The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1909-05-24
ARRAIGNS SUGAR TRUST,

HA oNOi IA Tic
American Sugar Refining Com
pany Should be Strangled to
Death.
Senator Clay, of Georgia,
severely arraigned the so-called
sugar trust in the Senate We'd
nesday and urged a material re-
duction in the duty on refined
sugar. He argued that the con-
sumer is Disseminated against
in favor of the American Sugar
Refining Co.
Contcnding that the American
Sugar Refining Company owns
the principal refneries in the
United States and is almost with
out competition in refining sugar,
Mr.. Clay declared that the duty
on refined sugar almost prohibits
the importation of foreign sugar
into this country. He said that
the beet grower and the cane
grower of sugar both are COM
PEELED to sell to the sugar trust
at the price which it fixes. Com
pairing the wholesale price of
granulated sugar in Hamburg
and in New York, which he said
was 2.31 cents per pound cheaper
in Hamburg, Mr.. Clay figured
that the American consumer
pays a difference of $136, 100000
for it's refined sugar. Of this, he
said, the government gets S53, =
600, 900 in customs duties, while,
he said, the sugar trust gets the
other S83, ,O00,0 900.
''The American consumers of
sugar have paid to the American
Sugar Refining Company, COM
monty called the Sugar Trust, at
least fifty-fve millions per year
in profts,'' said Mr.. Clay,
amounting in twelve years to
$3.50, O00,0 600. The American peo-
pie are not aware of the fact that
if the sugar we import came into
this country free of any duty,
both raw and refined, the cost of
sugar to the American consumer
would be reduced nearly one
half. | am not insisting that
both refined and raw, or either,
should come to this country free
of duty, but there ought to be a
substantial reduction over the
rates fixed in the Dingley law. "
Replying to the argument that
sugar is a great revenue produc-
er, Mr.. Clay desired to know why
one of the necessities of life, used
by the entire American people,
should be taken and its cost in
creased to the consumer one-hal1
when, he contended, the amount
of the revenue now produced by
sugar could easily be supplied by
, an income tax.
LET us give the American
people cheap sugar, continued
Mr.. Clay. Let us grasp the su
: gar trust by the throat anC
stangle it to death, and keep il
view the interest, the happiness
: and welfare of the plain peopl
l of America. We must remembe
that sugar is an important articl'
2 of food daily consumed by ever.
man, woman and child in tn
5 country
' Saying that the American
working man, during the last few
7 years, has had a hard time t
c earn a living, Mr.. Clay deprecat
e ed the fact that the duty on re
fined sugar remains in the Payn
: bill substantially the same as it i
i, in the Dingley law. He said tina
: the sugar trust had no represen
tative before the tariff framin!
committees of either the Hous
: or the Senate and added, "judq
= ing from the treatment whic
!, the sugar trust has received, thi
e corporation needed no represer
tative before either committee.
: Taking into account the rec
n procity duty on raw sugar fror
o Cuba, the reduced duty on Philip
e pine sugar, and the free suga
s from the Hawaiian Islands an
a Porto Rico under the Dingle
j. law, Mr.. Clay declared that tn
IS average tariff duty paid on suga
: by the sugar trust amounts
h 1.O4 cents per pound instead {
al being 1.68 1-2 cents per pount
J. He said that the differential (
r, .215 per hundred pounds on r
al fined sugar should be added
ID the average duty.
n Reiterating that the America
le Sugar Refining Company is cor
rt monty called the sugar trust, M
n, Clay declared, this trust h
at constantly violated both Il
i'd criminal and civil laws of o
e. country. 1t is inconscionable al
ic has continually robbed the Anne
can people since it's organizatio
ne Instead of knocking at the dc
e- of Congress seeking to increa
tn it's fortunes at the expense
he the masses of the people by rt
son of favorable legislation
officers and those directing a
ice controlling it's formation a
ge operation ought to be at the /
of of the criminal courts on trial
lty most serious criminal offens
eld and instead of enjoying their
gotten wealth, they deserve
. be serving long terms in
Federal prisons. 7"
mot Mr.. Clay reviewed the est
arrh lishment of the so-called su
and trust which was formed, he S;
t. ter r in 1887, by the consolidation
e Is twenty of the leading refner