The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-11-13
A JOKE ON THE PEOPLE.
How the Sugar Trust Got the Laugh
On the Irate Consumers.

|
tons Magazine, in which Judson c.
| WellVer, a recognized expert, is writ
ing the first authoritative history of
the Sugar Trust. Mr.. Welliver is
speaking of the tariff disturbance Of
1890 when he makes this astounding
| revelation
The people, he says, vaguely under
| stood that the tariff helped the trust
monopolize sugar and charge extor-
| tlonate prices. The tariff was high,
| and seemed to be good for the trust
| ergo, to take off the tariff would hurt
the trust. That was the public's rea-
soning process.
SO the cry for free sugar went up
on all sides. Free sugar and down
with the trust" was the slogan.
And when congress met, Harry
Havemeyer was on hand, heading the
lobby that wanted the sugar duty re-
| moved!
Certainly! the tariff is running the
refiners and robbing the people," he
declared. '"The people don't under
stand this. There isn't any trust.
that's all bosh. Refineries shut down?
Yes, I've heard that some companies
have been forced to shut down; the
tariff has ruined a good many of us,
and the rest are hanging on by our
eyelashes. Take off the tariff, and
sugar will get cheap, all right then
you'll discover how mistaken is all this
clamor about a trusr. There isn't any;
it's the tariff"
| The free sugar shouters were
| aghast. The king Of sugar demanding
that his patent of kingship be taken
from him!
Finally an explanation was arrived
at. 1t was this
| Havemeyer, wanting the duty kept
on sugar, was advocating its removal
because he was sure the public would
want the thing he didn't want He
was playing a deep game; but the
public for once was too wise for him!
1t wouldn't fall into his trap! Not
much! no, sir. The mere fact that
| Havemeyer said he wanted free sugar
was the best possible proof that he
wanted taxed sugar. So, hurrah for
free sugar! Free sugar and down
with the trust.
| And 1t worked. Havemeyer made
the country think he wanted the duty
and was merely pretending to want
free sugar.
| What he wanted was free raw sugar
and good, comfortable duty on re-
fined And this is why he wanted it:
The public believed the trust made
sugar costly. The trust insisted that
the tariff did it, The truth was that
both together did it.
| If the 2 cent duty on raw sugar
could be taken off, the trust could re-
duce the price just that much, and
yet not lose an iota Of it's profits; al
ways provided, of course, that a safe
duty could be kept on refined sugar,
to keep out the foreign refiner.
| If sugar were reduced near 2 cents
in price, the public would hink the
trust had had fine walloping. It
would be tickled half to death over
it's victory. 1t would forget its griev-
ance against the trust and during the
cessation of hostility the trust would
have time to get comfortably recog-
nized under the New Jersey law.
And the trust would not lose a cent!
| Havemeyer wanted just what he
said he wanted: free raw sugar. Some
people believed him; most of them
didn't; and in the fog and uncertain
ty Havemeyer managed to get raw su-
gar, and with it the other thing he
wanted, without anybody in particular
understanding what that other thing
meant to him, he manipulated con-
gress to let raw sugar in free, and to
keep the duty on refined sugar at
lalf cent, which. was enough to shut
out any refining competition.
In short, the 1890 tariff gave the
refiners free raw material ind a pro-
libitive tariff on their proGuct.
The sugar trust was popularity sup
posed to have met an ovel whelming
defeat. 1t had really woE a victory
that probably saved it's life.
| Appearing to have sustained a great
defeat, the trust actually strengthened
it's position so greatly that in the first
year under the new ariff It's profits
were increased just about $4,000, 900
| as a direct result of that tariff change.
| For the trust did not give the con-