The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1894-11-02
THE TRUE ISSUE.

n. o. States,
In his speech at New Orleans, Governor
Mckinley said:
1'Aou viii expect me to refer TO your
chief industry, the production Of sugar
In the fifty-frst congress the commit
tee on ways and means, seeking to frame
law within the principles of protection,
wishing on the one hand to give the peo-
pie free and cheap sugar, and desiring on
the other, to do no harm to your chief in
dustry, recommended an entire abolition
of the Guties upon sugar up to and in
Guiding No. 16 Dutch standard. Then,
mindful, as the Republican party has
ever been of our own industries, the COM
mittee gave to you two cents upon every
pound of sugar produced in this state and
throughout the country, sum equal to
the duties then imposed upon foreign su.
gar imported into the United States. We
thus gave the people free and cheap sugar
and at the same time we gave to your
producers, with their invested capital,
absolute and complete protection against
the cheaper sugar produced by the cheap
er labor of other countries. In 1889 we
paid sos, 900. 600 out of our pockets for the
sugar we consumed, not to protect merely
the cane planters of Louisiana, but in
effect to help to enrich the sugar pro-
duoers of the world, because your product
was insufficient to meet our entire con-
sumption.
"Only about one-tenth Of the total
amount Of sugar we consumed was then
grown in the United States. The repub-
liean party believed that it was better
policy to put sugar upon the free list and
pay a bounty to every sugar producer in
our country. In this way we paid out as
a bounty about S11 100000 annually and
saved $44, 100000 each year to the people
of this country The democratic party in
eongresslas August repealed this bounty,
made duty Of 40 per cent, ad yalorem,
and then the house passed q supplement
airy bill making sugar free-that you are
to have neither bounty nor tariff"
In Gov. McKinley's speech he states ex-
plieitly that his party gave the people
free sugar, by taking off all duties. He
triumphs in the declaration, That part
Of his speech in the mass Of its glitterlng
generalities, looms up as Of special i'm
pprtanoe to the planter. From first to
Hast iu tho speech, there is the studied
avoidance Of any specific promise to the
planter When the distinguished orator
docs speak on the subject Of interest to
the sugar people. 1t is to eXult That his
party made sugar free. Aeandid avowal,
but not cheering to those who brought
him here. True, the orator adds that his
party gave the bounty. 1t was fatal
gift, SO regarded by all at the time. 1t
was not favored by prominent republican
statesmen, and was opposed bydemoerats
as paving the way to mother duty nor
bounty Always unpopular with the
masses everywhere, naw condemned by
Reed, sheFmaA, Allison and other leaders
w hhS ASliNp14s1h P"sNS5 ~ y" NeNN NV
oven promised by Mckinley himself The
great apostle Of protection, and Of the
bounty, does not dare to advocate that
which the deluded planter seeks and sup
poses lie will find in the republicanparty.
What then, is the planter to realize in his
new and unnatural political affiliations
Gov. Mckinley answers: Free sugar
From ali sources of instruction ip the
republican party. The further answer
comes; No Aoupty--For any man to se-
rioRsly contend that duty or bounty for
sugar is to be expected from the republi-
cans If they ever get into power (not
likely) is to put at issue his sincerity Or
his intelligence.
The demoeratie party, pp the contrary,
while ii repealed the hounty utterly in-