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Show RUINED INDUSTRY. IS ABOUT THE ONLY EFFECT OF THE LOW TARIFF. , i What's the matter with the country?" people nre nRk'ng. They say it looks like, with the most of tho world at war, we ought to be busier than ever in history nnd every industry pushing ahead as never before. Perhaps the explanation is not so hard to find when one takes the pains to do a little thinking. The Sun claims that low tariffs is the cause. Possibly not, but nobody can give nny other reason. Anyhow, think of sugar in this connection. It is a sure thing thnt the ruined ruin-ed sugar industry is wholly due to a low tariff on tho article, and we think we can prove it by the Wilson crowd of free traders. . On the 10th of this month tho department of commerce issued figures showing that during the fiscal period ending with Juno of this year sugar was imported to the nmount of $174,000,-000. $174,000,-000. Tho year before the amount was only $101,000,000, so that the increase was $73,000,-000, $73,000,-000, or more than 70 per cent. Thcro is the ex-plnnntion ex-plnnntion of the demise of the sugar industry, for under the free trade law it is provided that sugar Bhall be wholly free of duty after May 1st of next year and sugar producers realize that they are down and out unless thnt provision of the Underwood Inw is chnnged. At present only 75 per cent of the republican tariff has been removed. re-moved. Imports have increased in nbout the snmc rntio ns the tariff taken off nnd nre expected ex-pected to jump still higher next year unless the law is changed. And whnt good hns come? Not one cent of snving to the consumer is claimed, even by the grcnt claimcrs of democracy. The industry at home has been seriously crippled nnd is threatened threat-ened with extermination, the government hns lost fifty million dollars of revenue nnd the price did not come down, ns predicted by the free traders. There is benefit, however. Foreign BUgnr producer hnvo been vnstly enriched. |