Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1900-08-08
OUR BEET SUGARSAFE
PRODUCTION OF CANE, SUGAR
DECREASING EVERYWHERE.
Two-Thirds of the Worlds Sugar Sup
ply Now Comes from Beet Sugar
Growing Conntries,%rhe Porto Rican
Tariff-Onr Island Markets. Pr

Growing Conntries,+The Porto Rican
Tariff-onr Island Markets. *-
simultaneously with the development
of the withdrawal of slave labor from
the production of cane-Sugar, beets in
creased their percentage of the worlds
supply from 435 in 1910 TO IA per
cent. in 1850; 20 per cent. in 1860; 81
per cent. in 1870, and they now produce
&C per cent, or two-thirds of the
worlds sugar This fact shows that
the farmers of the temperate zone need
no longer fear the competition OF the
tropics in the production Of sugar, and
especially if reasonable protection Is
granted them, as Il the case in the Uni
ted States. The farmers of this ceun-
try have been encouraged by the Ike
publican party IA their ambition 10 pro
duce the sugar of the country. Ihe
experience of other nations and or
other parts of the temperate zone has
shown that sugar can be producsd from
beets in great quantities, and ut yer"
| small cost and can successfully COM
| pete with cane sugar under the most
| favorable circumstances. Under the
| stimulus given to the beet sugar pro-
! ductIon by Republican legislation, beet
! sugar factories sprang UP all over the
United States, and the production Of
| beet sugar has already reached large
proportions and is increasing with
| wonderful rapidity.
| The first thought that came to the
| minds of the farmers when the events
| following the war for the liberation OF
| Cuba brought under our control GER
| tain tropical areas was whether or not
! the possession or control of tropical
! territory by the United States would
| injure, or perhaps destroy, the oppor-
| tunities which they believed were al
| most within their grasp for supplying
| the Sl00.O00,0O0 worth of sugar which
! the people of the United States annu-
! ally consumed. This fear-lf It reach
! ed the stage in which 1t could be called
| by that name--was answered in the
/ negative by the Republican party when
! Ii passed the Porto Rican bill. The
! Democratic party fought with all its
! power to prevent the enactment of that
| measure which placed duty upon ar
! ticles coming into the United states
from Porto Rico. That duty was small.
| but II was an explicit declaration by
| the Republican party that 1T would not
| yield the power to fix such tariff, as Il
might deem judiclous. against the
| products of cheap tropical labor wher-
ever located and under whatever con
ditious. In other words. it was q dis
tinct promise to the American farmer
that he need not fear that the Repub-
lcan party would permit the cheap la
Dor and cheap sugar OF any tropical
territory to he brought here in man
ner which would destroy the American
| industry of beet sugar production
which the farmers of the United States
have, under protection given by the
Republican party. been building up
during the last few years.
The farmers of the temperate zone
can produce beet sugar successfully in
competition with the sugar cane of the
tropics when both are handled by free
labor, and this advantage which the
! American farmer has will be strength
! ened in the United States so long as the
Republican party retains its control and
is able to apply the protective principle
in the interests Of It's farmers as II did
in the case Of the Porto Rlcan BILL
against which the Democrats turned
their every energy. WITH 4 few years
| of moderate protection against the
cheap labor of the tropics, the bee:
sugar industry in the United States
will he placed fairly and squarely upon
its feet Meantime the improved co.,
dltion of labor In the tropics, and the
opportunities for higher wages which
the guidance Of the United States will
give them, will more nearly equalize
the cost OF the two systems of produc-
ton.
one further fact In regard TO the
| worlds production aud producing ca
pacity Is worthy of consideration in
this connection and that is that nearly
two-thirds of the sugar now imported
! into the United States comes from the
Islands of the Pacific. The total i'm
portatlon of sugar into the United
| States In the ten months ending with
April, 1899. amounted to 3.303,026, 7G3
hounds and of this amount l.1S0, 49,
3G2 pounds were from the East indies,
the Hawaiian Islands, and the Philip
pine Islands thus indicating the posi-
| blttfes of our Pacific territory to sup
plv that portion of our consumption
/ which II will be necessary to Import
! until the farmers of this countr" are
able 10 supply the home demand. In
stead of sending to other countries and
other peoples the $I0O.0O0.OD0 per year
which we have been annually expend-
/ I'M. for foreign grown sugar, il may be
/ expended under the American flag and
! In a manner which will benefit the peo-
/ ple of our Islands. and incidentally
! those of our own people who may en-
/ ter upon business enteri'r aes in them,
Political Pointers.
one deceptive plank In political plat
form readily coniamin9tes the entire
structure.
! II 4, not ut al likely that the Kansas
| CITY ticket viii make near the run that
/ AguiuaIdO has,
Was there ever Il political gathering
so thoroughly b5ssed as the Kansas
! City conyentionf