The Saint Paul globe., 1898-01-10
A FRAUD CONFESSED,

We do not suppose that any of the
newspapers which, during the last
session of the legislature, filled their
columns with glowing accounts of the
great beet sugar industry which would
be built up in Minnesota if proper SUD-
port and assistance were granted by
the state, will refer to the confession
Of fraud that is contained in the en-
barrassment in which the state officials
now find themselves concerning the
disposition to be made of the unused
beet seed in their possession. In
spite of the remonstrance of those VIII,
believe that it is not a proper function
OF government to undertake a private
enterprise, money was appropriated at
the last session for the purchase of
sugar beet seed, and 5000 pounds of if
were actually bought This, we
were told at the time, was a.
mere beginning of the glorious era
when Minnesota was to supply the
United States, and possibly a good
slice of the world, with beet sugar.
Millions of capital had already been
engaged, so said the rainbow chasers.
for the construction of a sugar plant
and all that was necessary was to in
terest the farmer and enable him to
furnish the forthcoming factories with
the raw material. There was great
need of haste, because the mills were
to be built at once, and that slow-goine
creature, the farmer, would not supply
beets enough to keep them busy unless
the state should help him out There
fore, this seed was purchased, and the
advocates Of bounty waxed fast and
furious in their descriptions of the
good time coming.
The fuss is all over now, and the
state finds itself without factories
without a furry Of interest in the
beet sugar business, and with $500
pounds Of beet seed in storage.
for which there is no demand
whatever. 1t is now proposed to
sell this, if possible, and, if not, TO give
it away, and thus ends the episode.
Inc whole thing was a humbug from
beginning to end. The legislature was
made partner in a scheme which sim.
ply contemplated the use Of the tax-
ing power Of the state to create a prof
liable opening for the investment of
private capital. The sugar-makins
plant and the dividends that were
hoped from it was the central feature
of the situation. The alleged Interest
In the poor farmer was sheer pretenss
The assumption that a new industry
would be added to Minnesota and q
new source Of gain be opened to ifs
tillers Of the soil was equally insincere
The question in the minds of the nro-
moters OF this business was merely
whether the states treasury could be
dragged in far enough to insure
bonus to the capitalist If the state
could be made to buy enough beet
seed and scatter it about free, if 1t
could be induced to put on bounty
equivalent to the entire cost of nro
duction, then somebody In New
York, with a few thousand dollars w.
ing idle, for which there was no imme-
date commercial demand, might be
persuaded to put in into a sure thing
If without expense to him, the peopJe
Of the state should be taxed enough
to cover the entire cost of operation.
then the product Of the mill could be
placed on the market, and the sum
for which it might be sold would go
into his pocket as clear gain
Possibly the Dingley bill interfered
somewhat with this precious scheme.
1t is a mass of just such woodchucks
as this on a larger scale and in larger
field. 1t offered to capital the same in
ducements in other occupations. It
taxed the people of the entire nation
to make profits for various manufactu-