The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-04-20
THE TRUTH IS PERVERTED
Facts About the DifferentiaI Sugar
Duty.
THE DEMOCRATIC PURPOSE
Republicans Solely Responsible for
Any Injury it May Inflict on Trade.
Mckinley Tariff Protected the
Trust at Public Expense.
Facts in the Case.

=" 'ho ioio"lHB precious paragraph III
regard to tho discriminating duty Of
one-tenth Of cent n pound on sugar
imported from bounty paying countries:
The house of representatives re-
sponded to the presidents appeal to re-
scind tho duty and adopted his recon-
mendation,. The Democratic senate ig-
nored both the appeal and the recon.
mendation, and the obnoxious provision
remains in force"
Now. what are the facts in regard to
this obnoxious provision? In tho second
session of tho recent congress the CON
lorenzo committee of tho two houses had
agreed to its repeal, but in the peculiar
position into which the tariff bill had
fallen neither this nor any other amend.
mont could DO made without endanger-
ing the entire measure in the senate.
In accordance with this action of the
conference committee, tho house, by a
unanimous Democratic vote, passed the
bill to repeal the discriminativo duty OIL
sugar. But while sprinkling of west
ern Republicans voted for the repeal in
response to the demands and interests of
their constituents eX-Speaker Reed and
negative Among the nays were Repro
sentutive Dalzoll and number Of other
Pennsylvania Republicans, but not ono
Republican vote from Pennsylvania
was recorded i'll the affirmative. Whcth-
er these Republicans so voted merely to
ombarrass Cleveland's administration
or whether they regarded this diforen-
tial duty as proper in itself does not
clearly appear from their utterances, but
tho public has we'll grounded opinion
on the subject.
AS to the senate, its Republican mem
bers declared in formal caucus that
they would consent to no amendment of
tho tariff Ill any respect In view OF
this threat, which tho Republican sena-
tors Were able to make good, it would
have been mere waste of public time
TO attempt to repeal the DISCRIMINATING
duty on sugar Tho disposition of the
Democrats of the senate OH that subject
was reflected i'll the action of tho confer
ence committee in the previous session.
They failed to repeal the diffcrential
duty on sugar only because of the OBJ
struction of the Republican senators.
In keeping with the above quoted per.
version of the truth is the assertion i'll
tho same correspondence that tho new
tariff by this diiferential duty on sugar.
has caused" sudden reversal "of the
favorable conditions of trade with Ger
many. 1t is charged by all the organs
and orators of protection that tho new
tariff law greatly favors tho trade of
OF Germany and the rest of Europe at
the expense of the American people In
such case why should there he SO great
n clamor OH either side of tho ocean
over this trivial diiforcntial duty of one
tenth Of cent pound on sugar?
But how great and sudden has been
this reversal of conditions? The Mo
kinloy tariff imposed this differcntial
duty OH the refined sugar of bounty pay
ing countries, and the new tariff law
simply extends it TO all imports of sugar
from those countries. BY tho Mckinley
tariff the refined sugar of Germany was
excluded, and her raw beet sugar was
admitted duty free, both operations hay
ing been designed to serve tho interests
OF the Sugar trust at the expense of tho
public treasury rs well as of the con-
long rs the German agrarians had free
market for their raw beet sugar in this
country they made no complaint over
tho exclusion of the refined sugars of
the German manufacturers.
Whatever else may be said Of the diff.
fercnhal duty on sugar, its repeal in tho
last session of congress would have re-
moved a pretext of tho protectionists of
Germany and France To make war
upon the export trade Of the United
States. It's quite true that the embargo
upon American beef and cattle in Ger.
many was not the act of tho imperial
government, which has not taken ono
step against tho trade of this country
since tho new tariff was enacted, not
withstanding the agrarian clamors for
retaliation The prohibitions upon these
exports have been made i'll German sea
ports on alleged sanitary grounds But
If tho differential duty on sugar really
BIO at the bottom Of these measures, as
the proectionists of this country loudly
assert i'll spite of German official dc
mails, tho Republicans in tho senate aro
solely responsible for all tho injury that
the duty has inflicted or may hereafter
infict upon American trade. Had they
not obstinatcly barred the way the duty
would not now DO in existence. The pur.
pose Of the Democrats i'll tho last con-
gross is sufficiently attested both by the
act of tho conference committee and by
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