The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-03-14
The SUGAR QUESTION.
Hon. Watts S. Humphrey Dis
cusses the Sugar Subject.
NO REDUCTION IN SIGHT.
Mr.. Humphrey Docs Not Believe the
interest Of Michigan viii be Inn.
perled


interest of Michigan viii be I'm
periled.
From the Saginaw Courier Herald;
Hon. Watts S. Humphrey and Presi-
dent George B. Morley, of the Second
National bank returned on Friday night
from Washington. They were at the
national capital several days watching
the progress of the attempt to reduce
the tariff on Cuban sugar. In con-
versation with The Courier Herald
yesterday, Mr.. Humphrey said:
II do not think any reduction of the
tariff on sugar coming from Cuba can
be worked through this present con-
gress. The danger we stood in was that
hasty action might be taken before con-
gressmen fully realized the far.reaching
effect of the Cuban reciprocity measure
1t appeared at the outset to be very
charitable scheme in the interest of a
starving people. Struggling with the
proposition of establishing free and
independent government, after years of
oppression under Spanish rule, and that
we, as nation were under some sort of
obligation to render them national as
sistance in so doing.
But few congressman realized the
importance to this nation of the Am
erican sugar industry, and fewer, STILL
of the relentless opposition to it of the
American sugar trust, and that the
most of the Cuban sympathy sentiment
in this country had been created by a
literary bureau of the sugar trust, and a
subsidized press, many of the articles
being paid for at the rate of one dollar a
line. The ways and means committee.
to whom the matter was referred, made
a searching inquiry into the whole sub
ject, and have established certain i'm
portant facts, that are uncontradictable,
and place the subject in an unenviable
light
First, there is no suffering in Cuba.
Second, since American occupation
of the island, more than go, 600 laborers
have been imported into Cuba from
South America and the Canary islands.
Fourth, that wages are 20 per cent
higher i'll Cuba than during the war;
Fifth, that such thing as a beggar
upon the streets is unknown at the
present time.
Sixth that sugar cane is not raised
by the small farmers, owning from 30 to
so acres each; in fact, that all of the
sugar cane is raised ON the large planta-
TONS
Seventh, that the only suffering in
Cuba on account of our sugar tariff, is
felt by the large planters and the
American spectators, who own two
thirds of all the sugar producing lands
in Cuba.
These facts soon dispelled the most
of the congressional sympathy for the
island Congressman said to me that
when it came to the question of enrich
ing Spanish and Cuban grandees and
American spectators in foreign lands
at the expense of American farmers and
manufacturers who were hiring Ameri-
can workingmen and paying American
wages, that it did not take them long to
make their choice. Our members of
congress from Michigan have stood
against this sympathy racket like rock,
and Fordney, Aplin, Smith, and, in fact,
all of them have preached the gospel of
truth early and late and to such good
purpose that the only reduction now
talked Of is of 20 per cent, and when the
fight started it was for free sugar. Let
no one in Michigan forget the obligation
we are under to Representatives Tawney
and Morris, of Minnesota, for the able
manner in which they presented the
question to. the Monday nights con-
ference. The way in which they
stripped the sympathy cloak from the
grinning skeleton of the sugar trust,
will long be remembered by those who
heard them.
Senators Burrows and Mcmillan are
also heartily enlisted in the fight for the
right, and are doing great work. The
farmers of Michigan may well feel
proud of the efforts their entire delega-
ton is putting forth lin their interests,
and unless all signs fail, the present
tariff ON sugar will be maintained, and
under it the Michigan sugar industry
will grow and flourish q