The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-08-31
LETTER FROM AMERICA.
Plea for the Sugar Bounty and a
Protective Tariff.
New HAVEN, Aug. l, 1892.

Mr.. EDITOR: It is greatly to be re
GREETED that the boon Of free sugar
for sixfy-three millions of people in
this country which has resulted thus
far, in spite of the Sugar Trust, in
giving US 80 to 40 per cent. more
sugar for the same money than form
erly, has worked go grievously against
the interests Of ell classes in Hawaii.
But it is only another proof of the
fact that bargains, whether in gro
ceries or dry goods, means disaster
for somebody, and at times for good
many other bodies Everyone knows
what cheap cigar means when some
man with vile taste sets it off in a
crowd, and the effect of cheap drinks
or poor liquor on the man who drinks
it and those around him. But the
general and promiscuous abuse of
the Mckinley bill is a weapon more
dangerous at the butt than the muz-
zle. Two years ago little ex Gov
ernor of Connecticut of the Demo
cratic persuasion told the crowd in
my hearing that upon careful cal
cuIation he had found that the Nc
Kinley tariff bill would increase the
yearly expenses of the average labor
ing man S75 per annum."
Whether that statement was born
of nT ynoliOn 1onnnonf
saith not, but it was entirely without
foundation. At no time in the his
tory of this country has it been pos
sible for the working man to purchase
so much of the necessaries and COM
forts of life with his earnings as dur
ing this present year of grace.
But the venom and spite of the
enemy of the Mckinley bill has been
aimed specially against that part
which gives the sugar grower in this
country bounty on his crop for ten
years in order that he may tide
over the otherwise disastrous effects
of putting his sugar produced by
well-paid laborers in competition
with that of tropical countries raised
by slave labor or equally cheap con-
tract labor. We need scarcely be re-
minded that the sugar industry of
Louisiana was developed by slave
labor and became profitable. When
by the stern logic of events the war
of the rebellion set the slaves free,
nothing prevented the absolute
restriction of a lawful and laudable
industry except the war duty on
sugar and with even that it has been
struggle for life with many of the
planters.
Now, who dares to say that an hon
est business like sugar growing
should be destroyed without making
the owners fair compensation and
as the policy of this Government is
to build up and stimulate the largest
variety of useful Industries, so as to
give our people employment in all
the occupations to which they have
accustomed themselves here OF
abroad, and to render us so far Els
possible Independent of other coun-
tries, the plan of bounty on sugar
seemed the most equitable. It is
one form of public aid that has been
in vogue almost from the first DAYS
Of our Governments existence.
Enterprising towns offer exemp
tion from taxation for term of years
to new and useful enterprises that
propose to locate therein; countries
extend aid to railroads passing
through them, and this Gov
eminent has given millions of acres
of its public lands for the same pur-
pose. Your own Government is at
this very time voting bounty for its
ocean mail service far beyond any
really equitable money value of such
service, and it is the highest and best
policy to do so.
An eminent gentlemen of Homo,
lulu isquoted in some paper, whether
truly or not / do not know, as speak,
ing quite savagely against the sugar
bounty" but, If tradition is correct,
he introduced in his early days of
trading with Hawaiians the practice
of giving bounty with every pur-
chase of reasonable amount, and
when l first knew him in '54 was
called ska haole manuahi!"
The subsidy system of Great Brit
ain, France and Germany is of the
same kind, only that in their case the
owners of steamship lines had no
equitable claim against their Govern
ments, who had entered upon no
course of public policy tending to
destroy their business, while in the
case of the sugar growers of this
country the admission of Manila,
Cuban or Brazilian sugar duty free
meant ruin to interests which were
for the benefit of the whole country,
as we'll as the proprietors and laborers
who have devoted their whole lives
and fortunes to its creation and en-
largement. [ submit that it would be a
blunder worse than crime for us to
enter upon any policy that tends to
narrow our industrial pursuits rather
than broaden and diversity them.
Thanks to our policy of protection
we now lead the world in production
of iron, and IN spite of tariff thinkers
and reform cranks we produce three
fourtbs of all the wool we consume,
while the average American is able
to V ar more and better wooden
clothes than the average citizen of
free trade England. One of the
strongest reasons for our encourag-
ing manufacturing interest is this
plain fact against which free traders
break their heads and rudgo1 tba;,