The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-05-29
RAILROAD NEWS.
Railroads Fighting Santa FEES
Sugar Beet Industry.
Congress Likely to Hurt Santa
Fe by Cuban Reciprocity.
AN OFFICIAL TALKS.
Chas. L. Seagrayes Says Trust
is Fighting Beet Sugar.
Believes That Congress Should
Protect the Industry.

Santa F'e officials state that if con
gress removes the duty from Cuban
sugar it win ruin the sugar beet in
dustry' in Colorado. which the Santa F'e
has been doing all in its power to de-
velop for the past two years.
It is further asserted that the officials
of rival railroads are helping the sugar
trust to kill the sugar beet industry by
making very low rates on sugar snip
ments from New York to western points,
thus enabling the trust to undersen
the beet sugar producers in their home
markets.
All of the Arkansas valley from the
Kansas state line to La Junta, Colo, Is
suitable for the cultivation of sugar
beets, and several immense sugar fac
tories have been erected. The Santa
FEES main line runs through the heart
of this beet country, reaching the towns
Of HOlley, Lamar and other points IN
PrOwers county. So far the Santa Fe
has had practically a monopoly Of the
business of transporting sugar beets to
the factory in this rich valley. The
Santa Fe has circulated vast quantities
of literature advertising the PrOwers
county beet district, and has induced
many settlers to go there and take ad-
vantage Of the Amity irrigation canals
and the low price OF lands. 1t would be
a severe blow to the Santa Fe and to
the settlers if the beet industry should
be driven out Of the competitive field.
Speaking Of the combine to destroy
the sugar beet industry, the Chicago
Inter Ocean says:
Some of the western railroads are
accused of helping the American Sugar
Refining company. commonly called the
Sugar Trust, ia its efforts TO kill the
beet sugar industry in Nebraska and
The Rock Island, Missouri Pacific
and the Missouri, Kansas and Texas
railroads have Joined the Mallory steam
ship line in making through rate of
rs
York via Galveston to Kansas City, ST.
Joseph, Omaha and Lincoln, Neb. On
this rate the sO-called. sugar trust has
just shipped into the Missouri river terri
tory 200 carloads of sugar, aggregating
5000 900 pounds. The result is that this
sugar is put on that market at a lower
figure than the beet sugar growers of
Nebraska and Colorado can meet and
realize any profit. The Illinois Central
railroad has given notice that it will
join IN making via New Orleans the
same rate of SO cents from New York
to Missouri river points that other roads
are making via Galveston
Chas.L- Seagraves, immigration agent
Tor the Santa F'e, who has been chiefly
employed recently in looking after the
sugar beet industry and the advertising
Of the advantages of that business for
farmers, said today, in speaking of the
situation:
IF sugar is admitted free of duty
| from Cuba, it certainly viii be the end
OF lHe sugar beet industry. The produce
ton of sugar from sugar beets is an in
FAINT industry, and deserves protection,
just as the iron industry was protected
until it attained its present strength
and can now successfully compete with
similar industries in foreign countries
"One point worthy Of first considera-
ton is that the proposed measure will
not help the working people of Cuba It
/ VIII help the sugar trust, and that is all
/ The reason the people of Cuba are not
more prosperous is simply because they
won't work. They already have plenty
/ of opportunities to work, and do not
take advantage of them When they get
a dollar they gamble it away. The rea-
son that the sugar beet industry can not
| compete with free sugar from Cuba is
! because of the cheap Cuban labor. and
! the further fact that the sugar beet in
dustry is not sufficiently developed to
enable the factories to make up in eco
nomical methods of production for the
1 advantage Of cheap Cuban labor.
The sugar trust is not a producing
/ company. It simply is engaged in the
refining Of sugar. The beet sugar peo-
| pie both produce and refine AS a coun-
/ ter blow, the sugar beet companies pro-
! pose to congress that if the duty is re-
! moved from Cuban sugar, that the duty
| also be removed from German refined
/ sugar. This viii hurt the trust, and we
/ believe that if one industry is to be
ruined by congress. they both should
! be-