Bisbee daily review., 1909-06-05
Senator AIdrich Accused of Using Tariff Schedules for
 Private Gain
GEORGIA OPPONENT ASKS
 SOME DIRECT QUESTIONS
Claims Advanced That Sugar Beet Farmers Will Be Ben.
 efited By Duty
(spe al t. Review.

WASfilNGTN, June 4.-"Why are the words Not above No. f6 Dutch standard in color retained in the tar if bill? They ought to be stricken out of it. .I ask that the Finance committee be directed to report to the Senate why these words are not stricken from the measure"
 In these words Senator Robert L.. Owen resumed the figdt on the sugar schedule where Senator Clay of Geor- gia left off. The sentence aliude1 10 by the Oklahoman constitutes the principal joker in the sugsc sec;:cn of the Payne-Aldrich bill. I. is one of the most costly jokers to the smcri- san consumer in tue entire ,ar.ff measure. In underhandedness it is on par with the action of the sugar trust in using seventeen steel springs iA seventeen pairs of scales to under weigh sugar and defraud the govern' ment of import duties.
 That is why Senator Owen singled out the words not above No. Is Dutch standard in color" to open what promises to be the bitterest feud that has developed over any single feat. ure of the tariff bill.
 The joker prohibits the importation of sugar. This provision makes it necessary that all sugar imported should be in state that it must go to the trust refineries before it can be used for any purpose. Without this raw sugar might be imported which could be placed on the market with out further refining and sold at prices less than one-half that exacted by the trust.
 The sugar schedule was approached with marked uneasiness by the Aid rich following. The fact that the su gar trust has just been caught robbine the government. which has. through a tariff law made it's enormous profits and its monopoly of the sugar busi ness possible does not commend fur ther enormous protection for this combination to the American people.
 Yet it was the intention of Aldricf that the same provisions that haze enabled the trust to stifle competition and place the whole consuming pubhc unde tribute to it should be re-en- acted. The general explanation to be given, by hesitating senators, of sup port to the sugar schedule is that il will aid the sugar beet farmers in the United States
 The production of this sugar amounts to only 14 per cent of the entire consumption of sugar in this country. Upon the other S6 per cent the trust obtains ali the benefit. The public could, in fact, it is being ar gued. better afford to adopt the trust method and pay the beet sugar men tc go out of business than to continue the present system.
 An illustration of the manner 1T which Aldrich has used the tariff schedules to obtain votes for the ben eft of the interests he himself rep resents occurred the other day, ant has occasioned much comment amons independent Republicans. One of tho latter had asked Aldrich to fix 8 certain rate of duty upon a produc of a western state It was not al excessive duty.
 Aidrich promised to do so. but when the paragraph was reached ht ignored his promise altogether. Th' Senator went to Aldrich later. You have been voting against thu finance committee on other items,
 said Aldrich. q know of no reasol therefore. why the committee shoul' do anything for you"
 'Is that the principle on which you | bill has been framed?" asked the in ! dignant independent 'I thought yol l were trying to benefit American in | dustries.''
 Aldrich merely scowled and mad no reply.
 Nearly every day there is some de | velopment which tends to show tha manufacturers frequently misrepre l sented their particuIth inddstriei
 while testifying before the ways ant means committee.
 most embarrassing and inconsid
 crate bit of testimony as to the COS | of making plate glass in this countr
 has been brought forward by ta consumers and importers, which ma
 have a significant influence when tn
 rates on this article are finali 1 fixed.
 The manufacturers of plate glas presented testimony before the Hous committee that it cost 32 cents a foo
 to produce. of which 16 cents went .
 labor. Now the consumers lobby ba
 brought forward sworn testimony tai en in law suit. in which one of tn
 big plate glass concerns was involved
 The suit concerned the discharge of
 superintendent who was alleged to b
 incompetent. and it became necessar
 to go into the detail of the cost ( producing glass The complete re' timony in that case proved that
 costs 21 cents to produce and tina