The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-07-21

THE SUGAR SCHEDULE.

The House OF Representatives, hdNin6
rushed the tariff bill through the House
without pretense of debate, it is to be
hoped that the minority in the Senate
will demand full discussion OF the
changes made in the conference, particu-
larly with reference to the sugar sched-
ules. The average man can solve
Chinese puzzle, predict when war In
Cuba will end. or do any unreasonable
thing easier than decipher the protection
given the sugar trust.
Mr.. Reed, Mr.. Dingley and others de-
clare that the House committee scored
q signal victory over the Senate commit
tee, and have routed the sugar trust.
1shorse, foot and dragoon." 1t did seem
to US upon first blush that they had Sc
cured a reduction of the outrageous
bounty to the trust Mr.. Aldrich tackled
ON to the bill in the Senate, but there
are those who say that it was sham
battle and that the schedule as agreed
upon is the very thing the trust has
wanted all along. Mr.. Swanson, of Vir-
xinia, singularly clear headed member,
asserted in his speech on Monday that
the revised schedule gave sugar double
the protection received under the present
law, and quoted Mr.. Payne (Rep.), Of
New York, who, in 1894, denounced the
40 per cent duty ON sugar, and said that
1t would constitute tax Of 81 on every
man, woman, and child in the country.
If that was true, then, he said, the
present schedule Increased the tax to 81
per capita. 1t had been loudly proclaim
ed, Mr.. Swanson said, that the House
conferees had won brilliant victory
over the Senate on sugar, and he had
seen in the morning papers pictures Of
the Speaker of the House with the sugar
trust crushed and bleeding under his
feet. He then compared the two sched-
ules to show that the duty on refined
sugar in the Senate schedule and the new
schedule were exactly the same, and he
figured out that the trust would receive
a differential on refined sugar on ninety
two degree sugars (the average Of su-
gars dmporteO Of cents per 100 pounds
more than the House schedule. The
Senate surrendered 31z cents, the House
cents. That was the victory the House
had won. He challenged contradiction.
He figured out differential for the re-
finer on average raw sugars under the
present law, when in competition with
German sugars (the only sugars which
competed) Of 20 $40 cents per 100
pounds, and under proposed schedule Of
20 $40 cents.
Mr.. Swanson added:
"We might be mistaken here. We
might not be able to figure out this
complicated schedule, but there are
those who make no mistake. They
are the holders OF the trusts stock.
They know the effect of the intrica-
cies Of this schedule. When this bill
was reported to Congress sugar stock
was worth sos share. To-day 1t
10 worth $144. The stock has gone
up $36 a share since it became evil
dent that this House and this Con-
gress intended to give this gratuity to
the trust, and since the newspaper
pictures have appeared, portraying the
Speaker with his heel ON the throat
Of the trust, the stock has gone up
81 share. One more such victory
over the trust as this, gentlemen, and
the stock will go ito $780,"
Mr.. Swanson's figures that the House
has yielded 4 cents bounty on each hun
= bred pounds and the Senate schedule
Welded 312 cents. The Post said yester-
day.
1.-THE Treasury officials added their
quota to the general mystifcation by
issuing statement showing the follow
ing rates of protection:
House schedule .................l 1853
Senate schedule ................19. go
Conference schedule .............13 90
The Baltimore Sun, discussing the rise
in sugar stock, seems to understand the