The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-03-20
SUMTER. S. c.. wEDNEsDAY. MARCH co. 1901
ashiugton Gossip.
Secretary of War Must Bear
The Blame.

Washington, March 13..-Republi.
cans here assert it is in the very na
ture Of things that Secretary Gage.
as the head of the great revenue
department ofth Government, should
continually come in for assaults for
the execution of laws that do not
meet with public approval They
say that nearly every law that affects
revenue must hit someone's pocket
and lead that someone to clspor for
relief, and that the blame for it will
almost always fall, not on the Con-
gress which made the law, but on
the Secretary who executes it
% the other hand, however, it Is
regarded as singular that Secretary
Gage should suffer so often and SER
iousIy from attacks not for the execu-
tion of the laws but for the manner in
which be executes them Thus IN
the matter of the New York custom
house scandal, the Secretary, it is
said, was not criticized for renting
the building but for paying an ex
or5itsnt rental therefor In his
deposit of public funds in the banks
of the country, be was not criticized
for charging no interest. but for
selecting banks that stood close to
certain prominent members of the
Republican party-banks which were
afterwards assessed for the benefit of
the Republican campaign fluid
Similarly. in the case of the Rus
sian sugar bounty. ne is not criticized
for imposing the coantervailing duty
so much as for the way be imposed
it-hurriedly, in direct contravention
of an opinion by the Attorney Gene
raj that Russia did not pay sugar
bounty; after promising to take no
action without giving the steelmak
ers an opportunity to be heard ; and
almost Immediately after receiving a
visit from Mr. 0xnard. the sugar
lobbyist of Hawaiian and Porto Rican
tariff fame.
To what curious sergiversations the
Secretary is driven to support his as
sertiop that Ruesia pays a bounty on
sugar, appeared at a recent inter.
view with a committee of Illinois
manufacturers Mr. Madden. a mem
Der of this committee, said: "The
United States levies an internal re
venue tax. which has DO relationship
whatever to any 6other government
upon earth. We levy specific tax
on whiskey which is purely internal
revenue If that whiskey is shipped
abroad do we collect tag z"
Secretary Gage: ono
"Bus we do not consider this 8
bounty 2" said Mr. Madden "Then
Why consider the other bounty ?"
Mr.. Gage replied lamely: "a
sugar certificate in the hands of g
shipper in Russia is worth about
: cent pound in the market The
certificate of a shipment of high wiRes
or whiskey in the United States is
not worth cent to anybody There
must be some reason which makes
the evidence of shipment of sugar
in Russia worth atous ! cent q pound
when the evidence of TO shipment of
whiskey from the United States is not
worth anything at ell
Of course the secretary knew per.
fecsly we'll the reason for this differ
ence, but to admit it would be to
acknowledge that he was merely
obeying the dictates OF the sugar
trust A Russian refner near q
seaport sells mis- home right 60 one
in the interior, and exports his stock,
the difference being made up by
exchange between the two official
certificates of export The manufac
turer who ceded his right receives
from the manufacturer who acquired
the right, the price per pood agreed
upon between them. which is usually
determined by the difference existing
at the moment between the price
obtainable for the sugar on the home
market aud the price obtainable by
sale abroad This is what is termed
a transfer The price of these trans
fers varies according to the 8uctua
tions in the price Of sugar in Russia
end abroad Therefore the person
who sells the transfer (the right of
issue into the home markeO charges
several kopecks more than the differ
ence mentioned above. This is done
on account of the risk that is taken
that sugar prices abroad may fall,
and also for the trouble and ex
pense involved in exporting and
transporting
This explains why Russian export
certificates are subject to barter and
sale and is evidently NOT dua m anv