Evening star., 1914-08-23
Louisiana's Proposition to COL
Iect $4,000, 900 From Re-
finers He Disapproves.
LAW INTERPRETATION
GIVEN TO SECRETARY
He Believes Supreme Court Would
Decide Against Proposition If It
Would Be Submitted.

Secretary McAdoo has officially frown-
Cd upon Q proposition to have the Treas
ury Department collect $l0.00o.ooo out
Of which the government has been de-
prived. 1t il claimed. through faulty
Interpretation Of the tariff law.
This action. at = time whom the Unit
cd State Treasury 10 threatened with a
deficit and when Congress 10 seriously
considering levying war taxsA Is at
tracing. much attention at the capitoi.
Those hacking the proposition to have
the Treasury collect these back dues
point out that the casa 10 particularly
significant at this tina when the At
charging conspiracy In the boosting Of
food prices, because they claim these
dues are owed by the sugar refining
combine" They point to the retail price
the last two weeks just at the canning
season. too. as matter OF great pub
lie interest.
The state Of Louisiana claims that
import sugar duties at the rate Of ga
100000 a month since the new tarif
law went into effect March l, have
been syphoned from the Treasury at
the United States into the coffers of
the sugar trust" the amount now
totaltng more than &1e.0a0.00e, y -.
;srts that this has nsss aoGsmpsaSSe aSe
law. II wants to have the Supreme
Court of the United States aeciae
whether Its contention Is correct or
whether the sugar tArih has been
properly imposed.
q. g. Must start Suit.
The Supreme Court has refused to
entertain such suit without the con-
sent Of the government. on the ground
that such suit 10 in fact a suit
against the government and cannot be
instituted by any state.
Feeling that as sovereign state.
protecting the product of state-owned
planta tions it should be allowed to
present Its claims for decision before
the Supreme Court and being pre-
pared to meet all expenses of such
litigation. the legislature of Louisiana
ing Congress to give the state author
ity to institute this suit.
Senator Broussard was given hear
ing before the House committee on 5u-
dietary. The record Of this hearing was
printed and sent to Secretary McAdoo
for his comments as to the merits OF
the proposition. He has replied that
the Secretary Of the Treasury has al
ways been allowed to construe and en-
force the revenues laws, subject to re-
view 0y the courts Waon 8Ye8toT
amount Of duty was assessed than the
importers claimed the law warranted.
He also expressed the opinion that
should this question be carried into the
courts and sustained 1t would benefit
the Louisiana growers little. as before
or soon after decision was handed
down sugar would be on the free list.
To ti1is-Raut j. Christian, represents
ative of the American Cane Growers Az
sociation of the United States.=-replied
last night that heavy importations OF
sugar from Cuba and Java will continue
to be brought into the United States un-
affected by the war. as these are in neu-
trail territory. and that 1t will be much
easier and more logical for the govern
ment to continue the tariff on sugar.
thereby getting Q revenue Of $62, 900,
than to attempt to raise this sum by q
stamp tax. He said that 1t is prepoater-
Gus 70 brush aside an opportunity to
collect this $40 OO0O O00, which the govern
nent now needs badly. without even at
tempting to see If it Is not legally due.
He said '.the $40 10000 deficit in duty
accumulated since March is upon auEaf
which the reflners bought from Cuban
planters at little more than the cost OF
production. That sugar Is now being
sold to the American consumers at
prices which will realize profit to the
refining combine, in comparison with
which the amount of duty in dispute will
seem small indeed"
McAdoo's Position.