The record-union., 1897-05-26

| ditional deficiency in the immediate fu-
ture, and which would require fur
| ther issue of bonds to meet current ex-
penditures, would certainly be fatal to
the hopes of future success of any po-
| litical party responsible for such legis-
lation. In selecting the sources for
| additional revenue, the committee de-
cided to increase temporarily the tax
| on articles of voluntary use, rather
| than to assess additional duties which
might prove imperative Upon articles
of necessity or upon those which enter
I, into our manufactured products. AS
suming that the necessity for addition
| al revenue exists, and of this we be-
lieve there can be no question, there is
no economic reason and certainly none
that affects the public interests why
beer and tobacco should not bear their
share of additional taxation The COM
mittee believes that the duty proposed
on tea will not prove a serious burden
upon the consumers of that article
Nothing in the theory of protection
interferes with the imposition of fur
ther internal revenue taxes by protec-
| tionists, whenever such a course is
| found desirable for revenue purposes.
we shall be obliged to depend more
and more upon taxes of this nature for
necessary revenue. In the years to
come we must expect a decrease rather
than an increase in the customs reve-
| nue. TO be derived under the principal
schedules of the tariff.
With duties adequately protective
upon manufactures of cotton, wool, silk
| and flax, we may expect a constantly
diminishing revenue from the importa-
tion of these products If the rates i'm
posed by this bill on sugar should be
| found to lead to the rapid DEVELOPMENT
of the beet sugar industry in the United
States, we may expect large reductions
year by year from the contemplated
revenue from sugar. Some of the most
sanguine advocates OF the policy of en-
couraging beet sugar production in this
country believe that we shall within ten
years produce all our sugar
! The legitimate result of protective
! policy is to give the American market
| to American producers When this be-
| comes an accepted fact the revenue
growing out of protective duties dis
! appears. 1t must be evident. therefore
that we must look for other sources of
| revenue. Whether it should be along
the line of an increase of internal reve-
nue. taxes, such as we have suggest
| ed, or whether some other sources of
| revenue should be sought. it is not nec-
essary now to determine.
1t is safe to assume that numerous
| objectors will always be found to any
plan for increased taxation. In this
particular case the committee is only
strenuous that a wise public policy re-
Quires that our revenues should at all
times be equal to our expenditures. and
that the people of the United States will
not be satisfied with any revenue
measure that does not provide adequate
income for this purpose"
SUGAR SCHEDULE.
Upon the sugar schedule Mr. Aldrich
said
In the sugar schedule E we have
suggested a change in rates and in the
manner of assessing the duties AS
the schedule is very important one it
seems proper that l should explain
definitely the effect of the provisions
we recommend
THE annual consumption of sugar in
the United States is about 1000. 900
gross tons Of 2240 pounds each with a
value based on foreign prices approxi-
mating S90,O0O0OO. If the high duties
proposed in either the House or Senate
bill should be adopted the annual cost
of sugar to consumers would be more
than $3.50, O000 OF the CONSUMPTION
of 1896 10000 tons, or per cent. were
beet sugars, produced in the United
| States and $4,000 tons, or - per cent.
| 6QrnQCtip
| 600 tons, or per cent were sugars
admitted from the Hawaiian Islands
| free of duty under our trety with the
Hawaiian Government The 1000 600
| tons Of sugar consumed in the United
| States constitute nearly 80 per cent
of the total consumption of the world.
the total sugar crop of 1896 being ap-
proximately 7000.000 tons, of which
/ 4,3oo.0o0 or about 6112 per cent of the
whole We're beet sugars
/ The pressing necessity for securing
greatly increased revenues seem to rem
der a return to Republican policy of
free sugar adopted in 1890 an impossi-
bility. The demand for revenue pur-
poses and the belief that every reason
able effort should be made to encour-
age the protection of beet sugars in the
| United States, led a majority of the
| Finance Committee to recommend the
high rates upon sugars which are con-
/ tanned in the bill now before the SEN
! ate.
1T is believed by the friends of the
beet sugar industry that we can sue
cessfully initiate the example of Ger
many in the rapid development of beet
sugar production.
The bill, as it came to us from the
House of Representatives, contains pro-
visions which levy a specific duty.
based upon polariscopic test. upon i'm
ported sugar varying from 1c per pound
at 70 degrees to 17sc per pound on all
sugars above No. 1G Dutch standard
in color and refined sugars The effect
| OF these rates, as applied to the total
| importatlons at the port of New York
for the month of January, 1897. is
! shown by a table which 1 submit TO the
/ Senate. which has been prepared by
the customs officers in New York. The
rates suggested show a range of ad
valorem equivalents from 7S2 to IA 3
per cent. A careful examination of
| the tables Will show that the scale of
rates adopted bears very unequally on
! all low grade sugars The character
| and extent of this discrimination led
your committee to believe that the
schedule should be modified. The com
mittee determined, after a careful ex-
| animation OF the whole subject. 70 rec
ommend rates which would be il their
| effect as high at least as the House
| BILL but which would be levied in a
manner that would make the ad yalo-
rem equivalents more uniform. We
| believe that the imposition of the high