The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-27
WANT THE TARIFF KEPT ON.
AMERICAN PLANTERS COMBINING
AGAINST PORTO RICO.

II
Tobacco, Fruit and Vegetable
Growers All Combining to Oppose
the Proposed Removal of Tarin
Charges Upon Porto Rican Pro-
ducts-WOuId Mean the Total Ami
hiintiOn of These Industries, 1t Is
Claimed-Mr. Lockwood Myrick, OF
Springfield, Mass, to Address
Board of Trade at Noon Tomorrow
on This Subject.
A meeting will be held at the Board of
Trade tomorrow at noon which the grow
ers of rice and truck and others interested
in these industries are expected to attend.
The meeting will be addressed by Mr..
Lockwood Myrick, of Springfield, Mass,
representing the League of Domestic Pro-
ducers of America.
| The object of the meeting is to enlist
the support of the rice and truck people,
as we'll as the business men of Savannah
! generally, in the movement to oppose the
| threatened opening of the ports of this
country to the products of Porto Rico
| and others of the new American terri
/ tories and dependencies, including Cuba
and the Philippines. The movement for
this opposition was begun at the recent
| meeting of the American Beet Sugar Pro-
ducers at Omaha, Neb., where resolutions,
strongly opposing the proposed changes in
the tariff regulations, were adopted and
call was made upon all American pro-
! ducers of sugar, rice. tobacco, fruits and
vegetables to join In the opposition to a
movement which threatens them with se-
rious loss and total destruction of business
in many instances.
The Louisiana sugar and rice planters
were represented at Omaha and have join
ed heartily in the movement. The Con-
necticut tobacco growers have entered the
| fight in a body and will probably have the
support of the tobacco growers
and manufacturers generally through
out the country The fruit and
vegetable growers, especially in
the South, are being interested in the
movement, and it is now desired to enlist
the support of the rice and other interests
of South Carolina and Georgia. 1t is not
| likely that there will be any difficulty in
doing this, judging from expressions heard
from those who have been approached
| here.
| Mr.. Herbert Myrick of Springfield is
chairman of the league which is conduct
/ ing the campaign against the proposed
| change. He and his brother Mr. Lock-
wood Myrick, are now touring the country
in this interest. MIR. Lockwood MyricIs
will address the Chamber of Commerce
of Charleston to-day and the Board of
| Trade at Savannah tomorrow.
The agitation of this question was dealt
with editorialiy in yesterdays Morning
| News. President Mckinley, in his recent
message to Congress, recommended that
! the products of Porto Rico be admitted
| to this country free of duty. Secretary
of War Root has strongly recommended
that the products of Cuba be admitted
on the same basis as those of Jamaica
which, under the reciprocity plan, is al
lowed reduction of 121k per cent. Nat
urally, it is anticipated that whatever ac-
| ton is taken in the matter of Porto Rico
will be a precedent for the Philippines
when the rebellion in the islands is sub
dued. AS the chief products of Cuba,
| Porto Rico and the Philippines are sugar
tobacco, rice fruits and vegeta bles, the
producers of similar products in the coun-
| try will be seriously effected by any
| change which may be made in the tariff
laws. The danger of opening up the mar
| kets of this country to the competition of
| Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippines Is
| fully realized by the American producers
the campaign is on in earnest. and a
very strong fight against any such letting
| 0OWh VI Tic OOoIC Will De uldQe.
| For the first time in our history" said
| Capt. Purse, president of the Board or
/ Trade, yesterday, Georgia and Louisi-
| ana, Nebraska and Connecticut, ere ar
rayed shoulder to shoulder in a common
| cause The effect which such action as
that suggested by the President would
! have upon our industries, especially the
sugar, rice and truck industries of the
| South, is impossible of calculation. The
opening of the doors to Porto Rico means
similar action toward Cuba and the Phil
| ippines al an early date. The sugar and
tobacco industries Of che South would be
| at once destroyed, to be followed by the
destruction of the rice and truck indus
| tries. Louisiana is more largely inter-
ested than Georgia, because her three
| principal industries are the production or
sugar rice and vegetables. The interest
of Georgia is very large one, however
| We not only have the rice and truck in
| dustries. which would be wiped out GER
| tainly the former but there is the pros
pective development of the sugar industry
! in this state. which offers q most prornis-
| ing future. We are very vitality interested
In this movement, and have no doubt
| that our business men win view the mat
| ter in this light
! Mr. W. G. Morrell a well-known rice
broker. expressed himself similarly 10
Capt. Purse. THE question at issue is a
| very important as well as a very serious
| one for the rice planters, in common with
the sugar and truck interests" ne said.
THE placing of Porto Rico on an equality
with the states in the matter of the tariff
would only prove the opening wedge, to
be followed later by similar action with
regard TO the Philippines, when that coun-
try shall have been fully conquered. SIM
| liar favorable action toward Cuba might
also be expected. The consequence would
be the annihilation of the semi-tropical
| industries of this country which would
come in competition with the richer lands
and cheaper labor of the tropics The
meeting at the Board of Trade should be
largely attended"
It may not be generally known that
Porto Rico is a large producer of vege-
tables as well as tropical fruits, but such
is the case. With regular lines Of
steamers plying from the Porto Ricau
ports to New York and other Northern
markets the Georgia and Florida grow
1 Of Ill