The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-05-26
REPUBLICANS AND THE SUGAR TAX

The ways and means committee. Of
which Mr.. Mckinley was chairman in
1880, in reporting the Mckinley bill,
said: $50 large proportion Of our su-
gar is imported that the home prodnc-
ton of sugar does not materially Af-
a tax, which is added to the price not
only Of the imported but Of the domestic
product, which is not true Of duties i'm
posed on articles produced or made here
substantially to the extent Of cur
wants Even on the assump-
ton that, with proper encouragement
we shall eventually be able to produce
all. or nearly all the sugar required for
the consumption of our peOple-an as
sumption your committee believes to be
sustained by many facts notwfth-
standing the slow progress thus far
made in sugar culture in this country.
This encouragement can be given much
more economically and effectively by a
bounty Of two cents per pound involv-
ing an expenditure Of but little more
than 100000 per annum with the
present production Of sugar in this eoun-
try, than by the imposition of duty
involving the collection of $50, 915, $40
in duties in the last fiscal year, not to
mention the amount directly involved.
When IL is considered that this increase
in cost due to the duty on sugar falls
upon an article Of prime necessity as
food, your committee are persuaded
that justice as well as good policy re-
auires that such an unnecessary bur-
den should be removed from sugar and
that the encouragement required to in
duce the production Of sugar in the
United States should be given through
a bounty rather than by an import du-
y"
President Harrison in his letter Of &C.
ceptance in 1892 said: During the last
fiscal year 4J6 million dollars worth of
merchandise, or 5936 per cent of our
total imports came in free (the largest
per centage in our history while In
1889 the per centage of importations
was only 34.42 per cent. The placing Of
sugar on the free list has saved the con-
sumner in duties in thirteen months, af-
ter paying the bounties privided for,
sS7. 100000. This relief has been sub
stantially felt in every household, upon
every Saturdays purchase Of the work
ing man."
President Cleveland, in his letter to
Mr.. Wilson, chairman of the ways and
means committee in 1894, said: "Un-
der our party platform and in accord
ance with our declared party purposes
sugar is legitimate and logical arti-
Gle Of revenue taxation" These quota
tons need little comment. They dis
close the difference between the Repub-
lican and Democratic position as to the
taxation of sugar and illustrate diff
ference between a protective tariff and
one for revenue only. A revenue tariff
processes to be tax-levied solely to
produce government revenue. A pro-
tective tariff levied upon goods coming
in competition with home production,
when the home production is large and |
the price practically fixed here, operates |
very largely as a license paid by the |
foreign importer for the privilege Of |
selling in this market. |
AS to sugar, it Is conceded on all hands |
that since the domestic production is |
only about one-tenth of the consump-
ton, the tariff upon sugar is tax. In |
view Of this and the further fact that |
some Of the greatest sugar exporting |
countries pay an export bounty on su-
gar, it seems that the ways and means /
committee in 1890 arrived at the wisest
solution by admitting sugar free up to
No. IS Dutch standard and paying
wo-cent per pound bounty on the do
nestle product. A bounty is not very
popular but when IL is borne in mind
hat Germany pays an export bounty
more than the cost Of freight to Amer
can ports. defensive bounty, in case
he tariff was removed from sugar,
would be necessary.
Hanna deplores the action OF the senate
n Cuba Hanna can't run the senate.
L