The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1901-12-27
THE BEET-sUGAR INDUSTRY.
Messrs. oxnard's ana Cuttings Views
ON the subject.

-
fact, every man, woman and child is
interested in ugar, 1t being one of the
most important articles of daily food.
our readers will thank us for reproduce
ing this highly-interesting editorial;
The Evening Post bids the heartiest
welcome to every American industry
hat can stand on it's own bottom and
make its way without leaning on the
poor rates. Among these self-support-
ing industries, we are glad TO know, is
the production Of ~bect-sugar. AT all
events, II was such two years ago. We
publish elsewhere a letter written In
1899, and signed by Mr.. Oxnard and
Mr.. Cutting. the chiefs OF this indus
try on the eastern side OF the Rocky
mountains, showing that this was the
happy condition of the trade at that
time. II parties incorporating as beet
sugar producers are besieging the
president and congress Mt this mo-
ment. and pretending that they will
be ruined II Cuban sugar Is admitted
for six months at half the present
rates Of duty. their false pretenses
ought to be exposed.
The letter OF Messrs. Oxnnrd and
Cutting was probably written for the
purpose OF inducing the farmers ofthe
Mississippi valley to 20 more largely
into the cultivation Of bects for the
sugar factories. This was n laudable
motive for telling the truth and show.
ing the large profits which awaited
both the bce%t-grower and the manu-
facturcr II the industry were pcrscvcr-
ingly and intelligcntly prosecuted. To
this end II was pointed out that farm
ers could clear SOS per acre by cultivat-
ing bects, and might even make 500.
hut In order to assure the cuitiyator
that he would not be exposed to re-
verses by possible changes In the tar
in, they proceeded to show that the In
dustry stood In no need OF protection.
The bcct.sugar Industry. these gen.
tlcncn say, Stands OF M firm n basis
rs any business IN the country" They
point out the fact-a very important
onc--thnt their product comes out ns
finished article. refined and granulai-
ed. II is not. like canc-suRar grown In
the West India islands, n black and Of
fcnsivc paste. which must be carried In
wagons to the scaboard and thence by
ships to the United States, where,
after another handling, II Ia put
through n costly refinery, and then
shipped 10y rail to the consumer, who
may possibly be In Nebraska, along
side % b%cct-sugnr factory which turns
out the refined and graduated article
at one fell swoop. Indeed, the advan.
tngcs OF the producer Of beet.surar
for supplying the domestic consnmp-
tion are very great. We have no doubt
that Messrs. OXnard and Cutting are
within bounds when they say that
sugar can be produced here cheaper
than IL can he In Europe The rca-
sons for this are that
1.-THE sugar Industry Il. after all. merely
an agricultural one. We can undcrscU Eu-
rope In all other crops. and sugar Is no *
ccption."
IL follows ms naturally ms the max.
ing of flour from wheat. II we can
produce wheat cheaper than Europe.
then naturally we eau produce -four
cheaper, Hs we do.
but the writers Of the letter do not
depend upon dprlJri reasoning 10
prove that they can make sugar AZ n
profit without tariff protection. They
point to the fact that under the Mckin-
ley tariff Of 1890, when sugar was free
of duty. the price OF the article was
4 cents per pound. Yet n net profit
of 50 per ton was made by the
bcct.Sugar factories under those
conditions. not counting any bounty
ON the home production of sugar.
They boast that they made this profit
while working under absolute free
trade. and they have u right to he
proud OF this result OF their skin aud
industry. MANY %boct.sugnr factories
had bcen started In Lygonc years. back
In the sixties and seventies ofthe nine
tcenih century, and had failed, because
the projectors did not understand The
business. Since then great progress
has been madc. both here aud abroad
IN the culCRtion aud manipulation OF
the beet. What was impossible thirty
years ago is now entirely feasible
The industry Is already on n solid ard
enduring basis. There are factories in
the United States, these gentlemen
tell us In their letter, capable Of using
$4,000 tons Of beets per nnnum ut q
profit Of 81 per ton. aud this would
make a profit of 81 .0S0. 900 as IN In.
come To be earned under absolute FIRE,
trade.
II must be plain to readers Of THU
letter, signed by the captains OF tn,
beet-sugar industry, that the peopl,
In Washington who are declaiminl
against the temporary measure which
the president Of the United statei
urges for the relief OF the Cuban PEG
pie are either grossly ignorant OF the
subject. or are practising gross decep
ton. The tenable ground for them IL
to say; other people are having pro
lection that they do not need, ans
therefore We ought to have more thar
we need" This would be consistent
with the letters of Mcssrs. Oxnard ant
Cutting, but nothing else is So