The Meeker herald., 1902-01-04
TINE SECT suoAR iMpusTRx,

a most Important article. glv1n0
Msssrs. Oxnard's and Cuttings View
o. the Beet Sugar industry in this
country. appeared on the editorial page
Of the New York Evening Post OF De-
cember 18th. 1901. and a. Every house
hold in the land IL interested in sugar
the article will be OF universal interest.
Tho Evening Post bids the heartiest
welcome to every American industry
that can stand on Its own bottom and
make Its way without leaning ON the
poor rates. Among these self-support-
ing industries. we are glad to know. ID
the production Of beet sugar. At all
events. 1t Was snch two years ago. We
publish elsewhere . 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 masauerading a. beet
sugar producers are besieging the Pres
ident and Congress At this moment,
and pretending that they will be ruined
II Cuban sugar II admitted for sig
months At half the present rates of
duty. their false pretences ought to be
exposed.
1.-THE letter Of Messrs. OxnarA and
Cutting was probably written for the
purpose Of inducing the farmers Of the
Mississippi valley to go more largely
into the cultivation Of beets for the
sugar factories. This was q laudable
v.nkiva %, tolIlp~ tha truth .rd .bo-
ing the large profits which awaited
both the beet-grower and the manufac-
turer II the industry were persevering-
" and intelliEently prosecuted. To this
end 1t was pointed out that farmers
could clear t65 per acre by cultivating
beeta, and might even make 800. But
In order to assure the cultivator that
he would not be exposed to reverses
by possible changes In the tariff. they
proceeded to show that the industry
stood in no need OF protection.
1.-THE beet sugar industry. these gem
tlemen say, stands on As arm basis
a. any business in the country" They
point out the fact-a very important
one-that their product comes out ~ .
finished article. refined and sranulat-
cd. 1t il not. like caAs-sugar grown
In the West India Islands, black and
offensive paste, which must be carried
in wagons to the soaboard and thence
by saips to the United States, where.
after another handling. 1t 10 put
through costly refinery. and then
shipped by rail to the consumer, Who
may possibly be In Nebraska alongside
. best sugar factory which turns out
the refined and granulated article at
one fell swoop. Indeed. the advan-
tagss Of the producer Of beet sugar for
supplying the domestic consumption
are very great. We have NO doubt that
Messrs. oxnard and Cutting are within
bounds whom they say that sugar can
be produced here cheaper than It can
be in Europa The reasons Tor tAis
are that
1.-THE sugar industry 70. aftsr all.
merely an Agricultural one. We can
unAsssslr Europe In all other crops.
and Sugar - NO s1osptioa.'
1T follows - naturally - tie max
ing Of -four from wheat. II We can
produce wheat cheaper than Europe.
then naturally We can produce Aour
cheaper. ~ We do.
But the writer's Of the letter do not
depend upon a-priori reasoning to prove
that they can make sugar ut = proflt
without tariff protection. They point to
the fact that under the Mckinley tarin
Of 1890, when sugar was free Of duty.
the price of the article was 4 cents per
pound. Yet = net profit Of - pef ton
was made by the beet-sugar factories
under those conditions. not counting
any bounty on the home production of
sugar. They boast that they made this
proft while working under absolute
frss trade. and they have right to be
proud Of this result OF their skill and
industry. Many beet-sugar factories
had been started In bygone years. back
In the sixties and seventies Of the nine
teenth century, and had failed because
the projectors did not understand the
business. Since then great progress has
been made, both here and abroad. In
the cultivation and manipulation Of the
beet. What was impossible thirty years
ago 10 now entirely feasible. The in
dustry 10 already on solid and endur-
ing basis. There are factories In the
Unitsd states. these gentlemen tell us
in their letter. capable OF using $50. 900
tons Of beets per annum at . profit OF
q per ton. and this would make .
profit Of t1.060.o00 ~ the income to
be earned under absolute fres trade.
sit must be plain TO readers Of this
letter. signed by the captains Of the
bsst-sugar Industry, that the people in
Washington who are declaiming
against the temporary measure which
the President Of the United States
urges for the relief Of the Cuban peo-
ple. are either grossly ignorant of the
subject. or are practising gross decep-
fi0u The tenAble ground for them II