The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-11-16
AMOUNT STOLEN
From the Government by the Sugar Trust
is Thirty Millions
WHOLESALE SVlNDLING

OF the United States Treasury Has
Been Going on for Twenty Years
Custom Officers Were Corrupted
The Officials Underweighed Impor.
tations-Kept Them in Jobs.
A dispatch from New York says
new facts brought to light Thursday
disclose that the American Sugar
Refining Company, better known as
the sugar trust, has stolen the enor-
nous sum of 100000 from the
United States treasury within the
past twenty years through under
weighing Of importations and under
payment of custom duties. AS a re-
suit more federal indictments have
been drawn up.
These facts reveal the trusts whole
sale corruption of custom officials
and it's covert bribery of politicians
to accomplish it's ends. The custom
officials underweighed the importa-
tions and the politicians kept them
in their jobs.
It appears that the trust has been
stealing from five to ten per cent
of the duties on every cargo Of sugar
brought into the United States for
the past twenty years.
The present prosecution of the
sugar trust, it is said, is taking cog
nizance of these facts. The methods
revealed have given the United
States authorities cause for consir-
erable thought and much planning.
1t appeared as if claims would De
made against the tobacco trust and
the Arbuckle Sugar and coffee con-
Germ for repayment of heretofore
underpaid duties.
The accusation is made that the
tobacco trust has been importing the
product in bales Listed as filters,
which pays a certain duty, when the
bales contained wrapped tobacco.
The latter should pay considerable
higher duty.
The government authorities have
under Investigation the sugar impor-
tations of the Arbuckle Brothers. 1t
is claimed that there is discrepancy
between the original invoices of the
sugar and the weighers returns. 1t
is this on which the claim for repay
ment of back dues will be made.
In the recent developments of the
fight on the trust, the corporation
has been forced to give up more than
s2,0O0,0O0. The exact showing is:
Fines for rebating, which
at the time imposed
were four times as large
as any precedent ....$ 16S,OOO
Punishment for cheating
the government with
false scales :. :. $4,000
Back duties paid when the
trust was convicted of
defrauding the govern
ment with fraudulent
scales :. :. :. 100000
1OIdl $500 80 V',0oo
Henry L. Stimson, deputy U. s.
attorney general, who was former
ly u. S. district attorney is Thurs.
day preparing to push the criminal
prosecutions in the sugar cases, nav
ing connected, it was declared, r
high official in the American Refin-
ing Company with the .import-scales
frauds. %,
For nearly year Mr.. Stimson has
been finishing the work he began
when U. 8. district attorney. His
former assistants, Winfred T. Deni-
son and Felix Frankfurter and two
other attorneys, Franklin H. Mills
and Delaney K. Jay, have assisted
him.
For week Mr.. Stimson has been
almost constantly before the U. 5.
Grand Jury while it was in session.
A few days ago the governments
stand was decided on at a confer
ence held in New York and partici-
pated in by Mr.. Stimson, Attorney
General Wickersham, Secretary OF
the Treasury MacVeagh, Collector OF
the Port Leob, U. S. District Attor-
ney Wise and D. Wickham Smith,
special prosecutor in the fig and
cheese cases.
Special Treasury Agent Richard
Parr, with a corps of assistants, has
been put in charge of the sugar
weighing, and he has collaborated
with Mr.. Stimson. 1t was said that
several confessions had been obtain
ed.