The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1895-10-31
THE CHINESE SUGARS
Large Quantities Surreptiti
ously Sold on the Coast.
TT IS BILLED AS MERCHANDISE
Rut Few People Are Aware of the Dan
ger That Is Threatened From
This UncIean Article.

This UncIean Article.
Tacoma, Oct. 21.-The curiosity OF
the unwary reader is not aroused when
he sees among other items of cargo re-
ported by the agents of the Aslatlc
steamers "6, 600 pkg's merchandise. .
There is tea, silk, spices and $500
pkg's merchandise. "
Aren't tea and silk merchandise"
Yes; and there is nothing to be con-
cealed in their importation, but with
sugar it is different. Secrecy is the
watchword. The public must not
know that Chinese sugar is being
dumped upon them. Why? Because
the public don't want it.
The steamer Strathnevis, which ar
rived at Tacoma on October s, brought
III her cargo $500 pkg's 'merchan-
disc" or 5000 pounds of Chinese
sugar, and importations of this same
secret merchandise" since July into
Oregon and Washington have amount
ed to 48, $40 bags, or nearly 5000, 600
pounds, valued at nearly a quarter Of
a million dollars.
Where has it all gone? How many
people know they are buying sugar
from the plague ridden Orient with its
poorly paid and poorly fed labor? The
same secrecy exercised by the importer
is exercised by the grocer and by every
one who handles it, and the public be-
comes a large consumer OF an article
that it knows nothing of and would not
buy if it knew what it was getting.
And yet there has been secretly i'm
ported in the last three months six
pounds of this sugar for every man,
woman and child i'll Washington and
Oregon.
Why does the grocer handle it? Not
a single Wholesale grocer of any stand
ing in the Northwest does, but some Of
the retail grocers in their anxiety to
buy cheaper than their neighbors have
let their avarice get the best of their
patriotism and good sense. They buy
it because it is cheaper and they can
make two or three cents more on a dol
lars worth Do these grocers sell this
sugar cheaper? Did you ever see in
your grocer's store two bags one mark
ed American Sugar" and the other
Chinese Sugar? No. They buy it
at an Insignificant difference in cost
and sell this 'merchandise" as
sugar" at the same price as Ameri-
can sugar. For a little extra profit
they sell the public an article that
they DO not dare call by name.
Secrecy is the watchword. The pub
lie will not have this merchandise"
if they know what it is. Therefore
they must not know what it is.
There are few people who will buy
sugar from plague and vermin ridden
China when they get better article at
practically the same price made at
home, and it is because the public dom
want this product of coolie labor that
it is handled in the dark aud sold in
the dark, concealed by the importer
and concealed by the tradesman. There
is probably not one reader of this az
ticle who has not purchased Chinese
sugar thinking that he was getting
clean American product made by
American labor. Who reaps the bene-
fit of the deception?
A few honest grocers here and there
display cards: 1--WE handle American
Sugar Only" Many grocers sell Chi
nese sugar thinking that they are do
ing nothing wrong, that it is all right
so long as the customer does not ask
what he is getting or specify Ameri-
can sugar. If the customer asks they
tell him it is Chinese sugar, with a
very few exceptions.
Nevertheless, it remains fact that
this immense quantity of sugar is dump
ed in here and sold and no one ever sees
Or hears of it.
The American people are protection
lists in theory and in fact and are not so
inconsistent as to frame laws to shut
out the products of pauper labor and
they turn around and buy, at practical
ly no difference in price, an every day
staple food product from the most
poorly paid, the most degraded, the
most filthy labor on the face of the
earth.
Hardly a freetrader would be so un-
American as to patronize such products
although he does not believe in keep
ing them out by law, and he can we'll
point his finger of scorn to any one
protesting to believe in protection to
American industries who brings to his
own house and family sugar from
China.
Suppose the grocer gave his custom
ers the benefit of the lower price and
gave them one more pound of Chinese
sugar than of American sugar for one
dollar, few families would save over
thirty cents a year. 1t is ridiculous
and no one will listen to it. Hence
the secrecy. Hence the ''merchan-
disc This is why no grocer asks you
which you will have, American or Chi
nese sugar.
Let every American stand for Ameri-
can goods. Find out what your are
getting. At least pay for what you
get and get what you pay for. This is
the kind of protection that protects.
The government in order to protect
its citizens against practices of this
kind requires that all imported goods
shall be plainly marked with the name
of the country from which it came.
But little sugar is sold in original
packages and the good effect is lost If
you buy a bag of Chinese sugar you
will find in the middle of the bag the
words Hong Kong, provided your eye
sight is good and provided it has not
been marked over with marking
brush.