Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1896-01-03
BE WARE or CHINESE SLE
Gar

Ing, with request to publish 1t, IN
order to put the public on its guard
against using Chinese sugar, which
is notoriously unclean and un.
healthy article and full of disease
germs, Large quantities are ship
ped to this coast from China billed
as merchandise" in order to de-
ceive the public, who buy it think
ing they are getting tirst-class
American sugar. This article is
well worth perusal by everybody
who uses sugar, and that means
about everybody;
The curiosity of the unwary read
er is not aroused when he sees
among other items of cargo report
ed by the agents of the Asiatic
steamers, $500 pgks merchandise" "
There is tea, silk, spices, and $500
pkgs. merchandise? Yes; and
there is nothing to be concealed 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? Be-
cause the public don't want it.
The steamer Strathnevis. which
arrived at Tacoma on Oct. s,
brought in her cargo $500 packages
"mer rchandise," or $4,000 pounds
OF Chinese sugar, and importations
of this same secret merchandise, y
since July l, into Oregon and
Washington, have amounted to AZ,
$40 bags, or nearly 100000 lbs,
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 aud poorly fed
labor?
The same secrecy exercised by
the importer is exercised by the
grocer and by every one that hand
les it, and the public becomes a
large consumer of an article that it
knows nothing Of, and would not
buy ifit knew what it was getting.
And yet there has been imported
in the last months 6 lbs of this
sugar for every man, woman and
child in Washington and Oregon.
Why does the grocer handle it?
Not a single wholesale grocer ofany
standing in the Northwest does,
but retail grocers, in their anxiety
to buy cheaper than their neighbors
have allowed their avarice to get
the best oftheir patriotism and good
sense. They buy it because it is
cheaper, and they can make 2 to 3
cts. on dallar's worth. Do these
grocers sell this sugar any cheaper?
Did You ever see in your grocer's
store 2 bags, one marked ''Ameri-
can 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 American sugar.
For little extra profit they sell
the public an article that they dare
not call BY name.
Secrecy is the watchword. The
public viii not have this 'merchan-
disc" if they know what it is.
Therefore they must know whas tits.
There are few people who will
buy sugar from plague and vermin-
ridden China when they get bet
ter article at practically the same
price made at home, and it is
because the public don't want this
product of coolie labor that it is
handled 10 the dark, sold in the
dark, concealed by the importer,
concealed by tradesman. There is
probably not one reader Of this ar
ticle who has not purchased Chi
nese sugar. thinking he was getting
clean American product made by
clean American labor. Who reaps
the benefit Of the deception?
A few honest grocers here and
there display cards: 1--WE handle
American sugar only" Many gro.
GERS sell Chinese sugar thinking
they do nothing wrong. That is all
right, 50 long as the customer does
not ask what he is getting or speci-
fy American sugar. If the custo-
mers asks. they tell him it is Chi
nese sugar, with very few excep-
tions.
Nevertheless, it remains a fact
that this immense quantity of su-
gar is dumped in here. aud cold,
and no one even sees or hears of it.
The American people are protec-
tionists in theory and in fact, and
are not SO inconsistent as to frame
laws to shut out the products Of
paqper labor, ard then turn round
and bny, at practically no differ /
euce in price. an everyday staple
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