Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-05-16

| try free Of any duty. both raw and re-
fined the cost of sugar TO the Ameri-
can consumer would be reduced pear-
ly one-half.. ] am not insisting That
both refined and raw, or either. should
come TO this country free Of duty.
lbut there Ought TO be a substantial
reduction over the rates fixed In the
Dlngley law.
Replying to the argument that sugar
| is a great revenue producer. Mr.. Gay
desired TO know why enc Of the neces-
stiles of NE, used by the entire Amer
| lean people should DE taken and its
cost increased to the consumer one
half when, he contended. the amount
CT the revenue now produced by sugar
could easily be supplied by an income
tax.
Let US give to the American people
cheap sugar" continued Mr.. Clay.
LET us grasp he sugar trust by the
throat and strange II to death. and
keep in view the interest, the happi-
ness. and welfare of the plain people
OF America.N We must remember that
sugar is an important article of food
daily consumed by every man, woman
and child in the country"
Saying that the American working
man, during the last few years. has
had a hard time to earn living. Mr.
Clay deprecated the fact that the duty
on refined sugar remains in the Payne
| bill. remains substantially the same
as it is in the Dingley bill. He said
| that the sugar trust had no repre-
sentative before the tariff framing
committees OF either the House or me
Senate and added, Judging from tine
treatment which the sugar trust mas
received. this corporation needed no
representative before either commit
| tee.
Taking into account the RECIPROCITY
duty on raw sugar from Cuba. the re-
duced duty on Philippine sugar. and
the free sugar from the Hawaiian IS
| land and Porto Rico under the Ding
lev law. Mr.. Clay declared that the
average tariff duty paid on sugar Dy
the sugar trust amounts to 1.O4 cents
per pound instead of being l.6s1s
cents per pound. He said that If the
differential of .215 per hundred pounds
on refined sugar should be added 10
the average duty of 1.04 cents per
| hundred instead of 1855 cents as
is done in the Payne bill.
He SAID the sugar growers or CUBA
Porto Rico, the PHILIPPINES. or the
| Hawaiian Islands. not the consumers
| in the United States received no ben
eff from the concession made in the
duty on raw sugar from these islands.
Mr.. Clay declared that the price oil
refined sugar was not reduced be-
| causeof the reduction in the rates on
| raw sugar.
Reiterating that the American
Sugar Refining Company is commonly
called the sugar trust, Mr.. Clay de-
clared, "this trust has constantly vio-
lated both the criminal and civil law
of our counary. 1t is unconscionaDie
and has continually robbed the Amer
/ lean people since its organization.
Instead of knocking at the door OF
Congress seeking to increase its Tor
1 tunes at the expense of the masses
of the people by reason of f.vorapie
Legislation its officers and those d.
jrecting and controlling its formation
and operation ought to be at the bar
Of the criminal conrts or trial for
most serious criminal offenses' ana
instead of enjoying their Ill gotten
wealth. they deserve to be serving
| long terms in cur Federal prisons
| The Sugar Trust.
| Mr. Clay reviewed the establish
ment of the so-called sugar trust
which was formed, he said, in 1881.
! by the consolidation o. twenty CT
1.-The leading refneries. While the ac-
ituai value of the property Of the trust
was not greater than $4,000, 600. &C.
cording TO Mr.. Clay the sugar trust
stocked the company at $5o,OOO,OoO-
He said that the Concessions in tne
duty on raw sugar from the Hawaiian
Islands. Porto Rico Cuba and the
PHILIPPINE Islands during the last
ten wears amounted to $212,22O.!73,
of which, he said, the treasury Of the
United States or the American peo-
pie had received no benefit. The
most grasping and unconscionable
trust to be found anywhere Is the
American Sugar Renning Company,
added Mr.. Clay, commonly called
the Sugar Tdust,' The steel trust
and the Standard oil, in point OF dis
honesty and interruptions conduct
are sucking babes in comparison
with the Sugar Trust
Mr.. Clay reviewed the various cases
and claims Of the government pend
ing against the sugar trust ON
Gals representing the government
who have made an investigation into
,hoso fraudutont transactions" he