New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-06-07
SUGAR TRUST SCHEDULES.
SENATOR sHERMANs KEEN ANALYSIS
OF THE DECKER.
AN ELEMENT OF FRAUD INTRODUCED - The
TRUST RECEIVES MORE PROTECTION
UNDER TIE GoRMAN BILL THAN
UNDER THE MKINLEY ACT
Fran, ennatnr Sherman,s sneech in the Senate.

May 81.
Many of the objections made to an ad val9re I'm
the experience of the Treasury Department. ne
sugar reners and the sugar importers ahe wess
guilty of frauds In coloring sugar In the process
of manufacture in order to reduce It's grace 20 the
lowest Dutch ny the S Ns a1 other coun
tries the Dutch standard In color Is the meast th
enysr advances in color to white it advances in
grade and usually in value. Bat for a time me
producers of sugar abroad the suggestion OF the
manufacturers in this country, added In the process
of manufacture coloring matter so as 10 reeuGe
the grade OF sugar by the Dutch STANDARD oID-
sequently "A new standard was invented by an IN
genious chemical test. which is called the po,a,,h
scope by which the value and saccharine strength
Of sugar is measured In 1878 the Treasury Depart,
ment undertook to defeat me lIauos VIII" M Trees
conceded to have been committed upon the iae1aa r
ury. and the polariscope test was applied IN Irrr
The result was that the importers made claims that
the Treasury Department had no power 10 r Imans
Standard Finally the matter brought to the
Supreme Court of the United States, ana tnat
by the refners and by the importers-that the
Treasury Department had no power 10 Apply r ahy
other test except the Dutch standard, ana unuer
the r srv Of tne United states The Supreme
Court were divided upon the question majority
being in favor Of the position | have mentioned
justice ile MattheWs and Mr. Justice Harlan gave very
strong opinions on the other side AZ an eyentsd
the result was that Congress subsequently ADOPTED
the poarscope as the test; and now 1t Is the test
Of sugar not only among the reilners' but among
shall not read the decision of the Court. which
have here before II IS scarcely necessary that
Mr. President the Tariff bill as it stands T6rs before aGs
one-eghth of cent per pound on all sugars above
No. Is Dutch standard. and one-tenth OF cent d
foreign Countries wish now to call TO the attention
of Senator's and especially TO those on the other sue
contained in the bill This Is the amendment pro-
posed by the Senate committee: 49, It'll n
ION and after January ]. 1898, there shail ps
levied collected and paid all sugars and on all
tank bottoms, syrups OF cane or beet juice, meadai
molasses duty Of 20 per cent ad valorem"
one popularity Of this amendment Is that II was
not drawn by ordinary lawyer. II was drawn Dy
Sth sugar The Dutch standard of color here in
troduc.d suppants all the standards Of color when
had been fixed by this and other nations, tested ny
The polariscope and Il subjects vast amount OF
varying widely from each other. The poorest OF
this sugar worth less than half OF the Ordinary
Clement OF fraud which would defeat not only the
revenue Of the Government but all the protection
which is given In the bill to the sugar planters OF
the South - -. -,
The BIZ provides for duty OF 40 per cent az
valorem Then it gives in addition one-eighth of
cent TO the sugars which come into competition
Is the cunning OF this whole proceeding: mere Is a
duty Levied for the oenet 81 ppnetS,,on with
the sugars Of the Sugar Trust that Is those ABOVE
A. once changed the duties become specific and
there is then given 10 the refner protective duty
are brot,g5, into this country sufficient exclude
all the gh grades Of sugar and 70 compe an the
SUMPTION Of our country to so through the refining
process The honorable Senator from Tennessee
him him for it, ana other Senators feli into this error
nat ,h.T onGsH nm 81 G' ~ M 2 Tencrs
Instead OF that. they have. under the protection
Of % per cent al yalorem o. all the low s5sde:
least f0leJ per cent or 40 per cent aldiio'di'
nners import the raw sugars worth anout ~
cents a pound. The higher grades OF sugars ar.
SnT the lover grades Of sugar Below No s Dutch
siandarl they bring them INTO this country anu
they ge he bench, Of the protec,ion Of 20 per
cent They pay the duty on raw sussr iTp .,da
and thus have the benei, q the duty on me az Io
vsnccd grade u sugar. The difference between tne
values ot sugars below the Duich sIahdaEa o, am
Forty per cen, OF that IS four-tenths OF cent
pound. They get that az well "a the specinc duty
Of oue-cghth OF cent per pound
Ther. Is. however. another darkey in the wood
pIh,,h is IN thy nature OF bounty glvcn in Euro
pean countries to encourage sugar refining the re-
them one-tenth OF d cent a pound ailltionai;, %
the total protection tha; IS given by tnls n.ii IN
IA sum simple that every boy VIII uhieIst3nLL
IT, equal TO hve-eshths q cen; pound w wHcn
can be 70 getting around these Hgures. Ihe rev
enue duty OF 80 per cent %as supposed 20 naye , ne
principal thing that the refners want The com
spesnc iuty and hat foar;enths OF cent
pound or 50 per al yalorem. Is the difference
which gives them this enormous protection IN the
aggregate OF nve-eghths OF a cent a pound. Here
is another thing. The committee have fallen mo
an about this matter, aad ! fell 1t my duty
to call their attention to II; as had some expert
ence at my cost IN regard to ne strIsS,e when
| have mentioned in the Treasury lepartmenI
when the Government was competed 70 re.u h
100000 TO men who were not entitled TO II by
any just and fair rullrS
Tho sugar rciners buy the cheapest sugars In
the market the lowest gTales h"y fI y -
| said. reduced the grade by mixing coloruH mat.
the benefit OF the 20 per cent difference between
the value of raw and refined sugar All OF them
below No Is Dutch standard and the refined
sugars that run mp to No. 20 Dutch standard, me
general proposition. That would vary, es a matter
OF course. sometimes more and sometimes less
The renner who huys the sugar at 2ia cents
a pound brings It into this country and reiines
II. gets the benefit and he sells his sugar on the
market for probably >. D or cents A pound or
thc Ecncnt ' OF this 10 per- cent upon all the
brought into the country. | have among the
Of refined sugar brought Into this country during
a certain period OF time Was about l,iO tons WINE
the refined sugar made here amounts 70. ! was
clsey what the amount Is. but II Is enormous.
Mr. President the refining OF sugar is now under ,h,r
the control Of probably The largest trust IN .h,s
country, or among the larHesi computations IN ms
country. few years ago most or the sugar S ire re-
property all their rchneries 10 syndicate. | have
before mo now list ~ renneres and their value
years ago. when SHOWS tha me - & .n ~ ~
Of the plant at that time was %FtgOo that the
G501O0 and that they closed certain dsmantled re-
hnercs order 10 prevent competition, which were
valued at $4,000. They then proceeded pracU-
cally to control the great body OF the sugar re-
nnlng In the country.
Mr. President, we dealing with a powerful
corporation which has dealt In times past with
the Government with great harshness and severity,
taking advantage OF every possibility OF fraud 10 .
my own knowledge; denounced by the Supreme
Court for doing what the court thought II could
not correct that Is. artihcally coloring sugar In
order to evade the custom laws; then organized
into a trust OF the most powerful character. max
ing a combination 10 control and influence the
action OF Congress- then coming here and recev,
ing from the Senate five-eighths of cent a pound
as protection to their industry, when have here
the figures, showing clearly. conclusivey. and be-
vond dispute, that the entire cost OF refining Is
only hve-tenths OF d cent. including the Interest