The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-08

Thirty-two articles of food, all drawn
from the farms of the United States, are
affected by the increase in tariff, which
is direct blow at the constituents Of
the Boxer" senators and representa-
tives. y The increase in the duty on -four
alone will cost the millers Of Minnesota
in one year more than the value of all
the beet sugar produced in these states.
The Cuban congress cannot be blamed
for increasing the duties. 1t has perfect
right to do SO, and when the Cubans
come to negotiate reciprocity treaty
next winter. they will have right to use
the new duties as a basis for making con
cessions instead of the old ones, so that
practically the farmers of the United
States will not have any advantage at all
and will, find that they have been crl-t
feed for the benefit of Mr.. Oxnard and
few other beet sugar manufacturers:
F. An Insfgnif1cant Interest. r.
The public does not understand how in
significant the beet sugar interest Is.
We have heard great deal about 1t IN
the papers, but it is no greater than the
lettuce interest, or the spinach or the
asparagus interest, while the strawberry,
raspberry and .cantaloupe industry are
very much more important. The value of
the nutmeg melon crop Is greater than
that of the beet CROP, while the value OF
potatoes or apples raised in single
state is Infinitely greater The latest
bulletin lof the agricultural department
shows that in 1902 the entire area planted
to beets; throughout the United States was
only 259,513 acres, which makes them
about the smallest crop in the whole HIST
There Is scarcely vegetable OF less I'M
portance to the nation. California mas
always raised the most beets until this
year, but now Michigan has the lead with
9S, 900 acres; California, 1924; Colorado,
| 80, ,449, and Utah, 18,600 acres, leaving the
| remaining $4,000 acres to be divided
| among Nebraska, Washington, Oregon,
Minnesota, Ohio and New York, the lat
| ter leading. Minnesota and Iowa nave
not enough beets to be specified in the
| returns. ~
The Mi1lers' Statements. -:
| No industry profted so much or SO d.
rectly from the reciprocity treaties nego-
tiated during the Harrison administration
| as agriculture. If you want to know the
exact facts, ask the officials of the Ma
tional Millers' association, and read the
| statements which they submitted to the
| committee of ways and means in 1896 IN
support of their appeal for a renewal oft
! treaties That committee sent out in
uuiries as to the effect Of the treaties
upon trade and industry, to merchants,
| manufacturers, stock growers ana farm
ers in every part of the country by tne
| thousands, and to every association, agrl-
| cultural commercial and industrial,
whose address it could obtain. The re-
! plies were voluminous, and were pub
| lished in report to the house of repre-
sentatives in the spring Of 1885, Among
the thousands of replies were twenty OF
thirty from people who objected to the
| renewal Of the reciprocity arrangement
| but in each case there was some, indi-
vidual reason or motive affecting the Pc
cuntary interest of the individual Among
all the commercial, agricultural and In
dustrial associations, there was but one
dissenting voice, and that came. from the
board of trade of Tupelo, Mississippi
| village.
The millers' association called attention
to the effect of the negotiations and re.
peal of thet reaties upon the exports O.
breadstuffs In 1891, the year they wen
i into effect, the exports of breadstuffs Were
valued at 1928, ,121, ,056. In 1892, the frs
year, this total advanced to $299, 63;l17
In 1894, when they were revoked, 1t fel
to $166, tn, ,229, and in 1895 to $114, ,6O4, 78O
And yet the boxer" senators and rep
resentatives from the agricultural state
oppose the renewal for fear 1t will re
duce the profits of Mr. Oxnard and othe
beet sugar farmers, whose entire inter
ests don't amount to the increase in> tn
exports Of flour alone for the first yea
under the Blaine treaties.