The morning times., 1897-03-06

The sugar people still insist that al
though the duty on raw sugar viii be
high 1t viii be ad valorem. 1t is also the
opinion of the sharps on the subject that
the differential Will be adjusted so as TO
afford the sugar trust satisfactory protec-
ton. OF course, the tariff situation in any
event, is the one chiefly ir not wholly that
can have any real, legitimate influence on
the price OF Sugar stock According to the
decision Of the makers OF the tariff Sugar
will rise or fall sharply. One cannot quite
be sure how much Mr.. Mckinley is in
earnest about his antitrust talk in his
inaugural, and one cannot be sure either
that IL he is very much in earnest he will
in the least be able TO do what lie wishes
Mr.. Hanna is now in the Senate and so
far as can be learned he has never since
he took up the Mckinley fight met with
repulse. He has profited by the few
failures he has made in life and never
makes d mistake more than once in the
same place. Mr.. Hanna is a business man
clear through. He is very much in earnest
In wishing the country TO have a boom
and fulfill his promises, and don't this all
mean that the sugar trust and the others
will not receive harsh treatment from this
administration? Whatever way the tariff
turns to sugar the stock is destined
TO 20 up for a few days yet, almost surely
1t will see 120 before its dividend is paid
R. g Dun Company will say today in
their weekly review of trade:
The slow and gradual improvement OBJ
served for some time has continued during
the past week and without ma terial check
There is a better demand for most products
on the whole, with continuance of specu-
lative buying in some, notably in wool,
because of expected duties Meanwhile
money markets continue us easy and un-
disturbed as if there had never been
anxiety about the gold reserve, and fairly
large sales of stocks on London account
during the week, possibly becau Sc Of inter
national anxieties, have made no perceptible
difference in American markets
Reports of probable needs abroad have
helped speculation in wheat some what,
but it has risen about 3 cents, though the
price is still lower than two weeks ago.
Western receipts of wheat are still small,
500, ,2S1 bushels against 2,3O1 ,633 last
year. anu tHt tAlDFtS, liDUr lu-
cluded, were for the week ,232, ,412
bushels, against 1,541, 135 last year.
Bradstreet's will say:
The new administration, the certainty of
an extra session of Congress within a
fortnight, and the promise of a new tariff
at an early day, which shall provide adj
equate revenue aud protection, have done
much to stimulate better feeling in trade
circles and increase confidence in the near
approach OF an improvement of business
Total clearings at seventy-four cities for
February aggregated SO. .66S, ZIG ,2ae. a de-
crease of IT 8 per cent from the January
tota! and 10. 2 per cent from that for Feb
ruary year ago.
General trade has been interfered with
by rain, high water in the Ohio Valley
and snow in the North western spring wheat
States.
South Atlantic and Gulf cities have
had some better weather. with the mcr-
chandise movement equal to expectations.
At Chicag go and st. Louis there has been
a marked increase in the volume OF pur-
chases from jobbers, both by interior mer-
chants in person and by mail orders yet
it is probable that the total trade at
neither city equals that at a correspond
ing period a year ago.
The stock market was raided by the
bears on the antitrust feature of the Presi-
dents inaugural address. London has
been weak, and sold stocks for the past
two days on the unfayorabie eastern po-
ltical outlook. The coal stocks have
been weak on publications unfavorable to
the Jersey Central Company. In spite
Of it's irreguIarity the market has very
strong tone, the sustaining feature being
the refunding plan announced by the
Lake Shore Company in conjunction with
a bankers syndicate.
There are 262 business failures through
out the United States this week. COM
pared with 25S last week, and 27O in
the week a year ago.