Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-05-19
The Jokes on You


Commission was almost joked out of
it's rate-making power by trick
amendment limiting its authority 10
railroads whose annual income is more
than 10 per cent on the capital annual
ly expended. 1t requires no great acu-
men TO see that. with outstanding
bonds. there isn't railroad in New
York State which would not be exempt
under this clause. Fortunately Gov
ernor Hughes detected the legerdemain
and vetoed the bill
Our Slight of Hand Tariff.
The new tariff is SO full of jokers
that all it needs is a little music 10
be a full-fedged comic opera. For
example. there is the delectable touch
whereby the parlor sofa comes in =
or STAYS out-as silk, and the roaring
farce which declares that, for tariff
purposes, Your rubber boots aren't
rubber at all, but wool! More typical
and more far-reaching is the trick in
the sugar schedule. That eleemosy-
nary institution, the Sugar Trust,
which distributes bride money so gen
erously among government employees.
and pays $4,000 10 scale tampering
superintendents. owns a little private
Joker of its own. It's sort OF dia-
lect joker. known as Dutch Standard
No. IL.
There are two methods of determin-
ing the grade of sugar. One is by an
instrument known as the polariscope-
This method is the modern one II
is exact and scientific. The other is
the Dutch Standard method II IS
about as up-to-date as the dodo and
as exact and scientific as the diyinins
rod. The United States uses both
methods The polariscope it employs
20 make the accurate qualitative esti-
mate of imported sugars. The Dutch
Standard it maintains as supplement
TO help the poor and struggling Sugar
Trust.
color is The determinant of the Dutch
Standard All sugar lighter in hue
than dull. dirty buff. is regarded, for
tariff purposes, as pure-white refned
sugar. The duty on refined sugar is
prohibitive. No importer can pay il
and hope 10 compete with the Sugar
Trust. Therefore the dealer who inn
ports a brownish sugar. at a moderate
duty, finds no market for it in that
form. H must refine it before II is
saleable. Bur, in order 10 refine il,
he must go to the Sugar Trust be-
cause the Sugar Trust absolutely con-
trols refinery rates. And. by the time
he has paid the duty, plus the trusts
refinery rates he is unable to compete
with the trusts own sugar in The open
market. Therefore independent i'm
po-tation of sugar is practically pre-
vented by the Dutch Standard joker
joking Up the Price Of Sugar.
What actually happens is this. The
Sugar Trust. relieved of importing
competitors, and owning the refineries,
brings into the country vast quaint
ties Of low grade brown sugar at a
low duty, which ii refines itself The
cost of refining varies a from 80 TO
co cents per hundred pounds The
Sugar Trust adds from So to 80 cents
per hundred pounds 10 the price CAL
ready returning a large profit for the
refining. This extra price you pay.
You can't do anything else. because
the trust enjoys a government -estao-
lished, tariff entrenched monopoly
Therefore the jokes on you.
All this Senator Bristow pointed out
in a argument which proved absolute
~ irrefutab bic to the senatorial defend
ers of the trust But Senator Bristow
is one Of that pestilent species, the IN
surgent His den1a gogic respect and
regard for the rights of the consuming
public render him constitutionally IN
able to appreciate the hulnor Of such
joker as the Dutch Standard. Natur-
ally the bill rolled over him triumph
antly, without other modification or
concession to popular clanror." than
the reduction of five cents per hundred
pounds in the duty on refined sugar
further testimony to the Attic wit
of the sugar senators. since this reduc-
/ ton is TOO Insignificant to affect the
trusts monopoly in the slightest de-
gree. The debate, by the way, produc-
ed one fash Of humorous genius which
transfer. whole, from the Congress
| ionai Record.
Senator owen Ito Senator Bristowj
Does the senator mean to question
the honesty Of the American Sugar Re-
| filming Company?
The American Sugar Refining Com
pany is the Sugar Trust Further
| comment would be superfiuous.
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