The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-22

States free Of duty for twenty-five years and
did not affect the price. Therefore, free Cuba
sugar would not affect the price.
Let us investigate that. argument little.
The Hawaiian islands, in the Pacific ocean,
2,1O0 miles from the Pacific coast; very linn
tied amount Of land fit for cultivation of
sugar; population, 900; export of sugar in
1875 17,1S7 tons. Cuba, large island in the
Gulf of Mexico; 100 miles from Florida; large
amount Of land fit for cultivation of sugar;
1000 900 acres uncultivated; population,
1900, 900; exports Of sugar, 600, 900 tons. What
a comparison. -
Second-He states that sugar was practic
ally free from 1898 to 1895, and did not make
any difference in the price. The records Of
congress show that duty was placed raw
sugar by the Wilson, German bill Aug. 10,
1894.
Thrd-He tells us that it would be impos
sible to make beet-sugar trust because any
one that has capital make beet sugar,
and the farmers can refuse to furnish beets
if they wish to. There is no trust but what
could be destroyed in the same way. There
is nothing to prevent any one from engaging
in any legitimate business and no trust can
live without patronage; but still they exist.
Fourth-Now come to the grand climax.
Question: Are you going to let the sugar
trust rob the farmers of $125,000, 900? At first
| thought, every honest person would answer
| decidedly, No. On second thought, every
| thinking person would ask, is there any dan
| ger Of such colossal crime being commit
| ted? How, when and where? There is GER
| tainly no danger that the farmer will be
| robbed of this large amount by directly talk
| ing away from them something they now
| possess; no one would think of such thing,
| although robbery, in the common acceptance
| of the term, means just that and no more
| or less.
| What does Mr.. Theden mean, then? In the
| four lines preceding this question he states
it would take % 900, 900 tons of beets, at 81 50
| per ton, to make sugar for the people of the
| United States. This would bring our farm
| ers about $120, 600 900 annually. Bring them
1920, 600, 900? Would the manufacturers Of beet
| sugar give it to them? No. The most they
! would do would be to induce them to quit
raising potatoes, wheat, corn, pork, beef, but
| ter and the other products, and engage IN
| the raising of sugar beets instead.
| The utmost harm the sugar trust could dc
the farmer would be to induce the govern
| ment to remove the duty on sugar. and there
| by take away the opportunity of leaving q
| business in which he has the whole world FOL
| a market in which he can and does compete
| to enter into a business where he cannot com
| pete without government help, and where he
| will be subject to the will and caprice OF &
few individuals.
| If the Minnesota farmer can raise and make
| wheat, oats, corn, butter and other products
| of agriculture cheaper than the Cubans can
| and the Cubans can raise sugar cheaper thar
| they can, why not swap our wheat, flour, etc.
for sugas and fruit and stop fighting nature
| Question--Is it a wise thing for any govern
ment to tempt it's citizens to leave profitable
employment, in which they can compete Il
the markets of the world, to- engage in al
employment in which they cannot compete
in the markets Of the world and can: onl.
exist when given monopoly OF the nom
market and get 100 per cent more for the
goods from their fellow countrymen, thai
they-their fellow countrymen-could blu,
| them for elsewhere?
| If the removal of the duty would not affec
] the price of sugar in the slightest, as Mr.
| Theden says, why would its removal Bea
the Beet? What is Mr. Theden troubling
| about? ''-W H. Fruen