The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-23
RUssrA,s HAsTY ACTION.


From our pout Of view Mr.. J. p. VIII
Jams was right in taking the position a
the Board Of Trade meeting on Thursdas
that the Secretary of the Treasury has
no power TO adjust the commercial, differ
encee which have arisen between this
country and Russia. His duty is to ad
minister the tariff laws as he finds them
1t may be true that he did not act very
promptly in imposing a countervaiing
duty on Russian sugar but that was be-
cause the amount of the sugar being
imported was so small that it did not
attract a great deal of attention. The
amount has been increasing so much
recently that the interests which were De
ing affected iniuriously complained. ana
insisted that the tariff laws be enforced.
There was only one thing for the Sec
rotary to do, and that was to enforce
them.
What would have been the result if he
had refused to enforce them against Rus
STA? There would have been a CONNER
cial war with several other countries
with which our commerce is very much
larger than it is with Russia. 1t would
have been he'd that there was discrim-
nation in favor of Russia. For instance.
the Netherlands pays countervaiinG
duty on sugar, and our exports TO the
Netherlands amount annually to about
$50 100000 while our exports to Russia
amount to less than $120OO,000 a year.
al fer "a iff1cr
and so does Belgium. II can be readily
seen therefore that if the Secretary had
declined TO impose the countervailing duty,
when requested to do so, he would have
placed the United States in q much more
troublesome position than they at present
occupy because Of the controversy with
Russia.
1t is true that Russia claims that she
does not pay bounty on sugar that is
exported. What she does is this: She
taxes sugar that is consumed at home
and relieves that which is exported from
the payment of a tax. This may not
be called paying a bounty on exported
sugar, but it amounts to the same thing
and comes within the provisions of the
Dingley tariff laws. Practically the same
question was raised by the Netherlands
government several years ago, and the
issue was submitted to the courts and
decided in favor of this country. Since
then a countervailing duty has been paid
on sugar imported from the Netherlands.
The Secretary has not finally decided
that Russian sugar must pay the counter
vailing duty. He has simply made a
ruling that will result in sending the
question at issue before the general board
of appraisers. An appeal can be taken
from the boards decision 20 the courts.
Russia should have waited for the final
decision of the matter. She preferred,
however, to assume that there was a pur-
pose to discriminate against her and de-
cided to retaliate. 1t is a source of sat
isfaction that her newspapers do not APP
pear to sustain her in the course she has
seen fit to pursue. 1t looks very much
as if her government were moved by
feeling of resentment because our gov
eminent refused to accept as final it's
assurance that no bounty was paid on
export sugar. Whether or not such a
boanty is paid win soon be determined by
our courts The Russian government will
be given every possible opportunity to
sustain its contention.
1t is the understanding that the artI-
cles on which Russia has placed reta;ia-
tory duties include only the products OF
factories, principally steel products. Raw
materials, such as are sent from our
port are not Included. They may be,
however, if the commercial war assumes
greater proportions. But the chances are
that the whole matter will be amicabIy
adjusted in the course of few months
1t certainly will be if Russia is disposed TO
be fair.