The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-06-23
SAMEOLOSUGAR
TRUST WOULOBE
TO FRONT AGAIN
SHOULD SUGAR LOBBYISTS Sue
cEED, CONSUMERS MUST GO ON
CONTRIBUTING TO GOLFERS OF
TRUST BY PAYING ARTIFICIAL
LY HIGH PRICES FOR PRODUCT.
BY Congressman Clyde n. Tavenner.

BY Congressman Clyde n. Tavenner.
Washington, June 2a.-If the sugar
lobbyists should succeed in having the
tariff restored to sugar, the sugar
trust, and the men back of the sugar
Hobbies, would each year draw down
dividends amounting to millions OF
dollars.
But where would this money come
from? The answer to this question is
the milk in the lobby controversy CO.
coanut. The millions that would go
annually to the sugar magnates would
not drop from the blue sky, but would
come from the consumers-the men,
women and children OF the United
States who use sugar.
The lobby issue is plain. If the lob
byists win out in their fight to per-
suade members of congress to forget
their promises to the people and slap
the tax back on sugar, the consum-
ers must go on contributing to the
Golfers Of the sugar trust by paying
sartificially high prices for sugar. And
if the sugar lobbyists do not succeed,
these millions will be saved to Ameri-
can consumers.
Thus il will be seen that the con-
sumers have something at stake in the
framing of a tariff bill, as well as the
sugar barons.
Same Old Sugar Trust.
If the sugar lobbyists should sue
coed. one of the principal bene1ciaries
would be the same old sugar trust
which not so very long ago stole
some $4,000, 900 from the government
in customs duties by deliberately plac-
ing steel springs in fourteen pairs of
scales. so that their importation of
sugar would be under weighed and the
government cheated. Caught red
handed, the trust was forced to dis
gorge most of the plumber, and a few
underlings were sent to Jail, and re-
leased after serving a small portion OF
their sentence. But none of the mil
lionaire sugar magnates into whose
pockets the stolen millions would have
gone had the crime been undiscovered
were even called to the bar of JUS
tice, let alone prosecuted.
Conducting a lobby in Washington
by the sugar interests is a business
proposition strictly. The multi-mil-
Honaire sugar magnates who are every
year adding to their colossal fortunes
by millions through the kindness of
Uncle Sam in giving them protective
tariff which guarantees them a monop-
oily Of American markets with power
to charge consumers what they please
can well afford to spend a few hun
dreds of thousands in the form of
$1,000 a month salaries to slick
tongued lobbyists, if by doing so they
can prevent their monopolies and
profits from being interferred with.
Wall From Wall Street.
the $1,000 a month men, one would
imagine congress had not given the
sugar people any opportunity whatever
to be heard. The fact is a commit
tee of twenty-one members of the
house of representatives-the ways and
means committee-sat in session for
weeks listening to the arguments of
those desiring protection. The sugar
people were permitted to say any and
everything they desired. The mem
berS of the ways and means commit
tee sat somewhat a court. They
considered all the testimony, and then
brought in their verdict in the form of
the Underwood bill After having had
a fair deal in open court, the sugar
trust is now trying to win as usual by
the underhanded method of approach
ing members of congress in private,
and working in the dark.
The people are at a disadvantage in
the face of this kind of warfare be-
cause they have no knowledge of the
pressure and kind of arguments
brought to bear on congressman by
special privilege, nor lobbyists to pre-
sent the viewpoint of the consumers
or to disprove the false statements
which may be poured into the con-
gressmens ears by the able and re-
sourceful representatives of the sugar
trust.