The evening times., 1901-07-23

The Sugar Trust branching Out.


1t is evident that the Sugar Trust
does not anticipate any curtailment OF
either its special advantages or its prof
its The increase of its capital stock
by fifteen million dollars indicates
a further oureaChing. a hTmeT grip on
the sugar situation. and larger returns
for the stockholders in the trust. In
the disposal of the new stock the old
stockholders are given the preference
and there Is good reason 10 believe that
very little Of the new issue VIII find its
way into the hands of outsiders
President Havemeyer Is reported as
saying that the main purpose Of the
trust in charging its capital is 10 en-
gage in the sugar business in Porto
Rico and Cuba Upon this subject he
is quoted somewhat at length, but it
hardly seems that he can expect TO be
taken seriously He says that what
the sugar planters Of Cuba want and
what our own sugar growers would not
object to, Is the admission Of raw sugar
from Cuba and Porto Rico free Of duty,
with tariff of half a cent on the re-
fined product. That, says Mr.. Have
meyer, viii take care of them. and we
can get free raw sugar from cuba and
Porto Rice.
IT, eslIuUst d. funny as one Of
Ckauncey NJ Depew's jokes The popu-
lar supposition in the United States has
been that the sugar growers of the
country produced il in raw state and
that a tariff. in order TO do them any
good. should be laid upon the raw prod
net from abroad But Mr. Havemeyer's
statement is well calculated TO convey
the idea that the product of the Ameri-
can cane plantations and beet sugar
farms is the refined article. and hence
the pressing need Of the sugar grower
is a duty on refined sugar Il should
be obvious to anyone who stops to think
that the reverse of all this Is necessa-
TIIy the case Refined sugar does not
grOw-it is manufactured and the Su~
gar Trust makes nearly all Of it that
is turned out III his country
The proposition is simply this: The
trust intends To monopolize as far as
possible the business Of sugar growing
in Cuba and Porto Rico. 1t viii pro-
duce the raw material in those islands
and the finished product here As a
producer Of raw material II wants freq
trade in raw material; as producer of
refined sugar it wants a high tariff on
that article, thus swelling the profits at
both ends Of the line.
There is nothing surprising about this
except that Mr.. Havemeyer should have
publicly made such statement. ex-
pecting anybody TO believe it 2A1uuS
with much iacuIeness Of intellect. there
is a vast amount Of ignorance in the
United States. a clear majority OF the
people seem 20 take delight in being
humbugged, politically and otherwise.
the greater part Of the time. It is To
be hoped. though, that very few Amer
leans are stupid enough 10 believe that
MI Hayemeyer wants free raw sugar
from Cuba and Porto Rico for the
benefit Of the sugar growers OF this
country, or that high tariff on re-
fined sugar viii be of any especial ad-
vantage TO those who produce no sugar
Of that class. Mr.. Havemeyer was both
outspoken and honest when he said
that the tariff was the mother Of the
trusts He seems to 5e just as out
spoken now, but it is 10 be feared that
he Is not quite 50 honest.