Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-05

tribute to the sugar barOrs by way OF a
bounty We are In favor Of the sugar and
chicory industry and consider that we
need diversified industry but we are OPP
posed TO all class legislation and opposed to
one industry thriving by the lcech process
Schuyler Quill
The chicory factory OF O'Ncin is running
night and day. The Sun is pleased to an
nuunce that the company has had 4 remark
ably prosperous year in ralsigc the plant
and that a number Of men and boys have
had an opportunity to earn 81 day; also
that few men now have employment at
the factory. 4 dollar a lay Is better thar
loaHng II Is n good idea to keep the fac
tory going night and day, rs It viii not BE-
long now until that fool Legislature Of farm
ors she'll meet az Lincoln and they may get
a little inguistive and want 20 know why
the people of tho state should he taxed tc
grant bounty 20 chcory and sugar beet
producers. whlc the real farmers Of the
state foot the bill.-ON'elu sun.
The last legislature may b. responsible
for some vicious laws. If 50. the vicious
laws should BE- repealed. But the popu.
quoted are fair specimens, is oycrShoot-
mg the mark when it advocates the re-
peal of laws calculated to build up Ne
braSka simply because they were
enacted hy republicans.
The trouble with the populist press
Is its tendency TO pander to popular
prejudice and ignorance rather than to
discuss public questions from the stand
point Of experience ana common sense.
When it talks about 6-ccnt oats, 1O-cent
corn and IO.cent wheat it simply en-
phaSizcs the Importance Of diversified
agriculture. While the prices quoted are
from % to "a per cent below the present
market prices in the eastern half of Ne
braSka, where ScvCn-CighthS of the corn.
oats and wheat is raised, they would.
even if correct. furnish n most convin-
cing argument in favor OF developing the
beet sugar and chicory industries.
1t is senselesS to rail against the sugar
harons and to denounce capitalists who
have had the courage to invest large
sums in experimental enterprises which
promise so much for the material wei
fare and prosperity of Nebraska. 1t is
amazing that any citizen of Holt county,
where tn" first chicory factory has been
built, should feel aggricved because it
has given employment to men and boys
night and day this season. Instead OF
trying to suppress the chicory industry.
Nebraska has reason to feel proud that
Al, In, ~ =
undertaken to compete with foreign
countries which have up to this time
had IL monopoly i'll supplying America
with chicOry.
1t is also amazing that any man or
newspaper in Nebraska should dccry
the policy of encouraging sugar beet
culture by bounty, conditioned on the
payment to the farmer of Il fixed price
which gives the beet raiser the benefit
whether the price of sugar goes up or
down. Willie it is true that the OK
nards have indirectly protited by the
state bounty on sugar voted two years
ago. the main object Of the law was to
prevent the closing of their factories
and if possible to secure the erection of
additional factories. Everybody knows
that the heavy export bounties paid by
foreign countries make it impossible for
American beet sugar manufacturers to
compete without some protection or
bounty. The only rea-
son why no new factories have been
erected under the new bounty law is
the uncertainty of the bounty coupled
with the financial disturbances that
have kept capital from vcnturing into
any new enterprise.
Even assuming that the Nebraska
sugar factories are owned by sugar
barons and belong to the trust, which
icct to having their money permanently
invested in this state rather than in
some other state? The Bee does not
hesitate to take the position that ii
would favor the payment of a bounty
to the Nandcrbits, GOulds RothSchildS
or the whole money power if by so
doing it could insure the establishment
of twenty or thirty beet sugar and
chicory factories in different parts Of
the state within the next five years.
The factories of the barons and money
changers would add millions to the tax
able valuation of the state. They would
add millions to the value of Nebraska
lands adaptable to sugar beet and
chicory culture, besides increasing the
consumption of home products by Civ
ing employment to thousands of work
ingmen and women.
1t is easy enough to destroy in
dustries. 1t is the work of years to
develop and build up the resources of
state And when it comes to footing
the bills the towns and cities pay much
the greater part of the tax, which after
all is trivial compared with the benefits.