Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1895-09-20
DOWN ON DEMOCRATS.
Bitter Assaults Upon the Sugar Pro-
ducers of Louisiana.

ducers of Louisiana.
In no instance has the dishonesty of
the present Administration been more
barefaced than in its dealings with
our sugar producers. When the Mo-
Kinley tariff was passed in 1890 the
Louisiana crop of that year was $780,
900 tons. Under the protection then
offered by Congress the sugar output
of that one State almost doubled, in
creasing to $50, 200 tons for the 1894
crop. which was cultivated, grown and
harvested on the faith that the laws of
Congress would be executed and that
the honesty . the American Govern
ment would not be impeached. 1t is
the same in the case of our beet sugar
product, which reached only 5000
tons in 1890 and 10000 tons in 1894,
the phenomenal advance being made
solely through the Governments
promise of protection.
The hardship experienced, more
particularly by the individual planters
and manufacturers of Louisiana, has
at length forced upon them the belief
that the political party to which they
have hitherto belonged is as dishonest
as it is incompetent. First of all, the
leaders of that party in Congress en-
deavored to repudiate the payment of
the just claims of the sugar growers
and producers. It was due chiefly,
however, to their political opponents
that Congress insisted upon appro-
priating the sum of SIS, 900, 600 where
with to partially meet their demands.
More than half year has elapsed
since that money was appropriated.
1t has not yet been paid, and obstacle
after obstacle has been presented by
the Democratic officials to prevent its
payment. Every delay and subter-
fuge that could suggest itself has been
practiced so as to defraud the sugar
producers, who have overcome every
opposition and successfully met every
argument used against ther For a
year past statesmen, fihaneiers, law
yers and Treasury experts have dis
cussed the payment of this just claim,
and all have failed in successfully OPP
posing it. Finally the Democratic
officials in Washington were COM
PEELED to formulate regulations for its
settlement. All details for payment
were arranged and the date was an
nounced, September J, when the
money should be handed over.
Thus the hopes of the sugar pro-
ducers were once more buoyed up. it
seemed that the payment of the
bounty was inevitable; that there was
no escape from it. But the confiding
people of Louisiana did not know the
depth of Democratic official degrade.
tion. An entirely new obstacle was
suddenly set before them, and it now
looks as if the grandest period of
prosperity that was ever enjoyed by
Louisiana will terminate with the i'm
poverishment of her people and a
check to her progress that cannot be
overcome within decade. Scores of
the sugar planters of that State have
already been wrecked and ruined !;
others had tided over their troubles
by obtaining advances and extensions
of credit, owing to the promise made
by Congress that the bounty should
be paid them.
But now one Official sets himself up
to overrule the action of Congress;
and those sugar producers who were
being helped temporarily by banks
and capitalists must, many of them,
succumb to the ruin and wreckage
that had previously overwhelmed their
neighbors and friends. Not only is it
the sugar producers of Louisiana who
are injured, but every other industry
in the State is directly affected by the
prosperity of the sugar people. The
treachery Of the free-trade party and
of the free trade officials, step by step,
throughout this entire transaction
with Louisiana will. and can, never be
sufficiently exposed.