Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-12-12
The Spanish Treaty
Attracting the Attention of
Business Men.
Bitterly Opposed by the Sugar
Refiners.
The Spanisb Treaty..

NEW L DCC. o. hO AO" Win
mercial treaty between the United
States and Spain, is regarded with
great interest by all business men
here whose trade Is affected. A
prominent sugar importer said to a
Post reporter that with the exception
of the Pacific coast which was domi-
mated In the sugar trade by Claus
Speckles, the Hawaiian sugar king the
people of this country of some fifty
Eve millions were wholly dependent
for their sugar upon some twenty re
fning concerns in this city, Boston
and Philadelphia. No raw
sugar was consumed except a little
in the tobacco manufacture, which
was not worth mentioning. About
/, 900, 900 tons of sugar were import
ed in this country annually, none OF
which reached the consumers except
through a little circle of rehnerles
which had the sugar trade by the
throat. Ii was only natural, there
fore, that the re6neries should be sat
isfed with things as they were, and
oppose any change which would give
the Spanish sugar-producing country
some degree of independence. They
obtained sugar from all parts of the
world, and they wished to balance the
interests of different countries against
each other. About one half of our
annual imports of sugar came from
Cuba aud Porto Rico, and if this inn
port was made free os duty its pro-
ducers could always find market
here, as other people would buy 1t at
a reasonable price and hold it if re-
fners were not ready to purchase
This state of affairs would partly
emancipate the planters and mer
chants from the control of The rein
cries, and therefore, the latter, with
importers frona other countries and
Louisiana planters would join in bitter
opposition to the treaty. The treaty
would amount to the commercial an
nexation of Cuba and Porte Rico to
the United States, giving us all the
benefits of political annexation with
out any of it's disadvantages. In re-
gard to the claim the treaty will be
injurious to the interests of American
workmen in re6neries. The same i'm
porter declared the statement was
preposterous argument as the
refinery interests employed fewer
skilled workmen thaH any
other branch of manufacture in pro
portion to the value of the product.
All the work was done by machinery
and most of the workmen connected
with the business were simply work
raen. A Cuban planter who has large
estates, said tae sugar crop of the
island could be doubled in two years.
The ratification of the treaty was the
onlv hope for the island to live. I'll. 0.
Havemeyer, of Havemeyer & Elder,
sugar refiners, expressed the strongest
opposition to the treaty. All retiners
were opposed to it, he said, not mere
ly in their capacity as business men,
but as American citizens. He objected
to the treaty of discrimination in
favor of the trade of any particular
country, which was an injustice, and
he objected further to measure
which would foster slave labor in
another country when we had abol-
ished it ia our own, and would
encourage the Importation there OF
coolie labor, which we had shut out
from our shores. We had already
IlC VI OL4i1A-oS
labor in the Hawaiian islands by our
commercial treaty with their govern
ment. All the benefit of the Spanish
treaty would accrue to the planters of
Cuba, who, if it should be ratified,
would Immediately put up the price
of their sugar SO as to include the
amount of the old duty. For the
year 1888 the total value of all our
exports to Cuba was only $11. 900, 600,
while the duties which we collected on
Cuban sugar were about $25, 900, 600.
This $25, 5,00O,0 900 it was now proposed
to transfer from the United States
treasury to the pockets of Cuban
planters without one cent of benefit
to our own people. If our govern
ment was going to give bounties for
the growing of sugar it would be bet
ter to pay two cents per pound to
Louisiana planters. If it was to make
discriminating treaty with any
country it would be better to make it
with England and her colonies, with
whom we could have extensive COM
merce, instead of granting such priv
ilege to miserable, impoverished
island like Cuba, 200 years behind the
aQe