The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-12-31

conferred upon country by giving new
source Of revenue TO its farmers, by build
ing up new and fiourishing communities
wherever beet sugar factory Is estab-
Hshed, by the addition TO the general pros
for the protection OF beet sugar by foreign
nations. The senator quoted from the re-
urged upon the United States the neces-
sity of protecting the American sugar in
terests.
MR.. OXNARD'S ARGUMENT.
Mr.. Henry T. Oxnard. of Grand Island,
Neb., president of the American Beet Sugar
Society. in behalf of that industry charged
that the present tariff not only failed to
give protection TO the sugar raisers, but dis
couraged the investment of additional cap
ital. 1t had been predicted that under the
Mckinley law the beet-sugsr industry
would grow rapidly and three refineries had
been built early in the administration of
that law, but since then fear of change had
deferred new investments. Any schedule
sugar which had been in force since 1s5O.
except that of the Wilson law, would per-
nit the spread of beet-sugar growing. Beet
sugar could be produced in twenty States,
and under proper tarin the United States
could, in fifteen years, raise all the sugar
beet Industry protested against rates
which favored only the single State of
Louisiana No party. except that which
sugar rates lower than from Ia 10 3i2
cents a pound Mr. Oxnard delivered an ar
Sument in favor of a bounty and proceeded
TO quote departmental reports and other
authorities TO show that this country had
soil. climate. energy and capital requisite
TO the production of all its own sugar.
Every other nation. even Sweden. which
could supply itself with sugar, had taken
every measure to do so. Even little Bull
garia had liberal duties and bounties en-
forced for this purpose.
Cost of labor, uncertainty as 10 legisla-
ton, export bounties in other countries and
dnplfF in rNrfn nj
capital out of investment in beet sugar.
Germany now pays 27.3i2 and 2S $40 cents
per hundred pounds export bounties, ac-
cording to the quality of the sugar. and
could afford to sell sugar in New York
at 1919 cents per hundred pounds less than
American producers. and occasionally TO
sell surplus products below the cost. Give
Americans reasonable bounty. guaranteed
to continue for a reasonable time and they
would work wonders The American was
now obliged to compete with African cheap
labor. Egypt In the last fiscal year had
States in British bottoms which carried no
return cargoes. With wars in Cuba and
the Philippines cutting off supplies from
those islands Germany was endeavoring to
capture the american market For reasons,
supposedly commercial, Congress had in
1876 legislated for free entry of sugar from
Hawaii. This treaty had never. met faVor
with the people. had cost Sis 000. 900 and had
not greatly Increased our exports TO that
country The estimated duties remitted py
the United States on Hawaiian sugar are
$61. 900 000 He thought ii unjust to en-
courage these importations at the expense
of revenue and our home producers. He
urged the abrOgation of the agreement.
OPPOSED TO RECIPROCITY.
Speaking of the conflicting interests in
voved in giving adequate protection TO the
sugar growers, he pointed to the sugar re-
finers who bought and refined the foreign
product, and to the millers of flour, and
others who desired to use sugar in reri-
procity agreements, to obtain concessions
for themselves The refiners wanted the
lowest possible duty on raw and the high
est on refined. While owing to the condi-
tion of the treasury it might not be feas-
ible to re-enact the bounty scheme of 1890
T he thought the dual system proposed by
the Senate amendments to the Mills bill in
1883. which imposed a duty and also gave
a bounty. was how entirely practicable.
Mr. Oxnard took strong gronnds against
any reciprocity. He thought a dual policy
(both duty and bounty would be fair to
all interests and jeopardize none. Such
policy. he said. would increase the revenue
out of which the bounty could be paid and
would encourage the sugar Inotstr "
The schedule he proposed was a duty of
! cent per pound on all sugars testing %
degrees or less; cents per one hunare9
additional for each degree between 80 and
96 degrees, and cents per one hundred
pounds for every additional degree between
90 and 100 with u of "a cent olfferential on
sugars above is Dutch standard He asked
for the Mckinley duty molasses and
countervailing duties against bounty-pay-
sugars. The bounty. he proposed was q of
cent per pound: Il TO go off at the end
of each four years the whole bounty TO
cease i'm twelve years.
DO you believe that bounty would be
permanent" asked Mr. Payne. You re-
member i'm 1894. you opposed IL on the
ground that 1T could not be made perhla-
'lYes." replied Mr. Oxnard. 81 think it
Republican party will continue in power"
"Why?" asked Mr. Wheeler. because 1t
has restored prosperity?
Mr. Payne when he asked facetiously III he
believed this because of the encouragement
given the Republican partv in the beet
sugar States and the close squeeze in the
Mr. Oxnard, in answer to questions from
Mr. McAIilin, said that the Eastern and
Western refineries had divided the Ameri.
can markets between them and agreed not
to infringe on each others territory. the
Hawaiian treaty helping that agreement.
PLEA FOR FARMERS.
Herbert Myrick president of the Orange
Judd Company spoke in the interests of
the farmers His argument was exhaustive
and was largely devoted to showing the
advantage of the production i'm this coun-
try of the sugar consumed here 1t was
an economic crime, he said, to compel
American farmers to raise staples i'm COM
petition with the cheap-labor coun-
tries with which TO pay for imported
sugar. besides standing the freight and
commission both ways. They have found
by experience and scientific tests that from
the Hudson river TO the Pacific, from the
Carolinas to the lakes, they can grow sugar
beets as rich or richer in saccharine con-
tents than those of Europe. They want
| factories esta bished TO afford market for
| those sugar beets which they are willing
| to- furnish at from 81 TO So per ton. At
| these prices the crop is a profitable one.
| Every acre devoted to IL viii by so much
| reduce the competition in other branches
| of farming. What stands in the way of
| the American beet-sugar industry. he said.
| was mainly European competition. What
| is needed, he said, Is a reasonable specific
| duty on all imported sugar, with an addi-
| tional discriminating duty from countries
paying an export duty, equal ID that
| bounty Then. with such aid as the various
States and localities interested may offer
| to secure sugar factories. the beet-sugar in
| dustry could be put on its feet in this
country within very few years. The
sugar-beet industry, he said. was on the
high road to success under the Mckinley
| law Its repeal had brought it to "A stand
| still Farmers realized that the time had
| come to look out for No. ]. and they
proposed To do Ii. They Will reward
| the party that stands by them and punish
| the party that goes back on the farmers.
| They cared more for their bread and but
! ter said the speaker. than for any political
| party and are disposed TO act accordingly.
| In reply TO Mr.. Wheeler's questions MIR.
| Myrick said that the factory farthest south
! had been conducted IN Staunton, Va, by
| Mr.. O. X Lapham. who had become con-
yinced that beet sugar was the best crop
| for the middle South
| Thomas X. Cutler, of Utah, a bishop OF
| the Mormon Church. read statistics of i'm
| ports and exports between the United
States and Haw ali, showing that the eX-