The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-05-16
MR. FoRDNEY said:


Mr.. Chairman: l do not intend to
support this bill, and briefly will state
my reasons. In the first place it is
plain violation of the principles OF the
republican party. In accepting the
nomination in my district in 1898 and
1900 pledged myself to the people OF
my district to stand squarely upon the
republican platform. 1t is well known
to the members of this House what that
platform pledged the republican party
to do.
Mr.. Chairman, this bill, in my opin
ion, strikes telling blow at the farmers
of my district and the sugar manufac-
turers of the United States. Today the
farmers reap greater benefit from this
crop that they are raising Sugar beet)
than any other crop raised in my State.
To illustrate in my plain and simple
way the enormous crop raised in the
State of Michigan last year, l want to
show you what have put into figures
in this way: The beets produced in the
State of Michigan for the year 1901, if
put into one train load of 30 tons to the
car, would make train 325 miles long.
Over 66, 900 acres of land were planted
to beets in the State of Michigan last
year, which if put into one immense
strip of land, would make a strip 1O5
miles long and mile wide.
Let me say to you that by this beet
CROP corn, oats, and wheat, which are
the principal crops of the farmers of the
State of Michigan, have been diverted.
In raising beets it gives crop they can
take to market and get the cash for, and
consequently there have been more
mortgages Cancelled in the State of Michi-
gan in the past three years on account
of the beet crop than in any previous
three years in a quarter OF century.
There is not farmer in the Eighth dis
trict of Michigan, which l have the
honor to represent, who has in one single
instance said to me that they We're in
favor in any way of this proposition.
On the other hand, l have had hundreds
of letters protesting against the passage
of this bill, both from democrats and re-
publicans alike.
/ want to say to the gentlemen on the
Committee of Ways and Means that not
one particle of evidence was presented
to that committee by one single Clban.
Every man who came before that com
mittee came in the interest Of some
American citizen who owns sugar in
terest in Cuba or who was influenced by
the sugar trust, in my opinion. Mr..
Mendoza and Mr.. Place both have
personal interests. Mr. Mendoza owns
a little pinkey-dinkey farm of only
$4,000 acres. Certainly he had some
interest in the matter. 1 want to
call your attention to a few instances
where the money will go if this bill be-
comes law.
According to the testimony presented
to that committee. Mr.. Hugh Kelly, of
in Cuba which produces 10000 tons of
sugar, and copper cent reduction would
yield to that gentleman, who is hungry
and starving and almost in desperation,
100000 That is all Hugh Kelly will
get out of it. Laughter. The Trini-
dad Sugar Company, of which Mr..
tLipc ;o ,oopoo,ar opJ ,1roc;JapL ,1,o
duces, according to his own statement,
10000 tons of sugar, and that company
would get $75, 500 only. Then comes
Mr.. Atkins's own property, which pro-
duces 10 900 tons, and he would get 800,
900 at 90 per cent reduction. Then
comes that Of the Homiguiero estate, re-
presenting an estate held by New York
parties, which produces 10, 600 tons, and
they would get 800, Then comes
the Constance estate, owned by gentle
men in the State of Louisiana. They
produce 10000 tons, on which they
would get $751;, GEO. That is all!
Then comes the United Fruit Com
pany; according TO the statements of Mr..
Atkins they have plantation producing
10000 tons, and they would get $3.50.
000 A friend of mine, Mr.. Thompson,
ex-mayor of the city of Detroit, stated to
me few days ago that friend Of his
is stakeholder in the United Fruit
Company, and had said to him few
days before that they owned $4,000 acres
of sugar lands in Cuba; that they had
plant that cost them $1,000, 000 and
they paid their manager the insignificant
sum Of $4O,0 900 per year. Poor suffering
Cubans living in Boston in $1,000, 900
houses Laughter and applause
This is the kind of people who are 60
ing to be helped by the passage Of this
bill.
Then comes the Chapara Sugar Com
pany, Of which ex-Representat:ve Haw-
ley is a member aru in which certain
New York parties hold an interest. The
statement before the Ways and Means
Committee is to the effect that they pro.