The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1894-06-30
SENATOR BRIoEs NERVE.

The stock jobbers in the United
States senate may be as brazon as Sem
ator BrIce would have it appear, says
the Inter Ocean, when he boasts that
there are forty three senators who will
vote for the new tariff bill and stand
by the change of date when the sugar
tariff shall go into effect from July l,
1894, to January l, 1895. But we
doubt whether there are forty-three
Democratic senators who have the
Wall street nerve developed to the
Brice standard. Mr.. Brice owes for
tune, fame and his seat in the United
States senate directly to his Wall
street nerve. 1t is not surprising,
therefore, that he should be frank
about the stock jobbing maneuvers in
the senaessapd even boast of his own
efforts in behalf of the sugar trust.
But. happilysfor the country, there
are few Brices in4the ssnate. The
majority of the senators sAas-sted
on other recommendations thar recess
in Wall street. Some of them have
fallen into temptation and have been
the victims of Brice's dazzling prom
lses of wealth, and some may have
come to the conclusion that a public
Office is the sugar trust, as Congress
man Hit has so aptly described the
present condition of the Democratic
party. But few men are so bold as
Brice to stand up and carry out openly
a stock -jobbing scheme which has been
SO thoroughly exposed as has this
change of date for the sugar tariff
schedule to cake effect.
1t may be nothing more than Dem
ocratic stupidity or revenue extremity
to again impose duty on sugar, and,
as MIR. Havemeyer admits, increase
the price of sugar to the American
consumer, but this change of date to
enable the sugar trust to bring in free
of duty all of this years sugar crop
and then sell it to the American con-
sumers with the tariff added can be
defended by no one.
1t is simply Democratic contribu-
tion of $4S.000,000 to the sugar trust
money whicn these senators and
congressman take out of the pockets
Of the people. 1t Is the one great il
lustration of the Democratic declara-
tion that the consumer pays the tariff.
Last year we imported more than
4,000,000,000 pounds of sugar. The
Importation this year promises to be
even larger, for the sugar countries
have, ever since the Mckinley law
made sugar free, been increasing their
production and shipments to the
American market.
The raw sugar will come into the
hands of the sugar trust for refining
between July !, 1894, and January l.
1895. That great combination will
buy this sugar crop of the world and
bring it into the United States free of
duty. But this crop is for next years.
consumption, and the sugar trust viii
then add the price of the tariff, which
will protect it from other refners
abroad. 1t is estimated that the aver
age tariff on sugar will be about IL
cents pound, and on 4,OO0.OO0,OO0
pounds that would place $48,0OO,000
in the pockets of the sugar trust in
exchange for the 100000 it contri-
buted to Mr.. Cleveland's campaign
fund.
The consumption of sugur by the
American people in 1892 was 62.09
pounds per capita-that is, 81 %
pounds of sugar for each man, woman,
and child in the Unitd States-and
the sugar trust would be able to tax
each one of these individuals 1.2 cents
pound entra, or 70 cents apiece. In
the average family of five this tax
would amount to 1915 year on the
breakfast table. This would be case
where the consumer paid the tax, but
not to the government. It would be
paid to the sugar trust. For a party
that went into the campaign of 1892
with the cry, equal rights to all,
special privileges to none," this is a |
wonderful transformation.