Axes to Grind

While the four Federal agencies are carrying on their four separate investigations of the alleged sugar gouge whereby the price of sugar was pushed up to 10 cents a pound, political factions are busy turning the scandal to account.

First, the high tariff on sugar (a Republican measure) gave Chairman Cordell Hull of the Democratic National Committee a chance to abuse the Republicans for passing it and thus making sugar speculation behind the tariff wall both tempting and safe. President Harding, alert and cautious fearing that there might perhaps be something rotten in the state of Fordney-McCumberism, promptly ordered an investigation of the situation by the Federal Tariff Commission (which had already started one of its own) to see if he would be authorized to reduce the sugar duty as provided by the law. As the investigation will occupy from 40 days to six months, according to high and low estimates, Mr. Harding has been accused of "postponing the issue in masterly fashion."

The Republican National Committee was not so tactful. Replying to Mr. Hull's remarks, it issued a public statement saying:

"To assert that an increase in tariff of a cent a pound causes an advance of 6 to 8 cents a pound in the price of sugar is to give utterance to clotted nonsense!'

But Republicans and the Democratic National Committeemen, pure and orthodox, are not the only politicians with an axe to grind on lumps of sugar. Senator Capper of Kansas saw an opportunity of capturing credit for the farm bloc. "Unless the sugar raiders are punished, Congress will be compelled by the farm and progressive blocs to take over the job!"

The high tariff and a conspiracy by sugar manipulators are the most frequently alleged causes of the rise in sugar prices, but the Federal Reserve Board, having political enemies, too, has had to take its share of the blame. Says Representative King (Rep.) of Illinois: "The present high price of sugar is due almost entirely to financing of speculators through the Federal Reserve System. This financing enabled the speculators to hold sugar off the market and boost the price."

Finally, we have the Socialists welcoming the "sugar steal" as Exhibit A in the machinery of capitalist business and capitalist government. "While we are being skinned to a frazzle for another six months," laments the Socialist Call, speaking of the Federal inquiry, "another investigation is being carried out in the interest of our glorified oligarchs."