The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-05-29
SENATOR CLAY's SPEECH
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Continued FROM Page One.)
the treatment which the sugar trust
mas received, this corporation needed
no representatives before either com
| mittee."
Taking into account the reciprocity
duty on raw sugar from Cuba, the
reduced duty on Philippine sugar,
and the free sugar from the Hawaiian
Islands and Porto Rico under the
Dingley law, Mr.. Clay declared that
the average tariff duty paid on sugar
by the sugar trust amounts to 1o4
cents per pound instead of being
1856 cents per hundred. He said
that the differential of .215 per hun
dred pounds on refined sugar should
be added to the average duty of 104
cents per hundred instead of to 1855
cents as is done in the Payne bill.
He said the sugar growers of Cuba,
Porto Rico, the Philippines, or the
Hawaiian Islands or the consumers
in the United states received no bene-
fit from the concessions made in the
duty on raw sugar from those Islands
Mr. Clay declared that the price OF
refined sugar was not reduced be-
cause of the reductions in the rates
on raw sugar.
Reiterating that the American
Sugar Refining Company is common
ly called the sugar trust, Mr.. Clay de-
clared this trust has constantly
violated both the criminal and civil
laws of our country. 1t is uncon-
scionable and has continually robbed
the American people since it's organi-
cation. Instead of knocking at the
door of Congress, seeking to increase
its fortunes at the expense of the
masses of the people by reason of
favorably legislation, its officers and
those directing and controlling it's
formation and operation ought to be
at the bar of the criminal courts on
trial for most serious criminal Of
lenses, and instead of enjoying their
ill-gotten wealth, they deserve to be
serving long terms in our federal
prisons"
Mr.. Clay reviewed the establish
ment of the so-called sugar trust
which was formed, he said, in 1887 by
the consolidation of twenty of the
leading refineries. While the actual
value of the property of the trust was
not greater than $4,000, goo, according
to Mr. Clay, the sugar trust stocked
the company at s50,000,000 He said
that the concessions in the duty on
raw sugar from the Hawaiian ISL
ands, Porto Rico, Cuba, and the Phil
| ippines Islands during the last ten
years amounted to s212,220,773, of
which. he said, the Treasury of the
United States or the American people
had received no benefit. "The most
grasping and unconscionable trust to
| be found anywhere is the American
Sugar Refining Company" added Mr..
Clay, commonly called the Sugar
| Trust The steel trust and the Stand
ard Oil, in point of dishonesty and
INSCRIPTIONS 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, .fOfh-
| Gals representing the government,
| who have made an investigation into
| these fraudulent transactions he con-
tinued, believe that the American
| Sugar Refining Company has robbed
| the Treasury of more than $9,000,000
| Justly due the treasury. 1t deserves
| no mercy at the hands of Congress
| and most assuredly no favors at the
| hands of Congress. The criminal and
civil laws ought to be vigorously en-
| forced against it, and the best way
to destroy it is to give it healthy
| foreign competition"
| IF the sugar trust can find a de-
| fender on the floor of the Senate,
then we have reached a condition OF
| affairs most deplorable. If we are
to continue to legislate millions of
| profits into the pockets of this class
of men at the expense of the Ameri-
can people, then let us adopt the
| sugar schedule provided by the fl
nance committee of the Senate" In
concluding Mr.. Clay declared that the
| Payne tariff bill will give no substan-
tial relief to the American people.