The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-07-09
Why II Was Not Provided
in the Tariff Bill.
II Was Feared That II Would
Delay That Measure.
Western Senator Says Farmers are
Entitled to Protection.

WASHINGTON. july - Special. l-Not'
withstanding tho fact that the Republicans
OF the senate did not dare make tho beet
sugar bounty party policy. on account OF
fear of delaying tho tariff bill. there Is
general belief among public mon here that
within "A short time the proposed bounty
will bo given, and that 10 will result In
building mp now agricultural industry IL
this country. Men who hold 10 Jofferso
nian principles or who arc opposed TO sub
sidles and boupties, look upon any sort oi
bounty as something beyond the proper
function Of government. With the argu
ments on one side or the other the average
man has little TO do. There Is very much
20 be said both for and against bounty.
People who do not care TO bother them
selves about principles and who look only
To effects sec In the proposed bounty on
beet sugar a chance to do something tangi
bio toward building up the American farm
er. know q number OF men who do not
believe In bountios as u matter OF princi
Pile, but who favor this beet sugar bounty
because, as western senator puts 10, II
we are going to have n protective system
throughout our national life for the benefit
OF the manufactures, and the trusts, and
the workmen in cities, and the capital gen
orally invested in large centers Of popula
ton, say that system should be extended
to the farmer as we'll.
1.-The protective system has helped the
farmer in but ono way" continued this
senator, "if 10 has helped him at all. II
has given work ~ o greater number oi
men, increased the purchasing power NJ on'
own people and thus given the farmer n
better home market. This Is the argument
OF the supporters of the protection theory.
and II 10 Is true tbon all that has been dons
for the farmer is in most indirect way
He has been compelled 10 pay more for the
things he buys that he may have n better
market tor the things he has TO sell. Now,
II we are To continue the high protection
system 10 looks ms if we were-the
farmer should have direct as we'll as In
direct benefit from It. The sugar bounty
would be of direct advantage TO him.
The Farmers Condition.
cone Of the great questions before the
American people, said another public
man who has given careful study to eco
nomic subjects, els whether or not wo are
going to permit our fnrmer 10 drop down
to the level Of the agricultural populations
Of other countries. No other nation has
such farming people as we have, no 9th
or is so Intelligent, 80 refined, so highly
civilized Our farming population Is the
back bone Of tho nation. II produces our
best men, our leaders, our great armies
our geniusos Our farmers live well, are
surrounded hy comforts, they have their
hooks and magazines; their children are
well educated Other countries have In
comparison sorfs or peasants, denizens OF
thatched huts, women working In she
fields Only in America Is the farming
population NJ tho top Of the ladder Of cul-
ture and character.
Can wa hald them therea- We can do
so only hy enabling them 10 make their
lands earn what they should earn Wheat
Is playing out as n profitable crop. Time
was when we controlled the wheat markets
of the world Now we are met by wheat
from Argentina Iudia. Russia. South
Africa, in keen competition. THIS foreign
wheat Is grown by farmers and by labor
against which our farmers and our labor
cannot compete. for the simple reason that
our agricultural people will not live as
those people live. III our farmers are to
thrive as they ought 10 thrive, they must
have some better crop for their lands than
wheat They must get away from oompe.
tition with tho peasants.
The Sugar Industry.
"In an average year we sell abroad
about 500 000, 900 worth Of wheat That
IL "A very large sum of money But what
next happensY Why. we turn right around
and pay out just about that same sum for
the sugar which we import. Sugar, like
wheat, Is an agricultural product. IL is
4, fnrt IL 40 tel N
think that sum Of money equal to all wa
get for our wheat crop Is paid out for
single product of the farms Of other coun.
tries. This is the more amazing when we
remember that the United States is known
TO be one Of tho best countries In the world
for sugar raising. Four 1fths of our farm.
ing land is adaptable to the sugar beet.
Starting in on the Atlantic coast and run.
ming to the Pacific, from North Carolina
northward and west of the Hudson. Is all
good sugar country.
"Ouc Justification for the protective pol.
icy IL that u has helped build up industries
which could not have been established In
the face OF foreign competition bnt for the
help of the law The same argument ap-
plies 10 bounty for beet sugar Exports
say that II tho growing of sugar heet can
be stimulated by government bounty for
a few years the industry will then be able
10 stand alone IL certainly would Ina a
grent thing il the United States could grow
its own sugar
Natural Laws
CAS- r'i'c, ~ "a not good principle to
give protection or bounty To trade or
product that is unnatural Law should
not try Co interfere with natural laws and
~ make things grow whore nature did not
intend them to grow ar TO stimulate the
manufacture of articles which ran ho made
much cheaper and hettor elsewhere But
no such objection applies In this case. The
United states has the soil and the climate
for sugar growing IL is Just as natural y
crop In this country ms II is IN Germany.
where the annual output Of beet sugar Is
now .35O, GOO tons
Germany gives an export bounty on
beet sugar so does Austria. Hungary, and
80 de- other countries Even England seeks
trade and commerce by means Of subsidies
to steamship lines All her vast colonial
system, her great navy TINT reaches out
and protects British trade all over the
world is q form Of subsidy for commerce
Today we have keen. bitter race between
the first nations for political power and
.fsN h.. al t.d