The Forrest City times., 1897-06-11
SUGAR IN THE SENATE.
The Fine Hand of the Trusts In the
DfugIey RiIl.

DfuEiey Bfi.
The man who does not recognize the
fine Italian hand of the trusts in the SEN
ate amendments to the Dingley bill must
be the blind man of the proverb, who
does not want to see.
We are told that on trough esti-
mate" the senate schedule will yield
from sugar revenue of 500. .000, 900 a
year. The figure is so full one looks for
confirmation of so great expectations.
The full text of the sugar schedule il
not given, but from the synopsis tele-
graphed Ii appears that reduced to an
ad valorem rate the senate proposes to
tax sugar rs per cent. as compared with
72 per cent. In the Dingley bill, and 40
to 4percent. in the Wilson bill. The Me-
Kinley act let sugar in free. 1t is also
stated that the senate bill is so drawn
as to place the regular duty on Ha-
waiian sugar.
The senate hardly has put an ad va
loren duty on sugar. The report Is
merely an estimate of an ad valoren
rate. The original Dingley bill taxes
sugar not above 16 ID. S. in any shape
one cent per pound testing not above
rs degrees by the polariscope, and for
every additional degree three-hun-
dredths of one cent per pound On
sugar above 16 ID. S., and on all refined
sugars, the rates made were to be .375
cents per pound. The highest rate pos
sible on sugar below 16 ID. S. under the
Dingley bill would be ~ cents per
pound. 1t was estimated that the rev.
enue derived would be about $50, 900. 900.
duty on Hawaiian sugar.
If the senate bill is to produce $780,
O00,000 a year, there must be con-
templated stiff advance over the rates
provided for under the home schedule.
The sugar trust is, of course, at the
bottom, and deep down under the foun-
dation of this policy. 1t seems to have
taken the senate willing captive. The
projected abrogation of the Hawaiian
reciprocity treaty seems to be part of
the same monopoly-inspired raid on the
rights of the people. Sir Claus was the
original instigator of that treaty, and
he has prospered under it in the twenty
odd years of it's operation to the tune of
many millions. His contracts with the
island sugar planters are about to ex-
pire. Some are already at an end, we
believe. Hence this pronounced inter
est in American industries demanding
that the treaty cease. If behind this
little game the heavy trump up Mr..
Spreckles' sleeve is the limiting of Cali
fornia beet sugar reduction, why, it
would be better for the country TO go on
losing the revenue on Hawaiian sugar.
But sugar is not the only sweet morsel
in the senate bill. The hand of the
trust and of the monopoly did not grow
weary wnen that piece of work was
done. It's skill and cunning are shown
broadcast in all the schedules, any re-
port of which has reached here. Taking
the reported ad valorem estimates, it
appears that lead ore was raised to
94.74 per cent. from 62H in the house
bill, 49.37 in the Wilson act and s3.73 in
the Mckinley act. When we get to
wool, product of the farmer, and where
the interest of the eastern high tariff
monopolist lies in getting it as cheap
as possible, this trust-ridden senate
committee has lowered the rate from
1888 per cent. in the house bill, the
same as in the Mckinley act, to 43.37
per cent. But spun yarn, in which the
monopolist has put some of his money,
Is raised from 40 per cent. in the Wilson
bill to 9o.s7 per cent. in the senate bill.
1t was only 50.61 in the Mckinley act
The Dingley schedule made the duty on
yarns run from Is to IS cents per pound.
On machinery generally the house
schedule of 35 per cent. is made AS per
cent. in the senate bill. Both the Will
son and Mckinley acts made the rate
As per cent.
On hops, direct product of the farm,
the house rate of 67.20 per cent. is low
cred to 53.76. Still wines are dropped
from 1929 to 46.35 per cent. Hemp
comes down from 70.52 to 16.41 per
cent.
This is as far as the republican mem
bers of the ways and means committee
of the senate, who alone are response
BILE for all changes made in the bill
sent up from the house, consented to
let the people know what they have
done. The rest of the bill is kept locked
up in the star chamber secrets, under
which the work of revision was carried
on. They are probably letting us down
easy. And If the rest of the changes
manifest the same subservient regard
for monopoly interests as these, and the
same blind Indifference to the interests
of the farmers and consumers of the
country, they had better let us down
very easy. A little of this sort of thing
makes a heavy burden of bad news
Los Angeles Herald.
The Dingley bill went to the SEN
ate with raw wool taxed and out
rageous duties on woolens, but with
hides on the free list. The cattle trust
did not propose to stand that, and
through two or three western senators
threatened TO kill the bill if duty was
not put upon hides. The republicans
in fha senate rpenOnded tn this hoid-up