New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-03-01
BEET SUGAR ARGUMENTS.

The American Beet Sugar Association. which Is
the chief opponent of a system of reciprocity
between the United States and Cuba, has put
forth its statement of its case and its argu
ments in the form of a printed brief addressed
10 the Ways and Means Committee of the House
Of Representatives. The brief is an elaborate
one. comprising all the contentious which have
been made by the beet sugar men from time to
time in behalf of the maintenance of protec-
ton which they admit they do not need but
which at the same time nobody proposes To re
move. To review it fully would be to indulge
in wearisome repettions. But "a few salient
points, specimen arguments, may be noted in
passing.
The Sugar Trust is declared to he engineer
ing the campaign for reciprocity. and we are
told that the trust finds its sureSt hope of sue
cess in marshalling newspaper support behind
THE sympathetic position taken by the admin
"istratOn toward Cuba" We have already
dealt with this unworthy insnuation, In con
nection with the i'll advised letter recently
written by the Speaker Of the House of Repre-
sentatives The suggestion that the Sugar
Trust has influenced the press of the country
into supporting the policy Of the adminlstra-
ton may be apt application Of the rule 10
conceal the weakness of your own case by abus
ing your opponents attorney. but even that
fact cannot it from being ridiculous.
Wp~are also told that there is every reason
ito believe that the President of the United
States, the War Department and this ways
land Means committee not yet in posses
"sion of the political, agricultural, manufacture
ling and scientific bearings Of the question
under discussion" That is to say, the Pres-
dent Secretary of War and members of Con
gress are ignorant of the business which they
are trying TO transact That Is argument
which through its fine courtesy and mOdesty
will doubtless be much commended to those
! whose intelligence and information are thus
impugned. Doubtless, the beet sugar men are
! the people, and wisdom will perish with them!
Again, we are told that this country Is under
no moral obligation to give Cuba market. since
| it has not deprived Cuba of any other market.
The Plat amendments do not forbid recipro-
! cal trade agreements with other countries" In
| this there is an issue of fact between the beet
sugar propagandists and the common sense Of
the nation But what we TO think of the
next remark of this beet sugar argument? No
matter whether the Plat amendments do or
| do not forbid reciprocity between Cuba and
| other countries Cuba has no other market than
! 1.-THE United States for her sugar and could not
| obtain one elsewhere" That is to say. we
| have Cuba absolutely at our mercy; wherefore
| let us crush the very life ont of her!
| little later we are told that our Intervention
| freed Cuba from a debt of $1,000 900 which
she owed TO Spain" How could we thus have
| freed her from debt which she owed? BY
assuming and paying 1t ourselves? Certainly
| we have not done that. BY compelling repudia-
| ton of it? That would be a fine business for
| this nation. The truth is, of course, that Cuba
| did not owe such debt, and that freed her
| from being forced to pay what she did not owe
| ha declaration Is also made that II
'of the concessions of the case that Cuba
| never had any market for her sugar but the
| United States" The fact is that less than
| twenty-five years ago Cuba selling to Great
| Britain some S11 900 600 worth of sugar a year
and would doubtless have maintained and in
creased that trade had il not been for the inter
vention OF the United States. 1t is also a fact
that ten years ago Cuba found in Spain a mar
ket for nearly two-thirds of her sugar, market
of which this country has now practically de
prived her Such MEASUREMENTS of matters
of record will scarcely commend this bee
sugar brief to thoughtful minds. Nor will the
matter be helped by uttering the gratuitou:
| Islander that the New-York newspapers are pur
| suing their present course in relation TO the
subject "either through ignorance of the facts
"or for the purpose of wifully defrauding tht
people" Such ratings come with Ill grace
or. shall we say. most appropriately from {
| pilloried falsifer.
Finally. not TO cite further the innumerahlt