The evening times., 1895-08-06
BOWLER AND THE BOUNTY
Continued from First Page.
by the first Congress and signed by George

by the first Congress and signed by George
Washington.
The Mckinley bill, in the sugar bounty
clause, inaugurated a broad national policy
for the benefit and welfare of the whole
people. The sugar bounty act Of the last
Congress appropriated S5,000,000 for the
welfare and exclusive benefit of a few
sugar producers. That appropriation was
not made in pursuance of wise public
policy. with the purpose in view or sup
plying the American people with domestic
sugars and saving to them over S1O0, ,0OO,-
600 paid annually to foreigners. 1t Ia an
appropriation lobbied through Congress for
the special benefit OF a few sugar plant
ers, who had money enough to fee the
lobby, employ eminent counsel, marshall
the Louisiana Congressional delegation in
midsummer, and purchase the columns of
venal newspapers to traduce honest. cour-
ageous public Officers who stand between
the peoples money and the audacious
boodlers
This appropriation is a gift, dona-
ton. pure gratuity, and is the most
fragrant impudent and audacious example
of special class legislation ever enacted
by Congress. If the NICK inley law. which
enacted broad national policy for the
benefit and welfare of the American
people was "unconstitutiunei, a robbery
and n fraud what Is this act of special
class legislation which appropriates 50,
900 900 for the exclusive benefit of few
individuals?
SETTLEMENT NOT LAWFUL.
Should Comptroller Bowler decide 10
allow the payment of this sum to the sugar
bounty booders, the Treasury will not be
able TO make la awful settlement OF the mat
ter, for the reason that there is no such basis
furnished by these importunate and "a
pacious bounty beggars upon which the
accounting and disbursing officers can
act.
II the constitutional question which, to
say the least. Is doubtful, Were wholly
disregardet; the Comptroller would not
Be justified in violating the well-estab-
lished usages, rulings and precedents of
his office by authorizing the Issuance Of
warrants based upon accounts the cor
rectness of which The Government has no
means of verifying. All these claims upon
which psssr.=at has been demanded have
been made out by the claimants themselves
without any supervision whatever by any
Government official.
The sugars upon which bounty was paid
under the Mckinley act were tested by the
polariscope and weighed by Government
officials. The sugars for which pay
ment is claimed under the fiye-million-dol-
lar gratuiiy appropriation We're not tested
and weighed officially by Government Of
ficers. but il is alleged We're weighed and
tested by the Planters Sugar Bounty
Bureau" The statements of tests and
weights of claimants sugars are not au-
thorized by law, are not authenticated by
Government officers, but are wholly ex
parte.
BOUNTY SEIAR ALREA DY SOLD
Between 90 and 95 per cent of the sugar
for the production of which bounty is now
asked has long since been sold and delivered
and could not he located or identified
That remaining in stock will be examined
and inspected by the special force appointed
to assist the collector in New Orleans, who
is charged with the adjudication of ella inls
A liberal policy was adopted by the Gov
ernment toward the sugar planters The
latter are allowed to offer in evidence bills
Of iading and any pa pers showing the conf
nercial weight of sugar sold which will
be considered as cumulative testimony in
settling the claim.
In addition, the affidavit Of business
managers, foremen, and those in charge
OF plantations tending to show that the
planter actually produced the sugar on
which he asks bounty, may be filed Any
testimony collected to corroborate the
original claim is accepted for considera ton.
But the planters were not satisfied with
this unusually fair treatment, but raised
an uproar to the effect that the Government
should take their weight as given by their
,wn bureau and require no further evil
ience 1t is safe to say that this course
hn