Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-11-17
ssTA CONGRESS-.
Continued from page u

the sugar refining interests and some 9TH
err special interests. and the benefits they
receive will have to be made good nv a ,,
additional tax on the whole people upon
i'm that it deliberately seeks to ini,re and
Interfere with home industry by low
ering the tariff rates which protect that
industry and thus directly inviting and
Stimulating a foreign industry II is he
saws. a long step toward "a free tradc
South and a protected East and North ,
The treaty, he says, violates both The.
principle Of tariff for revenue and tariff
for protection.
Democratic members of the wavs and
means committee. stated that the hill
should be amended by striking out the
provision that no reduction .uic in sugar duty
treaty, declaring that one Congress has
no right to bind a succeeding Congress-
and by inserting an amendment striking
out the differential on refined subar '.be
cause" the report says. in our opinior
we should thereby deprive the great sugar
trust of this country of some of its mower
to eXtort from the consumer, curtail its
power to bear down the price of the raw
material, thereby injuring the sugar
planter and lessen it's ability to fictate 70
Wholesale and retail dealers in sugar II,
the manner in which they shall do busi-
ness and the price at which they shall
sell refined sugar.
Va
took this view and passed an amendment
identically worded as now proposed bv
us after q full investigation and a com
paratively full discussion of the question
and the very treaty proposed to be mt in,
force by the bill would have been in force
now had all those charged with the duty
of legislation in other branches of the
government been willing to see the burden
upon the American consumer of sugars
and other products imported from Cuba
into the United States lightened. or had
they been willing to see the Cuban market
for American products enlarged at some
of the United States. The only injury to
the trust, even, would have been to lessen
to a small degree its power to eXtort from
the consumer and to tyraniZe over pro
ducerS and commerce.
The report says II the amendment is
adopted the minority would gladly vote
for the bill, but even if defeated the1
recommend its passage because" the
report stated, I'VE think that the good to
he done by its passage will far overbal
ance the evil which will result from fail
ure to take advantage of the opportunit,
to diminish the power of the sugar trust
and the evil resulting from the bad prece-
dent proposing, Intellectually, it is true
to prevent the country from still furthe,
reducing duties upon Cuban sugars an6!
upon sugars from other countries, when
ever it shall appear wise and expedient tt
DO SO by reciprocal treaty agreement OF
by statute law.
"As long as the present party is in DOW.
er we can perhaps hope for tariff reduc.
tons and revision only from reciprocit,
treaties. 1t is a piecemeal process, but il
is better than no process at ALL we hal
1t as harbinger of future RECIPROCITY,
treaties with other countries, especiall
these upon the American continent. anc
notably our neighbor to the north. tn,
of Canada"
1T violates the tariff-for- revenue prin
ciple because it deliberately lops off abou
$S.OO0.0OO of our annual revenue withou
benefit to the consumer.
One of the strongest objections to tn.
bill lies against the extraordinary sun
elemental provision prohibiting the Hous,
Of Representatives from making any fur
Their reductions in the duty on sugar dur
ing the life of the treaty. 1t is a meas
ure expressly calculated and intended t,
assist this country and one other coun
try at the expense of all the other coun
.ries"