Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-05-10
THE SUGAR TRUST
Working to Maintain the Senate Fl
nance Committee Schedule.
WILL ABROGATE HAWAIIAN TREATY
Surprise at the Effrontery Of the
Proposition.
WON'T PASS THE HOUSE

The sugar trust people, with all their
combinations, open and secret, are work.
ing 10 their utmost to maintain the Senate
finance sugar schedule and the abrogation
of the Hawaiian reciprocity treaty. There
is question about the fact that the
striking out of the exemption clause with
respect to Hawaiian imports amounts to
abrogation of the treaty. The striking
out of this clause appears in the nature
of trick. When it was proposed in the
committee to strike the clause out it was
argued that this action amounted to no
more than leaving the question to be set
tied independently in the Senate.
Effect If Ii stands.
AS a matter of fact. if it stands as the
committee left 1t, the purpose aimed at
by the abrogation of the treaty will have
been accomplished, and the sugar trust
will not care about any independent propo-
sition affecting the treaty.
The pretense is being made that this Is to
be done in the interest of the beet sugar in
Gustry. with special reference 10 the inter
estS of the farmers engaged In raising
sugar beets. but 1t is asserted. and is prob
ably true. that the trust through its COM
binationS is prepared TO get Its Gluten on
the beet sugar as well all other. and 1t
is evident that the beet sugar peop.e anu
the trust representatives are here working
together. j. d. Spreckels. Oxnard and
number of others, representing the trust.
the Spreckels and the Oxnard interests, are
here hard at work. Ex-senator FELTON, of
California is on hand. and Is understood TO
represent the sugar people 1t Is represent
ed that he is working very effectively to
cCunteract the Influence of the California
protests against the abrogation of the 4a-
waiian treaty.
The Iniquity of the scheme.
The iniquity of the whole sugar trust
scheme is dawning upon Congress. 1t is
doubted whether their propositions, now
that the facts are coming out. will be able
to get even through the Senate. 1t is
thought that even some of these favorable
to the trust will not have the hardihood TO
face the prospects of scandal. Experts
who nave been studying the Senate sched-
Tile find il practically impossible to dig out
all there is in il for the trust, but they lind
enough to condemn the whole thing The
very best available figures on the subject
prove that the Senate compound duties re-
suit in. at least. doubling the diferential
duty carried by the Dingley bill. or even by
the present law, which gives the trust the
benefit of the ad valorem in addition to the
specific Is. The best IL riff expert at the
Capitol states the diTerential DUTY in the
Senate bill at about 81 of cent
The DiTerentinI Duty.
The differential of nominalTy one-eiChth
carried in the present law was regarded as
very liberal. aud sent the sugar stocks up.
This differential was actually greater be-
cause of the ad valorem duty of ~ per
cent. This AL valorem amounts to 10 per
cen; in the Senate bill. If expert opinion
IS TO be given any value, this schedule is
o. almost inestimable value to the trust.
ana is so bad that the surprise is tha:
they would have the effrontery to present
the proposition.
House VIII Never Agree
IL he {. a ad
~ thai The House will never agree TO this
schedule. ami it Is not believed that the
Senate will stand out for it. The ad va
loren duties are in the interest of under
valuation of the raw sugars and of further
value to the trust TO increase the amount OF
the dlnerential between the raw and the re-
nned sugar The ad valorem feature of
the present law. ii calculated involves
tnis country IN The loss OF about sl1 tss, ,gr,
q revenue eaci year. through undervalua-
lioEs. IL appears that. directly ana indI-
ltcuy, the trust could get about anyrhIr.,
ctSred by them through the er.iifr, -,
The Senate bill u
y" investigation Likely
no" extensive speculation by senator's
Oh the strength of advance iuforn,,fo,
as 10 Inns schedule has been it is nor n,s
siHie 10 determine. but the inforuatio
APPEARS to have been confined to. fsx
1t is net likely that there Will be snv in
Hes'lsduon' such as was had when The
"tiSoil DilI was under consideration, since
speculation has not been so omen mn on
Invocation that the schedule is not ex-
Lecled 10 stand is given in the alleged fact
.-a' sptcuidtors fealized their VEN
iGIes after the stock had gone nm tbr.s
CT iour points. If the schedule were likely
10 be adhered to the stock would be ex-
fec'ed 20 go even higher than it did during
the scanda4ous specuiatIons of 81
The best information is that the abrop.- :
t!Oh Oh the Hawaiian treaty. the Senate
k-sar schedule and the schedule reducing
uuies on the grades OF wool grown in
thls country and increasing the duty on
carpet wool can never be got through the
House.