The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-07-30

WASHINGTON, d. G. July 20, 1897.

q
/ tors have been reduced TO the single subject
for an attack upon the tariff bill, of Its rela-
tion to the sugar trust, II is well enough to
state some plain facts bearing upon this
subject.
The bill, as whole, Is probably more sat
isfactory to the people than any tariff meas
ure which has passed congress in the recol-
lection of the present generation. and the
features of II relating to the sugar schedule
will be found, when thoroughly understood,
as satisfactory as its most highly commend
ed features.
IL was generally conceded when the bill
passed the House that II was not In any way
advantageous to the trust, but that, on the
contrary, 1t took away from the trust much
of the advantage which 1t 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 1871 cents per
hundred pounds greater than the rates on
raw sugar. OF course, the rates on differ
ent grades of raw sugar were different, but
taking the number of pounds of any grade
which were required to make hundred
pounds of refined sugar 1t was found that
the rates were on an average of 12k cents
per hundred pounds less than those on re-
| fined sugar. This means that the sugar re.
| fners of the country, whether in the trust
or out of 1t, were allowed difference of
| hun 1 nf q
cent pound, difference between raw sugar
when imported and refined sugar when i'm
| ported, thus giving them an opportunity to
import raw sugar at 1.S of cent pound
less than the rates at which refined sugar
can be imported. 1T is generally conceded
that the cost of refining sugar is not less
than about 1-S of a cent pound, so that
the rates really given to the sugar refners
are simply the bare difference between re-
fined and unre6ned sugars of the cost of re-
fining.
1t Is we'll known that the rates adopted
by the Senate were more advantageous to
the sugar refiners, but 1t Is a fact that the
rates agreed upon by the conferees made
precisely the same difference between raw
and refined sugars that the House bill made
when it was passed by that body. The con-
ference report did increase the rates on re.
fined sugar slightly, but it also increased the
rates on raw sugar, thus making the differ
ence In the rate of duty between raw and
refined, or the ''dfferential," as it is called,
precisely what the House bill made it Origi-
nally, 1917 cents per hundred pounds or l. 8
of cent pound.
But, says the objector, if the conference
report gave to the sugar trust no advantage,
why was 1t that sugar-trust stock advanced
during the time that the bill was in consid-
Grafton by the cOnferees and after 1t 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 prOduc-
ers, has been bringing into the country as
rapidly as possible sugar in enormous guam
titles, getting it in, Of course, under the
comparatively low rates of the Wilson law.
1t has secured the world for sugar and had
in stock by the time the conference report
was presented to the public over 700 thous-
and tons of raw sugar, or, in round num-
bers. 1,500, 600, 900 pounds. Think % i'll
Enough sugar to load seventy thousand cars,
or to load three thousand five hundred
freight trains of twenty cars each, or to make
one continuous train over fifty miles in
length. On every pound of this sugar which
1t had In stock 1t was perfectly apparent
that it would make whatever profit there
was between the tariff rates of the Wilson
law and the increased tariff rates named by
the Dingley law, or an aggregate profit cal
culated at 10 million dollars.
Is it surprising that sugar stock went up
in view of the fact that this organization
would make upon the sugar which 1t had
brought into the country IL million dollars
by the mere advance which the trainers of
this bill have found 1t necessary to make in
tariff rates in order to protect the sugar pro-
ducers of the United States and bring
revenue to the government?
But, the objector will say, everybody IA
miliar with this subject knew that the sugar
trust had all this sugar in stock, and since
this fact was we'll known this docs not &C
count for the sudden rise in sugar-trust
stock which followed the announcement
of the agreement of the conference COM
mittee.
This is true, but the explanation of the
sudden advance. which was caused by the
profit thus assured TO the sugar trust through
the enormous stock on hand, is found in the
fact that Secretary Gage had recommended
to congress the placing OF an internal rev.
e,ue tax of one cent per pound on all unre-
fined sugar in the United States when the
new tariff law should 40 into effect, the OBJ
ject being TO compel the trust to paw to the
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