The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1894-09-07
Washington Letter.
rom Our Regular Correspondent.

WASHINGTON, September 3.-Secretary Car
Isle is probably doing the hardest work of his
life, while the President and most of the other
members of the cabinet are seeking the recrea-
ton they earned by their hard work during the
long session of Congress. 1t is the administra-
tion of the new tariff law that is keeping Secre-
tary Carlisle in Washington and working him
so hard Every hour brings kilograms stating
questions that must be submitted to the Secre-
tary before being answered and every mail
are important to the general public, although
they are very important to individuals and
must be carefully Strengthened out as the Sec
retary's decision will set precedent which
may involve the gain or loss of thousands of
dollars to the government. Probably the most
important de cision that Secretary Carlisle has
yet made was that stopping the payment of the
sugar bounty on the day the new law went into
effect regardless of when the application for
the bounty was made. This decision principal
ly affects the beet sugar makers, who claim
that they should be paid the bounty upon all
sugar made before the repeal of the bounty
law went into effect, and who are making
strong efforts to get Secretary Carlisle to
change his Interpretation of the law, although
it also catches this years crop of maple sugar.
Upon this decision will depend whether about
$500, 900 remains in tine Treasury or is paid out
to the sugar people.
Speaking OF sugar, there is belief here that
a clause in the new tariff bill opens u way to
keep the sugar trust from raising the price of
sugar to an outrageous figure. The bill pro-
vides for a 40 per cent ad valorem duty upon
raw sugar and an additional One-eighth of acent
a pound on all sugar above number 10 Dutch
standard in color and upon all sugar that has
been discolored- in plain English, upon refined
sugar. But in the next paragraph it is provid-
ed that the duty upon all sugars after being re-
fined when "tinctured, colored or in any way
adulterated" shall be 80 per cent. ad valorem.
Under this last paragraph it is believed that re-
fined sugar can be brought in, us it would be
easy to color it in some harmless manner. If
this shall turn out to be correct it would COM
pei the sugar trust to keep its prices within
bounds for fear of the foreign competition. OF
course it will depend largely upon the con-
struction put on the last named paragraph by
the customs officials of the Treasury depart
ment. The difference was intended to be made
solely for the benefit of confectioners who de-
sired to use foreign refined sugar, and the off,
cials may interpret it to mean that only sugar
for the use of confectioners can be imported
under it.
The departments are all closed to-day, Con-
gress having at the last session made the first
Monday i'll September legal holiday, to he |
known as Labor Day. The day was celebrated
by the Labor organizations which all took |
part in big street parade.
Lots of tomfoolery is being sent out of Wash |
ingtOn concerning the alleged discOrd among |
the Democrats who compose the Congressional |
committee. There is no discord in |
the committee, which Is doing all that it was |
expected to do in the campaign. Secretary |
Gardner, who is constantly at the committee |
headquarters, said when asked what he thought |
of the outlook st all depends upon the tariff |
bill Nearly every Congressional district in the |
United States is Interested in some way or an |
other in this tariff bill. paragraph which |
will please the people in one district will not |
please those in adjoining districts. What will |
suit the voters OF an Eastern State will not be |
on the Pacific coast. So you can |
see how difficult it is to forecast results until