New-York tribune., 1900-05-13
TO HELP THE SUGAR TRUST
/ "A CASE IN WHICH DEMOCRATIC con-
GRFSSMEN FAVOR REDUCTION
OF REVENUE.
OF REVENUE.
lnr TELEGRAPH 10 THE rRIpuNE.l ]


z1-,sbi,r+on Nav l2-It is expected that the ad-
,,ersa report which he Ways and Means Com
r,ittee has ordered on the joint resolution offered
bv Mr. Richardson. of Tennessee. providing for the
admission into the United States free of duty of ali
s,pa- and rnolasses brought from Cuba and Porto
t9t.o will be submitted TO the House of Repre-
senfatives within the next Few days by General
fsrosvenor Of Ohio, who is to prepare IT, In view
Of all the circumstances. this report Is awaited
with deep interest because IL serve TO indicate
IN some measure what the attitude and policy OF
the Wavs and Means Committee will be when the
tine again arrives to deal with the subject or
revenue legislation as we'll as for other reasons
II Is noteworthy that while there is a general
and somewhat insistent demand from many quar-
,ars for the repeal or reduction of the internal
taxes imposed IN 1895 10 provide additional revenue
10 meet the extraordinary expenditures incident 10
rbe war with Spain and while the representatives
f various important industries and. interests have
arnea-ed before the Ways and Means Committee
,,s-soraIl,- and by memorials and petitions in Re-
half OF such legislation, the minority members OF
+,,a committee have shown little or no interest IN
The various propositions and suggestions oHered 10
Ease -be burdens Of internal taxation which bear
s4..lv an an me people on the other hand. the
members Of the ninority-especialiy the leader. Mr.
Ricbardson-have shown an eager desire TO repeal
-averi,e tariff duties well as those imposed TO
7ro+ect and encourage domestic Industries in their
connection with foreign producers and manufact-
urers
Mr.. RICHARDSON'S RESOLUTION.
NJ Richardson's sugar resolution is a fair sample
OF The propositions suggested and advocated by
members Of minority, who voted solidly for It.
The duties sugars and molasses are strictly
-ayenue duties in the main, whatever protection
rbev AFFORD 10 domestic sugar industries being Incl
5anral Mr Richardson does not propose TO remove
the duties from all raw sugars imported but only
from those brought into the United States from
cuba and Porto Rico. In other words. he offers 10
admit free OF duty about "a cent OF the total
fr7r1o at m he ended
30 1899 the total importations of dutiable sugar
amounted 10 35IsOO0000 pounds IN round figures
This included about 62.oO0690 pounds Of refined
sugar none OF which came from Cuba Porto
Rico. Mr. Richardson's resolution. therefore would
not affect importations of refined sugar until the
Sugar Trust should have established refineries in
those islands which II would speedily do as soon
as the joint resolution became law.
The total importations of raw cane sugar last
year or which duties imposed amounted TO
about 7s2 O0o 600 pounds of which S0e0OGOO pounds
or a little than 50 par cent. came from Cuba
and Rico. The total importatons Of ulolasses
the same year amounted 10 5.s06O00 gallons. of
which 5077, 90 gallons. more than 81 per cent,
came from Cuba and Porto Rico. The amount OF
revenue derived from the duties on the total i'm
portations of sugars and molasses was about
s79 Oo0.O00
WOULD GIVE MILLIONS TO THE TRUST.
The American Sugar Refining Company is about
the only customer in the United States for i'm
that II controls the prices of both and refined
cane sugars IN the markets OF the United States
and the prices OF cane sugar IT the countries
where they produced. The American sugar
consumer. therefore. would not and could not de-
rive any benefit whatever from the repeal OF the
duties 3 per of the cane sugar, or 81
per cent Of the molasses imported and refined oy
the American Sugar Refining Company The price
10 the American consumer would not be cheapened
in the least by that operation But the American
Sugar Refining Company. otherwise known the
Sugar Trust would reap a big profit from the
on the basis OF last years imporJations, and the
revenues OF the Government would be reduced by
that amount. Mr.. Richardson is Of the opinion that
these revenues too big, and he proposes TO
shrink the total by making 4 yearly present Of
SIS 0.000 d year TO the Sugar Trust, at a
time when the people demanding that direct
taxes which bear heavily upon them shall be re-
duced abolished for their benefit.
That is what Mr.. Richardson. Of Tennessee, the
leader OF the Democratic minority IN the House of
Representatives, would DO II his party We're in
power and continued follow MS leadership. His
proposition a generous one, but II is imperfect
National Treasury and return 10 the sugar Trust
the duties heretofore collected from II sugars
and molasses imported by il from Cuba and Porto
Rico. as Senator Jones. chairman of the Demo
cratic National Committee and leader OF the Demo-
cratic minority the United States Senate. did in
the case Of the duties collected sugar imported
from Porto Rico by and for the Sugar Trust. But
even with that little omission. which must have
been due inadverrence, the offer of Mr. Richard
son is about times generous as that Of Mr.
Jones