The Saint Paul globe., 1896-10-19

When Mr.. German and his senatorial
junta of hold-ups had reversed the ac-
tion of the house, which had struck
out the provision for a tax of five
twentieths of a cent pound on sugar
imported grading above number 16,
Dutch standard, making sugar free or
tax, and forced upon the house an ac-
ceptance of the 40 per cent ad valorem
tax and one-eighth and one-tenth of a
cent pound specific additional taxes.
the sugar trust felt that whatever in
VeStment it had made to secure this
was good one, and it could consider
that its title to the United States was
incontestable. 1t accordingly proceeded
to arrange the terms on which the GOOD
people Of this free country who use
sugar might obtain it through the dis
tributive agency of the wholesalers
and retailers, and the prices they might
be permitted to pay for it.
Instead of selling outright to the
trade, leaving the latter free to make
what prices it pleased, the trust ap-
pointed the wholesalers its factors OF
agents, making them assume, however.
all risks of collection or other losses.
and forbidding an expense account to
be charged up to it, The agents"
were required to pay for the invoices
of sugar within thirty days, ''the ad-
reclamation upon us the trusO and
to be due in any event" Another pro-
vision prohibited these agents from
selling at less than our daily quota
tions with freight added from refining
point to point of sale Gas per equality
rate book nor on more liberal terms
as to credits or cash discounts" Then.
when the agent sent in his affidavit
that he had fulfilled the terms, the
trust agreed to pay a commission of
3-16 of cent a pound and, ''in addi-
tion thereto you are to retain the profit,
if any, over the advance made as above
provided" Failure to comply with the
conditions forfeited the commission.
This ukase seems to have pleased
the wholesalers, as it made sugar sell
ing comfortably free from that com
petition that sometimes resulted in
losses and always kept the margins
close, and the plan is to be continued
unless some disturbing conditions
should set in to upset this delightful
harmony. Under it prices have re-
manned charmingly steady. the trust
fixing daily the amount it desired to
realize as profits and gauging the
market price accordingly. If some ex-
traordinary condition arose, such as
the foolish desire of housewives to use
more sugar at certain seasons for pre-
serving fruits, there would be
an advance ordered of fraction in the
price, and the obedient wholesalers i'm
mediately responded. Prudent house
wives wondered why the number of
pounds of granulated sugar they could
get for round silver dollar shrunk SO
at times, but the pious legend on the
dollar bade them be trustful that is
was all right and as it should be in
a free republic.
But recently there has come into this
delicious, this sweet harmony, a drop
of bitter gall. Wholesalers NAV be
compliant and the little retailers obedi-
ent but there are others" These are
the great department stores. who buv
wholesale and draw custom bv giving
buyers the intermediate profits. They
want sugar and they want to get it at
the lowest figure. They did not like
the harmony of the trust and began
to look about for some source of s,1u-
ply that did not fix its prices daily
and wire them out to its agents.
Thanks to the bounty policy of France
and Germany, a system of paving
dealers TO find foreign market for
the surplus sugar, the department
stores found that they could buy Ger
man sugar, import it, pay the COM
pound duties and get it at a less price
than the trust fixed This has changed
conditions. Imports of refined sugar
In the OLD halcyoa days. of Republican
protection, were unheasd Of Even un-
der the half-cent pound tax. with