The McCook tribune., 1897-08-20
Washington Letter.l

w dSutuSlOu LellcI.)
The screams of the Democratic MEM
bers Of the house and senate upon the
subject of the advance in price OF sugar
stock when the tariff bill emerged from
the conference committee and the ac-
ton OF the committee on the sugar
schedule became known. and the fact
that sugar trust stock did actually ad-
vance by great jumps warrants a pre-
sentatiOn of the facts, a study OF which
will show that the Democrats as usual
have been shouting themselves hoarse
over nothing.
The bill gives to the farmers the
protection on wool and other farm
products which they had asked. the
house rates on first and second class
woods being restored and highly sat
isfactOry rate to the wool sections Of
the mountain states being adopted.
Now as to the sugar schedule: 1t was
generally conceded when the bill passed
the house that it was not in any way
advantageous to the trust but that on
the contrary it took away from the
trust much of the advantage which it
had under the Wilson law. Stripped
of all technicalities the cold facts are
that As the bill left the house the rates
on refined sugar were 12h cents per
hundred pounds greater than the rates
ION raw sugar OF course the rates on
different grades Of raw sugar were diff
ferent but taking the number of pounds
of any grade which were required to
make a hundred pounds of refined
sugar it was found that the rates were
lon an average Of 121a cents per hum
idred pounds less than those on refined
sugar. This means that the sugar re-
.fners of the country. whether in the
thrust or out of it, were allowed diff
ference Of 121s cents per hundred
'ence between raw sugar when imported
or refined sugar when imported. thus
giving them an opportunity to import
raw sugar at 1s of a cent pound less
than the rates at which refined sugar
can be imported. 1t is generally con-
,ceded that the cost of refining sugar
lis not less than about Is of cent a
pound so that the rates really given
ito the sugar refiners are simply the
bare difference between refined and un-
refined sugars of the cost of refining.
1t ia well known that the rates adopted
iby the senate were more advantageous
Ito the sugar refiners but it is a fact
that the rates agreed upon by the con-
ferees made precisely the same differ
ence between raw and refined sugars
that the house bill made when 1t was
passed by that body. The conference
report did increase the rates on re-
fined sugar slightly but it also in
creased the rates on raw sugar. thus
making the difference in the rate of
duty between raw and refined or the
"differential" as it is called, precisely
what the house bill made it originally,
,121s cents per hundred pounds, Or Is
OF cent a pound. But, says the OBJ
1ector, if the conference report gave
to the sugar trust no advantage why
was it that sugar trust stock advanced
during the time that the bill was in
consideration by the conferees and
after it was presented to the public? ?
The answer to this is simple enough.
The sugar trust, knowing that the new
bill would certainly advance the rate
of duty on sugars as protection to
American producers, has been bringing
into the country as rapidly as possible,
sugar in enormous quantities, getting
Ii in. of course. under the comparative
]y low rates of the Wilson law. They
have secured the world for sugar and
had in stock by the time the confer
ence report was presented to the public,
over 700 thousand tons of raw sugar,
or. in round numbers, 1900 900
mounds. Think of it! Enough sugar
to load seventy thousand cars, or to
load three thousand, five hundred
freight trains of twenty cars each, or
tn make one continuous train over fifty
miles in length. On every pound of this
sugar which they had in stock it was
perfectly apparent that they would
make whatever profit there was be-
tween the tariff rates of the Wilson law
and the increased tariff rates named
nv the Dingley law or an aggregate
rrofit calculated at IL million dollars
is it surprising that sugar stock went
IN in view of the fact that this organ
izotion would make upon the sugar
which it had brought into the copntry
10 million dollars by the mere advance
which the trainers OF this bill have
.found it necessary TO make IN tariff