Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1909-06-18
Practical Tariff Talks

VI sugar, dnu Tie persons who
carry it are the consumers. Sug-
ar is a universal article of diet
In this country. The poor man
uses as much of it as does the
rich man. and, there being more
poor men than there are rich men
it is easy to figure out which
class is most affected by the tar
Tiff on it. As some one has put it,
It taxes poverty in proportion
to ITS needs and the more tax pov
erty pays the more wealth gains
in unjust exemption. It is easy
of demonstration that the only
real beneficiary of the tariff is
the sugar trust. The growers are
deluded into the belief that if
it were not for the tariff the
trust would pay them less for
their cane and beets. Yet it
would be difficult for anyone to
conceive why the trust, that DOM
mates the market and fixes all
prices, would pay more under any
circumstances than it was compel.
led to do.
No balder, bolder bit of brig
ahdage than the sugar schedule
reveals can be found in the whole
tariff bill. The American people
consume annually a per capita of
eighty-One pounds of sugar. Ev-
cry pound Of this passes through
the hands Of the sugar trust and
the other refineries that accept
dts price. dictatona and never. war.
ring with it, may well be assum-
ed as a part Of it. The tariff on
refined sugar of standard quail
ty is $1.9O hundred pounds,
which is just a little less than it
costs to manufacture a hundred
pounds of cane sugar. This is
deliberately placed that high in
order to shut out refined sugar.
That it is effective is shown by
the fact that in 1907 but a19
tons were imported, while last
year there were but 430. In or
! der be. still further entrench the
trust has often sold sugar for
provides that no sugar may be
imported unless it is of a certain
standard color, which means that
it must be in a certain state of
rawness that renders it unstable
except to the sugar refiners. This
is important because three-fourths
Of the sugar we consume is i'm
ported. So important is it that
the price of all sugar is based up
on the price of this dutch stand
ard" in New York.
An examination Of the sugar
schedule proves the truth of the
contention of Senator Clay of
Georgia, i'll his recent speech,
when he said that the tariff is so
adjusted that for every dollar
collected in duties, the trust can
and does exact more than a dollar
of profit from consumers.
Here is how the tariff on sugar
a necessary of life affects price
The average wholesale price in
Hamburg in 1908 was 2.64. cents ;
in New York it was 1896. The
trust has frequently sold sugar fo
export. its surplus, for three cent?
la pound, because the tariff shut
out the foreign refiner from the
home market and enabled the
trust to compete elsewhere. That
the trust gets the greater part of
the tax is proved by this cOmputa
tation: There are approximately
100000 persons in the United
States, each of whom consumes
eighty-one pounds. The average
:, difference in price of sugar be.
tween Hamburg and New York
IA years has been 1.S9 cents a
pound. Multiply this by the
amount Of sugar consumed and
lit means a difference of $4,000;
600 a year. Of this sum the gov
ernment collected and received
by reason of the tariff $53,0OO,0O|
: The other $S3,0O0,0OO was taker
BY the trust as its share of tht
tariff loot. Stated in other terml
if the tariff were removed en-
tirely it would cheaper the cos
of sugar to every consumer nean
2 cents = pound and deprive tn
government Of but $53,0O0,000 o
revenue. If the schedules wer
fixed WOn a strictly revem
basis, sugar would be reduced al
most % per cent in price. Protec
tion to the extent of $S3,0OO,O0
a year is given the trust, whicl
stands convicted of robbing it
benefactor by short weights. Th