The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-03-22
WRONGS OF KANSAS.

have of late been brought so sharply
in conflict with the taxation policies
of the great Republican party that II
will be wonderful indeed II the "Ban
ner Republican State of the Union
does not, within very short period
find itself, chilly willy" thrust outside
of the pale of the &. o.. p. Firstly
there has within few years grown
up in Kansas quite heavy sugar
manufacturing interest. Not only
has the sorghum raised in southern
Kansas been found as rich In saccha'
rine matter as the best southern cane,
but the processes of manufacturing
sugar from the cane have been so i'm
proved that sugar in Kansas can be as
cheaply manufactured as in Louisiana.
The same improved processes are also
found applicable to the manufacture
of beet sugar, so that the one great
drawback to profitable sugar making
in Kansas-the shOrtness Of the sor-
ghum seasons largely overcome by
its being heightened out by use OF the
beet to greater length than the Louis
lana or even Cuba season.
But sugar in Kansas is an infant in
dustry, and needs protection. 1t can
get along If the present tariff on sugar
is left undisturbed, but little more
government help would be better In
the face Of this, however the McKin-
ley committee at Washington, which
fully shares the aching Of the whole
party never to let an opportunity pass
to aim a thrust at the South, seeing
chance to stab its great sugar indus
try, cuts down the sugar duties fully
One-half, and whereas it had been con-
stantly held out to Kansas that the
blow would be sOftened as to her by a
bounty on sorghum and beet sugar,
the sugar section Of the Mckinley bill,
as perfected, says not one word about
a sorghum bounty. The passage of
the bill will therefore be a death-blow
to the sugar industry of Kansas.
But harder still on Kansas is the
heavy tax the Mckinley bill imposes
on silver-lead ores from Mexico. From
time immemorial these ores have been
admitted free, aud being mined on
lines leading directly to Kansas, extern
sive smelling works were erected at
Argentine, Kansas - indeed, the
largest in the world, employing thou
sands of mem--whO were almost eXClu-
sively employed in smelling these
Mexican ores, the Kansas farmers
finding an extensive market for their
corn and meats taken by the Mexican
miners in return for these ores. Then
it turned up that these Mexican ores
came In conflict with some mines that
had been opened In Colorado, belong
ing to Secretary Blaine and his bench
man, Steve Elkins, and Secretary
Window was prevailed upon to check
the importation Of most of the Mexi-
can ores on the ground that they con-
tanned smaller proportion of silver
than the tariff laws called for. This
led to the closing up of several of the
most important Mexican mines, great
ly to the detriment Of the works at
Argentine, and the trade Of the Kan
sas farmers with Mexico; but now, in
addition. comes the Mckinley bill with
tax Of u cents per ID. on all Mexican
silyer-lead ores, which Of course means
their entire exclusion, and the closing
up, at loss Of millions, of the great
smelling works at Argentine.
TO cap the climax Of the msfortunes
of Kansas from the tariff policy of the
&. o. p, Mexico, on the closing of her
silver-lead mines in consequence of the
Window order, (Which the Mckinley
tariff greatly intensities,) proceeded to
have railroad constructed from the
mine region to Monterey, and is thence
to be extended to the Gulf, and then
all of its silver-lead ores will be shipped
by that route to England, whose mar
kets fix the price of lead ores for the
world, to bc refined. In this way,
while the protective tariff fails to pro-
tect the miners of Colorado and
Idaho, Kansas loses its railroad
freights, its refining business and the
sale of its corn. Well may the farm
ers meet and consolidate their ALI
ances, and utter through them an ener-
getic protest against political econo-
my, craftsmanship and civilization
like this.
The Iowa Republican legislators