Evening star., 1902-01-07
Document Submitted to Members Of
Congress.
OBLIGATIONS OF THE. UNITED STATES
Arguments as to Tobacco and
Sugar Products.
ECIAL ACT PROPOSED

out very interesting discussion. The
committee will hear both the Cubans, who
favor the concession. and those who op-
pose, in the name of the beet sugar grow
ers. the American beet sugar, which Is a
corporation of refners, and the cane sugar
growers of Louisiana and Texas. !.
Senators and representatives today re-
ceived copies of a document, entitled "ar-
gument in support Of the Cuban petition
for tariff concessions, submitted to the COM
mittee on ways and means of the House of
Representatives by the chamber of COM
merce of the Island Of Cuba"
The Cubans' Claims.
The argument opens the case with the
following assertion:
"The Cubans base their petition to Con-
gress upon two propositions:
First. The United States is under moral
obligation to aid Cuba in the re-establish-
ment of prosperity in the islands so far
as aid can be given without injury to
American industry.
Second The commerce and industry of
Cuba are in imminent danger Of disaster
If aid is not given Immediately"
The recommendations of President Roose-
Welt and the Secretary of War are quoted
to show the necessity for the proposed leg
1slation- The urgency of immediate relief
Is set forth at length to support the plea
d
be Impossible. it Is claimed, to arrange
reciprocity before February. 1903
Precedents are then quoted to show that
the passage OF such an act would not vio-
late the most favored nation" clause Of
treaties with other governments.
The Important Question.
"The important question" says the brief.
lis whether the proposed plan will benefit
or injure American interests In deter
mining this question no single American
industry is solely entitled to consideration
The greatest good of the greatest number
of Americans ought to be the test. If it
can be shown that this plan will result
IN great benefit to American business in
general without serious injury to any ex-
1sting industry, it ought to be supported
That result ought to be sufficient to jus-
tify the passage of the act even If it cause
some disappointment to men engaged in
one industry in their authorizations of the
future development of their business and
deprive them of the advantage of holding
the American market for their particular
product free from a new competitor
The Tobacco Industry.
There is no longer much pretense that
the free Introduction of Cuban tobacco will
injure the American Industry Cuban to-
bacco is a special product. 1t possesses a
flavor and quality due to peculiarities of
soil and climate in Cuba. Those peculiarities
&c not exist ana cannot be produced else
" here in the world. The climate has been
studied. The soil: has been analyzed and
transplanted. Every effort has been made
to discover and1reproduce the causes which
give Cuban tobacco its quality All such
efforts have fafiedg e~-H-.
The United States does not and cannot
produce Cuban tobacco. In quality. compe-
tition between American and Cuban tobacco
does not exist In quantity it is only,
scarecrow. The consumption of cigars in
the United States for the year ending July
1, 1901. was 5,770,954. 1869. The production
or cigars in Cuba coes not exceed 80. 900, COO
per annuIn. This includes the cigars sold
in Europe as well as in the United States.
The total Cuban production does not exceed
AZ per cent of the presnr' American con-
sumption.
This argument on the tobacco question is
supposed by the actual attitude of the
American tobacco growers to the Cuban
petition. They no longer seriously oppose
IT. The only active and energetic opposi-
ton comes from the sugar planters of Ioui-
siana and the owners of the beet sugar
business in the United States
The Sugar Question.
The brief asserts that ''it is within the
power of the United States to absorb the
entire sugar crop of Cuba without imme-
diately affecting the price of sugar in the
American market or decreasing the profits
obtained by American producers of pro-
tected sugar and quotes figures
THE amount of sugar consumed in the
United States during the year en0ing De-
cember 81, 1901, was 2,372, 316 tons. The
consumption of sugar in the United States
has increased at the average rate of 694
per cent per annum for the past twenty
years. At this average annual rate Of in
crease the increase in consumption next
year will be 164 .63S tons. With this in
crease the amount of sugar consumed In
the United States during the year ending
December 81, 1902. will be fully =, ,536, ,954
tn0C N lDf tic riroyt rDr
sumption the maximum supply of free
sugar from the crops now under way is es-
timated to be as follows. .--t --
Hawaii (estimated) from 300, 600 to $50 .
600 tons; Porto Rico (estimated), from 1O0.-
O00 to 100000 tons; Louisiana and Texas
testimated). from 100000 to $4,000 tons,
and domestic beets (estimated), from 150,-
900 to 10000 Total (estimated), from $780,
900 to ,O00OO0 tons. s.,......
This leaves from 1 $50 9J4 to /, ,6S6 9:,4 tons
as a margin between home production and
consumption which must be supplied from
foreign sources. That amount. of foreign
sugar must enter the United States oyer
the tariff. That margin of foreign impor-
tation constitutes the actual protection to
the American sugar industry. Until that
margin of foreign importation is exhausted
the American industry Is fully protected.
The sugar crop of Cuba has never exceeded
,16G GOO tons in its best years.
'If Cuban sugar is admitted free the
| American sugar industry will still be pro-
amounting to more than 100000 tons for
the first year, and increasing at the rate
of 10000 tons per annum.
That this analysis of the situation Is
just and true has been admitted by Messrs
Henry T. Oxnard and w. Bayard Cutting
the two great leaders in the American beet
sugar business. In trade circular issued
in January. 1880. they say
1.-The Island of Cuba is so situated that
| it's sugar industry can rapidly recover this
ground lost during the insurrection pro-
| vided that the labor question there can be
| satisfactorily settled. There is. however
| no fear that Cuban production. even under
an annexation. to the United States. can ~
our day expand to the point where the
| United States would become exporters OF
sugar instead of importers, and hence that
protection would no longer protect"
| Proposition of Cubans
| The special act proposed by the Cubans
provides that Cuban molasses and raw
| sugar. up to No 16 of the Dutch standard
shall be admitted into the United States
free, and all other Cuban products upon
the payment of one-half the rates of duties
| levied and collected under the tariff laws of
the United States upon similar products of
| the most favored nation provided that ali