Washington sentinel., 1899-12-02

sugar.
There is no reason why "
should tolerate even for day tn
existence and operation oi a NOR
Opoly Of the domestic sugar indu:
try. The Sugar Trust is capital
lied at $50, 600 900. Oh this enol
nous sum SO per cent. is watere
stock, on which the interest is pai
by the tax extracted from the con
sumers ofsugar. The Havemeye
family and a dozen others who hOlt
stock in the Sugar Trust hav
rolled up fortunes that aggregat
FIVE hundred millions OF dollars
This they have done within tht
past twenty years. Three hundred
millions oftheir fortunes represent
the tribute that the people OF The
land have been foolish enough tC
pay into their hands. What have
the controllers of the Sugar Trust
done for the wage earning com.
munity2
The re6neries Of the Sugar Trust
are the most diabolical institutions
ever invented by man. In the face
of a heat that is fierce enough to
take the breath away, men are kept
at work for ten and twelve hours
day, They work in relays. No
man can work more than two hours
at time. They are paid, on the
average, two dollars day. This
wage is not sufficient for the form
of labor that is required. And
what does it amount to when the
fact is considered that men who 20
into the rehneries seldom live more
than seven or eight years7 Their
constitutions are undermined by
the intense heat in which they have
to work.
What should be done to put
stop to the abuses of the Sugar
Trust1 The tariff should be re-
moved. We do not have to fear
the competition of cheap foreign
labor; none is cheaper than our
own. The monopoly that the trust
operates in this country should be
at once broken. This can be done
by the enforcement Of the anti
trust law and by the effect that the
open market for raw sugar would
have. The people sho1ld have
sugar as cheap as they can get it.
This does not necessitate the de-
basement OF labor. Sugar would
be cheaper today, and wages bet
ter, were the Sugar Trust broken.
We would not then be paying a
tax on eighty millions Of dollars of
watered sto ;ks. II the sugar in
dustrv were open to unrestricted
trade conditions, instead oil beinT
by a few millionaires,
there would be hundreds OF indie
pendent manufacturers OF refined
sugar. They would share in just
and reasonable profit, and the COM
nunity at large would benefit. 1t
S notorious fact that monopolies |
reduce wages. Are we thinking, |
civilized beings, or are we on a
.evel with the natives OF the island |
oi Borneo1 If intelligent beings, |
will we permit the Sugar Trust to |
exist any longer
The women as well as the men
Of the country are affected by this
trust. They may each be the |
means of crushing the Sugar Trust.
Concerted action is all that is nec-
essary. Make che fact known that |
the man who goes to represent you
IA Washington must be pledged to |
vote and work for a bill that will |
place sugar on the free list. II it
IS said that the revenues Of the
country must be raised, and that |
The tax on sugar is necessary, reply |
oy saying that if the revenue of the
country must be raised by a tariff, |
hen the tariff must be imposed on
the money that non resident land |
and personal property owners take
out OK the country. But make il
clear that sugar, the great staple,
is not to be taxed. There are the
incomes OF the multi-millionaires
that can be taxed, and that, too,
constitutionally, before we permit
the daily wage (the capi al OF most
Of our people, to be taxed for the
benefit Of the Sugar Trust. Have
meyer has made hundred million
dollars and a hundred thousand |
orphans.
WE will suggest to newspapers
and individuals who are interested |
in sending petitions to Congress |
Tor the expulsion OF Roberts that |