The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1896-08-15
AN EXPLANATION EEDIN
EXPLANATION.

| that Is. c0nOltlnne0 ON reciprocity With
foreign countries, for the following
reasons, briefly: That the r-v-nu-@
we've in excess Of the needs of the gov
emmett that Louisiana was intense
~ Democratic and insisted tina. the
tariff on sugar was II tax !:
that sugar Is Il necessary of lie, and
the tnlacrats were demanding the
removal of taxes from the n-cpssaries
Of lite : that Its removal a a most
excellent method Of giving the south
esn fie. trade Democrats an object
F: lesson on the benefits of protection.
TIE Louisiana people, Republicans
aud Drnnncr. t. alike, have seer the
point; hence the unanimity with
which they have demanded the resto-
ration Of the tariff. a demand which
the senate was compelled tn grant
Notwithstanding Democratic principles
and PLATFORM it is further stated
that it was no part at the purposes Of
tie Republican party to %ininre the
sugar Industry and. therefore, !. bnun-
~ was provided instead Of the duty.
the %oniect Of which Twas especially u
encourage and buii.l up the beet and
sorghum sugar production"
The first thing noticeable about this
wonderful explanation is the latrnesS
Of its apparition. The Republicans
had a splendid chance to explain Iii
1894 but their leaders were las silent
as the grave" Their only ntterances
we're ill condemnation Of the Demo-
cratic party tor its restoration nf tile
duty upon sugar. The present axpla-
nation. made for the apparent purpose
Of caif!llH. Votes .~a-ceming and a.
going is in the nature Of Il self sery-
ing declaration inaimissibie in
evidence. But let that pass. and let
us proceed with the consideration OF
the subject matter.
Sugar was .pHt on the free list con-
~ditionalIy; J" the law shows that it was
put on the free list Internationally.
and its restoration to the dutiahle list
was conditional upon the fhrding by
the President Of the existence Of a GER
tain condition Of things, and his proc
lamation based therein.
This ia said to have been done for
the following reasons. briefly THAT
the ven were in excess of the
needs of the government ;" that was
undoubtedly true but this was moi the
reason given by the Republicans of the
Ways and Means Committee-their
reason was that in order to protect rhe
producers of n eighth only of the
sugar consumed in the United States,
the duty on sugar unnecessarily taxed
the people "abont one dollar for eacl,
man, woman aud child in the United
States.s
THAT Louisiana was intensely Dem
ocratIc and insisted that the tariff on
sugar was q revenue tax :" SO it was
a revenue tax. and go it is, and 80 the |
Republicans of the Ways and Means
Committee in 1890 declared. But is
not this a confession that the party Of
thigh moral "a ideas" put the sugar
on the free list out of pure spite, to |
punish Louisiana because her people
would not bend their necks to the Re
publican yokef
THAT sugar is a necessary of life
and the Democrats were demanding |
the removal Of taxes from the neces- |
saries Of life. This statement is in
tended to insinuate and does insinuate
that the Democrats were demanding |
the removal Of the tax on sugar be- |
cause it was q necessary Of life. If
that be not its int-ndment, then it is
mere fnstian. meaning nothing. That
there may be no misunderstanding as
to the Democratic position on this
point, we reproduce In ertenso what
the Democrats did say through their
minority report Of the Ways and
Means Committee:
I'VE protest against the gross favo-
and injustice Of such q policy,
and we deny the moral or constitution
al right of the Government to tar the
people who grow corn, wheat. cotton,
rye, oats, and other agricultural prod
ncts for the purpose of raising money
to be given to those who produce
sugar or any other article. The bounty
provisions contained in this bill are
confessions that the whole system |
which it seeks to strengthen and ex-
tend is a system Of determinations
between the various productive indus
Of the country system which
imposea charges upon some for the
support Of others. aud disregards every
principle of justice and equality in
distributing the burdens of taxation.
"The dnties imposed upon the i'm
ported sugar, even at the present fates
are mainly for revenue, and about
nine-tenths OF the charge upon the
on account of these duties goes
the public treasury for the sup
port of the Government. aud only
about one-tenth he added to the
prices of the domestic product. The
tax, therefore, is far more just and
equitable than the taxes on cotton aud
goods, linen goods and many
other articles now subject to high rates