Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-05-21
Georgian Rakes Finance Commit
tee of Senate and Ways and
Means Committee of House for
Partially to Sugar Trust.
INCIDENTALLY URGES
IEfIEDIATE PASSAGE
OF AN INCOME TAX
Senator Clay Also Scored Senator
Aldrich, Republican Leader,
for the Bold Extravaganza of
the Administering Party.
Rv Ralph Smith

sugar schedule of the penang IarlI Dill
was vigorously assaulted today by Sena-
tor Clay. He raked the finance committee
of the senate and the ways and means
COMMITTEES of the house fore and aft
for the partially shown the sugar trust
in the preparation of this schedule.
He called upon his colleagues in the
senate to join with him in trimming
down the prohibitive rates on the impor-
tation of both raw and refined sugar.
Incidentally, he urged the passage of an
income tax amendment and scored severe
ly Senator Aldrich, Republican leader
for the extravaganza his party has coun-
tenanced in the expenditures OF the pub
lie money for the past several years.
Senator Clay held the floor for nearly
three hours and his speech commanded
close attention. 1t evidently struck
responsive chord in many progressive
Republicans, who want a real revision
of the tariff, and challenged the approval
of practically all the Democrats, save,
perhaps, Foster and McEnery, of Louis
VILE. 1t is stated that Mr.. Clay devoted
the better part of six weeks to the prep
aration of the speech.
A COMPLICATED SCHEDULE
The sugar schedule is admittedly the
most complicated and involved section OF
the bill. 1t is regarded as even worse
than the wooden schedule in this re-
spect. Mr.. Clay, however, evidenced a
keen and thorough knowledge of the in
tricate details of the schedule, thanks to
the study he has given the question for
the past two months, coupled with his
general knowledge of the tariff. He illu-
minated it's every phase. He was well
fortified with facts and figures and well
coined interruptions from both sides of
the chamber in the shape of involved and
complicated questions He had the infor-
nation at his fingers tip, evidently hav-
ing anticipated the interrogatories to
which he would be subjected.
Although he had prepared the speech
in advance and had the manuscript on
his desk, Senator Clay rarely referred to
It. His familiarity with the subject en-
abled him to dispense with the copy,
only referring to it to cite statistics, in
support of his assertions.
Mr.. Clay launched directly into a dis
cussion of sugar, Immediately he was
recognized by the chair, beginning with
the statement that 1.-The American people
are great consumers of sugar" The sim
gle sentence suficed for an introduction.
and he followed it by showing the COM
parative prices of the commodity in New
York, Hamburg and London, per pound
and per hundred pounds, for the past five
years. In Germany, it was shown, gran
ulated sugar costs 2.a cents per pound,
while in New York the price is 4.9C
cents per found.
CONSUMPTION ENORMOUS.
The American people, Senator Clay said.
consume on an average about 81 pounds
of sugar per year per capita. He esti-
mated the present population of the coun-
| try at 10000 900, showing the total con-
sumption of sugar to be over seven Bit
lion two hundred million pounds annual
| ly. Referring to the comparative prices
| of the product in New York and Ham
| burg, Senator Clay declared that the
| American people are annually discrimina-
| ted against to the extent of $136, OSO 600
The government, he said, collects about
| $53. 600 in customs duties on sugar,
while approximately $50, $50, 900 goes to the
Thus we see," said Senator Clay, that
the American people have paid to the
government an average of S50,00,O00 a year
on the sugar they consume for the past
twelve years. or $6OO.O0O0O0, while they
have paid to the American Sugar Rein
ing company, commonly called the sugar
| trust at least $50, 600 a year for the
same period, or $3.50, OOO, 900, thanks to the
protective tariff and the friendship of the
Republican party for the monopoly"
The senator said free raw and free re-
fined sugar would mean a reduction OF
one-half in the cost of sugar to the con-
sumner, but" said he, at am not clam
oring for free sugar I am clamoring for
substantial reduction of the Dingley
rate"
| FAvORS AN INCOME TAX.
The Georgian here invited attention to
the pending income tax amendments, de-
claring that by passing either of them
| congress could make a substantial re-
duction in the duty on sugar without
mourning any loss of revenue.
! II have no war to make on wealth. but
an income tax, in my opinion, is just and
proper" he declared "a citizen who owns
a million of dollars. or half million.
with an income of $4,000 per year is able
TO pay an income tax, and by reason of
the protection that his property receives
at the hands Of the government and by
reason of the benefits accruing to him
as a citizen, ought to be willing to help
/ bear the burdens of the government in
proportion to his wealth."
Returning to sugar, the senator declared
the people had a right to expect the fl
! nance committee of the senate to treat
sugar as a necessity of life and tax 1t
| accordingly. On the contrary, however,
it had been singled out as a subject of
special attack, and a tax of nearly sc
per cent levied against it, while many
Injuries escaped with lower taxation.
| why should we place a tax on sugar OF
| of nearly so per cent, and only 10 per
cent on automobiles asked the senator,
| why should be place tax on sugar OF
nearly so per cent and only 10 per cent on
| diamonds?
why should we place tax on sugar OF
| nearly so per cent and only 80 per cent
on expensive feathers and trimmed hats?
| Mr. Clay cited statistics to prove that
the American Sugar Refining company
had repeatedly sold large quantities OF
sugar for export at nearly cents pei
pound less than the price quoted in the
domestic market. He did not wonder, he
said, that the sugar trust had grown i'm
mensely rich under any law that woult
enable them to thus discriminate, the dis
elimination, in a measure, showing the
enormous profits they exact from the
American people.
The intricate and complicated detail:
Continued ON page Three