The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-02-01

per cent Tor the OQDdnS. Even SuCn d
strict protectionist Democrat as CAL
linger of Louisiana, who opposes tariff
revision and the pending reciprocity
treaties, admits that justice and wise
craftsmanship demand this reduction
for Cuba.
On the other hand, who are the OPP
ponents of justice to Cuba, despite the
declarations made in good faith after
the termination of the Spanish war?
Henry T. Oxnard. representing the beet
sugar interests, the man who said two
years ago that the beet sugar industry
was so firmly established in this
country that it could even stand free
raw sugar. Today he says that indus
try is so feeble that a small reduction
in the duty on Cuban sugar alone will
be too much for it, Behind Oxnard
is a strong lobby raising a cry that
! the Havemeyer interest is alone re-
sponsible 70 rthe agitation to attack
the tariff: that the reduction would
benefit only the "grandess' of the
island and ruin the farmers of the west
engaged in the culture of beet sugar
1t begins to look dark for Cuba in the
ways and means committee of con-
gress, for hearings on the Cuban ques
ton We're postponed on Wednesday.
Is Henry Oxnard right today, or was
he wrong two years ago on this beet
sugar problem? Certainly he could not
be right in both instances and his con-
Trajectory language suggests another
man more capable of giving testimony
| in this matter. That other is no less
/ parsonage than Bishop Cutler of Utah,
the head of the largest company in the
state, which has 600 invested in
the beet sugar industry
Mr.. Cutler has attended all the hear
| ings held by the ways and means COM
mittee on the subject of reducing the
tariff on Cuban sugar, and although
he has been willing to assist the COM
| mittee by his testimony in reaching "a
correct solution Of the question in
volved for some unexplained reason
he has not been called upon to do
SO.
To a Washington correspondent of
the New York Tribune the other after
noon Mr.. Cutler said he was willing to
risk reduction of 25 per cent on Gu
ban sugar, and minated that he did
not believe an even heavier cut than
this would injure the beet sugar in
dustry of this country. While he is
not yet prepared to advocate free trade
with the island as he is unable at this
time to know what are the sugar pos
sibilities of Cuba, or to forejudge the
conditions in the worlds market year
hence, he confidently predicts that in
ten years the United States will be in
a position to abolish all sugar tariffs
and place itself on q basis of absolute
free trade in sugar.
Coming from Bishop Cutler such an
opinion should disarm ali fears OF
strangulation of the sugar beet indus
try in Utah and unite his people in the
one endeavor to secure justice to the
Cubans. regardless of the partisan po-
litical opinions of the Salt Lake Tri-
bune or of others specializing in sugar
stocks. The beet sugar farmers could
come to Bishop Cutters conclusions
not cost a cent to observe the golden
rule among nations as well as iudi-
viduals.
Now how does Bishop Cutler back UP
his opinions as against those of Henry
T. OXnard? We quote his interview
with the Washington correspondent:
Il assume that the conditions which
prevail in the beet-root industry in
Utah are common to the industry
throughout the country" said Mr.. Cut
Ter. About S3.000.000 is invested in
the business in my state, and. while
we are not the largest producers, we
are no more favorably situated as to
market, transportation, etc, than are
the other seats of the industry. There
fore. what we can stand certainly all
the others can stand. l have investi-
gated the matter carefully and l am
convinced that we can afford at this
time to give Cuba d concession of %
per cent on sugar without doing the
least harm to our sugar interests at
home. In the first place, ] do not be-
ieve that this reduction would increase
Cuban importations to the point where
they would cause a drop in the price of
sugar in this country, and certainly
worlds market, which in the end con-
trolls the price of sugar to the Ameri-
can consumer. Statistics show that our
consumption every year increases 615
per cent, while but for the beet-rOOt in
dustry there would be no increase of
production at home.
Now it is a simple proposition TO
prove that with this rate of increase of
consumption no injury would be in
flicted upon our domestic production by
the increased importations that would
follow d % per cent reduction on Cuban
sugar. it seems to be foregone con-
clusion that if we do not give Cuba the
aid of reduced tariffs annexation will be
forced upon us in a few years, and
sound business sense suggests that il
sions at this time than to bring
Cuba in short while into free
trade relations with us-and that is
what would follow annexation. In
taking this position / am guided alike
by the interests of the beet-root in
dustry and a national sense of obliga-
ton to aid Cuba. PropoTtionately /
have as much at stake as anybody
else and it goes without saying that |
do not want to see congress adopt any
course that would injure my business.
But / have no patience with this talk
about the beet-roOt industry being
threatened with destruction by the
movement for tariff concessions to
Cuba. Our business is growing too
strong to be hurt now by increased
importations from Cuba. At the pres
ent rate of growth we will be strong
enough not to need any tariff on sugar,
and then on a free trade basis we can
invade the worlds sugar markets and
compete in Europe successfully with
Germany and Russia
Nj Cutler was asked if the cost of