The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-02-09
WILL CRUSH THE TRUST.
1t Is an Insolent Aggregation
Depressing the Poor.
HARD WORK ON THE TARIFF BILL
The Democratic Senators Expect to
Be Able TO Report the Measure
Early Next Week.

subject which to-day occupied Inc cnleI
attention of MessTs. Jones of Arkansas,
Vest and Mills, the subcommittee of the
Democratic mem ers of the Finance Com
mittee, who are at work in secret session
upon the tariff bill. IL is probable that
this subject will continue to occupy the
attention of these gentlemen in their star
chamber sessions for several days to come.
Representatives Of the sugar-reining trust
have already been heard from by letters
addressed TO mem bers OF the Finance Com
mittee, both Democratic and Republican.
MIR. Havemeyer himself put in an appear
ance in Washington to-day, and has con-
suited with several members OF the Finance
Committee. The speculative interests con-
uected with the subject of sugar have the
natural effect of making members
of the committee extremely reticent
upon this portion of the bill, but
it is evident that the leading spirits in
controlling the Democratic ma jOrity OF the
Finance Committee are animated by a
spirit Of hostility 10 the sugar trust.
The sugar refiners. as already stated,
wish slightly higher duty placed upon
The refined product than may be placed
upon raw sugar, in order. as they say. to
compensate for dirt aud other waste
material which is invariably found in raw
sugar. The retiners ask for an additional
duty en- refined sugar of 81 mills per
pound, but until to-day it seemed likely
that they would be granted by the COM
mittee an additional duty of only l mill
per pound above the duty on raw sugar,
which was expected TO be l cent per
pound.
The argument has been made before
committee that this discriminating duty in
favor of refined sugar is not only neces-
sary because Of waste material in the raw
product, but is advisable because of the
margin of profit allowed to the refner by
the discriminating duty on his product,
while the narrow margin will be sufficient
to stimulate refining and Will so encourage
importation of raw sugar for the use of
refners as greatly to increase the revenues
of the Government from the duty on raw
sugar
If the same duty were placed on refined
as Cd raw sugar the situation would be
the same 80 the refiner as If both were
free, and the result would be the ruin of
every refinery in the country. That is ex-
exactly what Chairman Voorhees, OF the
Finance Committee wishes TO accomplish.
authority for so stating. The authority is
a member of the Ways and Means Com
mittee OF the House, who held a CONVEX
satiOn with Senator VOORHEES, to-day
upon this subject. The Representative ap-
preached Senator VOORHEES, for the pur-
pose OF urging upon him a measure which
had been suggested by the representatives
of the sugar trust and which provided for
lad a. ,,ri L.
sixteen Dutch standard. The highest gra-
dalton of duty proposed being mills
for the finest grade of sugar, Senator
Voorhees, turned sharply to his visitor
from the other branch Of Congress and
said:
You received this suggestion from Mr..
Havemeyer or from some other represen-
tative of the sugar trust. The sugar trust
is l0athsome aggregation of capital de-
signed 10 eXtort money FROM the people. /
tell you now that when the tariff bill is
brought before the full Finance Commit
tee ! shall submit a proposition to place a
duty on raw sugar one-quarter of a cent
higher than the duty Oh refined. Ibelieve
that the proposition will be adopted by
the committee. 1t certainly will be adopted
If l can bring that result about. | want to
XIII the sugar trust absolutely"
These words are here recorded as they
were repeated TO your correspondent by
the Representative to whom they were
uttered. Voorhees, threats do not agree
with the best information obtainaDle to-
day from other sources, which is that the
Democratic subcommittee has practically
agreed 10 grant the refners an additional
duty in their favor of one mill per pound
above the duty of one cent per pound on
raw sugar.
Mr.. Mills, during the secret sessions OF
the Democratic subcommittee. has con-
stantly before him copy Of the Walker
act as well as Of his own bill which passed
the House Ia 1888. lis Mr.. Mills idea to
extend the ad valorem principle even
further than was done by the Ways and
Means Committe. and for this purpose he
is going carefully over every schedule and
holding frequent consultations with Sec
rotary Carlisle, who has force of Treas
ury clerks at work figuring up the prob
able revenues Of the Government based
upon the contemplated extensions in the
Wilson bill Of the ad valorem method.
The substitution proposed by Mr.. Mills
of ad valorem for specific duties has, &C
cording to the calculations made by
treasury experts, led to some curious re-
suits. One of these absurditles was the
demonstration that the ad valorem scheme
proposed by Mr.. Mills for taxing sugar
would result in an equivalent specific duty
of 2 cents on raw sugar and halt cent a
pound on refined. 1t is needless to say
that Mr. Mills abandoned this particular
scheme Of reform"
The purpose Of the subcommittee APP
pears TO be to bring before the full COM
mittee and into the Senate bill which
shall be more satisfactory in producing
revenue than the measure which passed
the House. If they could attain suffi-
Gent degree Of success in this effort the
income tax might be dropped out of the
bill. That, however, is now conceded ia
be most unlikely.
Democratic members of the Finance
Committee were louder to-day than ever
in their predictions that they would be
able to report the bill to the Senate by the
middle of next week. The adjournment
of the Senate to-day until Monday was for
the purpose OF giving the Democratic
Senators leisure to consult with the mem.