The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1894-11-03
SUGAR LEGISLATION.
How Republican LAwD HAVE Robbod the
People.

| SUGAR LEGISLATION.
Hsw Republican Laws Have Robssd tn.
People.
| There has been SO much republican miorep-
| resentation OF the now sugar schedule end 50
| much effort 20 confuse tho public mind that 1t
is wonder that some are ourprised to fnd
that the sussr schedule of the tarin reform bin
| is q distinct ana emphatic triumph for tariff
.er'T r% e. me PEST ST. way to explain the sugar
| There are three stages OF sugar legislation
the republican stage before the Mckinley bill,
| the stage OF the Mckinley bill and tho present
| new stage OF the democratic tariff reform bill
| The sugar tariff before the Mckinley bill was
| so-called revenue tariff oil sugar coming
| into the United States. 1t was q graduated
scale Of duties rising with the quality or grade
cents per pound.
These dutaes. while chiefly for revenue,
ana sugar growers, but that was popuiarIy
supposed TO be their only protective feature
| there was any proteotion for the sugar re-
liners There was, however. hidden in that
lection for the renner. How much it amounted
to was not generally known It was not public
property; 1t was probably one-half cent q
pound But the protection was there. 1t was
part OF the protective system OF the repub-
l1can party to protect refners and sugar farm
sar i % MUCH ''r the nrs' stage OF the sugar
Nov comes the Mckinley bill. The repub-
1can party, when 1t went into power after 1883.
found the government in the possession OF a
very large revenue. It had hundred millions
OF dollars year surplus. The republicans
saw that that was q temptation to the people
and to their enemy. the democratic party. to
cut down tho protective tarin, because as the
government had moro money than it wanted,
1t was perfectly natural that 1t should down
the taxes. and nrst of all the protectiye tariff
taxes To remove that teuptation and protect
protection the repu blicanS then in power made
up their minds to wipe out the surplus first by
largely increasing tho expenditures OF the
government by raising tho expenditures to the
biilion-doliar figure: but that they did not
think enough. so they also cut down the in
como OF the government by cutting OF the
revenue part OF the tarin on sugar ssoooo.ooo a
create u dcacit. and they actually turned a
surplus OF sl0o.0oo,0oo into dehcit OF
the people to cut down protective taxes.
But they did not want to injuro the protec-
tive feature OF the sugar schedule They did
not want to take off the protection to the re-
0ners. Mark. however, that the situation IN
the refining business had changed We did not
make much objection to this protective duty in |
the old time partly because most people knew |
nothing about it, and partly because that |
time refining was free and the competition |
among refners very lsccn and kept prices !
down. But before tho Mckinley bill went into
operation that hud been changed The compc-
titioa had ceased, and the sugar trust had |
risen up and made refining practical moaop-
oily. The Mckinley people wanted to give the
trust big protective duty on sugar, but they
old not want the government to get any
was that the Mckinley bill arranged that all
raw sugar coming into the country should
come in tree. but no refined sugar sugar
that could compete with that produced by tho
trust could como in free
Mckinley gave the trust the advantage OF
trusts product. He gave the free sugar to the
trusts and the protected sugar the people
one-tenth OF . cent extra If it came from Ger
n1eny or France, on the theory that those coun |
tries paid bounttes to their sugar growers. But
while this arrangement provided we'll for tho
trust. the removal OF the duties on raw sugars
took away tho protection OF Louisiana sugar
growers. This led to that extraordinary feat !
IRE OF the Mckinley bill creating q bounty OF |
Two cents q pound on all sugar raised by the
farmers OF Louisiana, Nebraska, California |
and Vermont. It was the first bounty ever |
created in America, and it will doubtless be
he last. So that was the situation in the Nc |
1inley bill The Mckinley bill made the sugar |
AK q pure protective tax for the first time In |
he history OF the country and created q boun-
y system Sugar was now openly protected. |
There was stra1ght-out duty OF half cent |
>er pound on refined sugar.
Nov, how did the republicans represent this |
'ct1on TO the people! They went before the
COUNTRY with the cry Of free sugar when they
lad only made free the raw material OF the |
rust. ana when they had given q protection OF |
lan . cent or six-tenths per pound, which the 6
lection OF 1892 on the theory free sugar when |
Or tho first time in the history OF this country
lie, and that for the bene1t OF the sugar trust :
lone. The reason the people were deceived =
arty would deliberately deceive them BY such
statement but that is what the republican ,
arty did. They were aided in their deception
y the lower price OF sugar. AS two and one
ali cents revenue duty had been taken of =
ugar, OF course the market price OF sugar was l
over, Notwithstanding the fact that the peo- |
le were taxed half q cent by Mckinley for the
enefit of the trust.
Nov We come to the third stage OF this bill | '
'hich we have just passed. The tariff reform ! l
rs OF congress want absolute FREQ sugar, and | =
hey will get It II the people vote for tariff re- | !.
orm this fall. But they found the sugar trust |
in the senate. Now what 1t in 9
-euched behindY It was intrenched behind 4
. old friends, the solid republican party, the T
lends who had first protected, ind, therefore,
created it, and few protectlon1sts |
no call themselves democrats, but who by no t
,sts that now prevail are democrats. 4
But did the tart6 reformers fail2 Were | =,
ley defeated? Not At all: by means de- .
'ated The democrats were not oble to get J.
90 sugar this time, but they got great deal | a
lore than the protectionist majority wanted | b
give. They did not destroy the sugar trust, | r
at they hold the battlefield themselves, and
le essential difference between the Mckinley
aRar tariff and the new sugar tariff is just d
lis: The Mckinley tariff gives the sugar h
ust half cent protection. That half cent =
rejection OF tho Mckinley bill has been re-
aoed TO about three-tenths OF a cent by the G
~ bill The protective duty OF the McIkin- s.
y bill has been reduced one-third In our bill. p
hat Is what We got by lighting, We did not =
It the whole OF our demand any moro than we :.
u free iron ore or free coal, but reduced II
on ore from seVenty-hve to forty, coal from v
to forty, and VIC reduced sugar
ON fifty thirty.
The protectionists also included in the new o
o revenue duty OF 40 per cent raw sugar Ii
the avowed ground that the government | d
edod the money! RddiSiora to he | I.