The Globe-republican., 1897-08-12
washington I1etter.)

washington Letter.
The screams of the Democratic men,
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 121k cents per
hundred pounds greater than the rates
on.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 hundred pounds Of refined
sugar it was found that the rates were
on an average of 1919 cents per hun
dred pounds less than those on refined
sugar. This means that the sugar re-
finers of the country, whether in the
trust or out of it, were allowed diff
ference of 1917 cents per hundred
pounds or 1s of a cent a pound differ
ence between raw sugar when imported
or refined sugar when imported, thus
giving them an opportunity to import
raw sugar at Is 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
is not less than about h of a cent
pound so that the rates really given
to the sugar reflners are simply the
bare difference between refined and un-
refined sugars of the cost of refining.
1t is we'll known that the rates adopted
by the senate were more advantageous
to the sugar refiners but it is fact
that Tho rafoc aurood ,,po, hr thu ooD
ferees made precisely the same differ
e1ce between raw and refined sugars
that the house bill made when it 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
"differentiaf' as it is called, precisely
what the house bill made it originally.
12ls cents per hundred pounds, or is
Of cent a pound. But, says the OBJ
jectcr. 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 preseSted 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 a protection TO
American producers, has been bringing
into the country as rapidly as possible,
c,,oor in onormouS ouontjtioc Uoff;p0
1t in. of course. under the comparative
" 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. 1,500. coo 900
pounds Think of it. 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
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 |
by the Dingley law or an aggregate
profit calculated at IL million dollars. |
Is it surprising that sugar stock went |
up in view OF the fact that this organ !
ization would make upon the sugar |
which it had brought into the country,
- million dollars by the mere advance |
which the trainers Of this bill have |