The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1897-06-11
SUGAR TRUST PROFITS.
John De witt Warner Makes Some Est
Snatea and Rcorea tho Truat.

John De witt Warner Makes Some Esti-
~, mates and Scores the Trust.
Ex-Congressman John De Witt War
ner is one of the best posted men In this
country on sugar tariffs. When In con-
gress, he carried the house for free sug-
ar. In recently published statement
he estimates the net protection to the
trust given by the Aldrich schedule at
from 85 cents to $1.14 ON every 100
pounds of refined sugar.
without attempting to give his argu
ment as to each Of the ways In which
the trust would be protected we give
bis summary Of trust profits as follows:
Specific differontinl nl..............tQ.18 1900 t01
Thirty five per cent nd valorom
dinerentinl. nl..................,...,.0 0.1A9 02l
Countervailing duty, say..,.. .... 0,08(9 006
Additional by substitution Of rs
Per cent I'D valorem for specific
duties In low grades. ......"...... 0009 0l8
Iothi.. ...FObUgSl.A
In the vast majority Of cases, however, the
actual result Is between ~ and 90 cents per 100
pounds net protection to the trust, and II Is
imprecticablo 10 to combine circumstances os
10 bring this below 10 cents or above 90 cents
for any considerable amount.
AS an item of tariff taxation tho sug-
ar schedule Is ideal from the protection
list standpoint Sugar Is the one article
used by poor and rich to an equivalent
extent, and tax on which therefore
falls most heavily on the poor In pro-
portion to their ability to pay 1t. It's
production and distribution are control
led by concern which Is at once the
greatest Of our mean trusts and the
meanest Of our great ones.
II is consistent therefore that on this
one article there should be levied more
than one-third Of our total tariff taxa
tion, and that our people should be bur-
dened by tax Of more than 500, 000,- -
900 that realizes less than $70, ,000,.
900 for the treasury and moro than
go, 900, 900 for the sugar refining COM
bine, while the same combine is enabled
to net an additional $40, 900, 900 by the
opportunity given 1t to import at present
duty rates raw sugars from which 1t
con make refined to be sold by II under
the enhanced price assured 1t by the
protection" Of from 46 to go cents per |
100 pounds given the trust on Its refln-
ing process alone should be considered
as sufficient when we remomber that
the labor cost Of this process Is slightly
less than on cents per 100 pounds-that
Is to say, Senator Aldrich, in behalf Of
American labor, proposes unduly to tax
wage earners In order to give the trust
from five to seven times as much pro
teotion" as 1t pays for all the labor IN
volved.
Next to the wage Garner the farmer
Ia dear to the proteotionist heart, and
he is therefore equally favored by the
sugar schedule. OF late years through
out the eastern and middle and many Of
the central states the competition Of the
fur west has driven our farmers from
graiu raising into fruit culture This
has now so developed that except for
exports of canned goods-jams, pre-
serves etc.-in which we ought to sup
ply the world, the business of fruit rails
ing has, in its turn, become almost profit
css. And poverty Is now assured to
hose who are dependentsupon fruit cul-
'ure by tho proposed tax of two cents
l pound on sugar. This increases
~ from 80 TO rs per cent the article
which would make up from 40 to rs
Der cent of the total weight of the jams,
tic. the export of which might insure
living prices for the surplus fruits, but
which is now practically prohibited
And this is "a government of the
oeople, by the people and for tho peo-
,le." Who are "the peoplep"