con-
gress impaired business" he added,
but the new congress has not in
creased the price of sugar."
These are the plain facts in the case.
It is for these reasons that the sugar
trust and its agents, the republican
senators, fought SO vigorously for the
perpetuation Of the Mckinley law.
The refiners are restrained by the anti
trust feature of the new law from ad-
~vancing the price of the product Of
their works, and are obliged to pay
the tax which the new law provides
from the bonus the Mckinley law af-
forded them. 1t is an expensive
change to them, but not such a one as
will cripple the industry. The Amer
lean sugar refners can compete with
and conquer the world. The difference
is that TO- they have to be content
with the fair profits Of a legitimate
business. The people will no longer
be plundered for their benefit
1t having thus been shown that
there has been n % advance in the price
of sugar, it is easy to ascertain the
exact advantage of the new sugar
schedule to the people. Under the
Mckinley law a bounty of two cents a
pound a paid to sugar producers
That bounty amounted in the ag-
gregate to $12. 900, 600 last year. The
sugar retiners got a differential pro-
lection of one-half a cent a pound,
which amounted last year to $40, ooo,-
900. OF this sum not a dollar went
into the treasury, though the people
paid it in the shape of taxes on their
sugar. This tax on the food of the
people is released absolutely. On the
other hand, the new tax will produce
to the treasury $45, 600, 900 annually,
and, as there is no advance in the
price of sugar, this is a clear gain.
Adding the three sums together and
the total is SIT. 600, 900, which is the
actual gain to the people from the
change in the tax law in the matter OF
sugar.-Kansas City Times.