The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1903-09-25
The American Sugar Industry Must
Take Precedence Over Cuba.
rom the Beet Sugar Gazette.

During the past fortnight the Ameri
can press, metropolitan and local, has
been teeming with more or less pungent
editorials on the continued inroads OF
the American Sugar Refining Company
alias the sugar trust, on the beet sugar
industry. Most of these editorials vacil-
lated between baseless speculations and
unfounded apprehensions They prov
ed nothing so much as that the average
newspaper editor is hopelessly lacking
in an understanding of the economic
and political phases of the sugar ques-
ton in this country, and is blind to the
benefits which will accrue to the Ameri-
can people from the development of the
domestic sugar industry. Incidentally,
the interests mainly concerned in the
humbug Reciprocity for poor, suffer
ing Cuba endeavored to make political
CAPITAL out of the investments of the
sugar trust in a number of beet sugar
factories 1t has been claimed that the
trust was now practically in control OF
the beet sugar industry, and that there
fore it would be the principal beneficiary
of a continued protective tariff on sugar.
This premise is not correct. The trust
is not vet in control of the beet sugar
industry, and cannot be for many years to
come. But this erroneous assumption
offered fine basis for the argument
that the trust was convinced of a pros
porous development of the beet sugar in
dustry without the help of protection,
and that therefore it was willing to fore
go that protection in the interest OF
Cuba.
The Beet Sugar Gazette has already
pointed out in former issues that the
trusts investments in beet sugar are
still very insignificant as compared to
it's refining interests, and that for this
reason it cares more for the increase of
its profits from refining than it does for
the rapid development of the beet sugar
industry. The trusti is simply following
the demands of its greatest immediate
interests. The slower. the beet sugar
industry develops the better will the
trust be able to perfect its plans for the
adjustment of its affairs from a mere
refiner to domestic sugar producer.
And this Is the gist of the whole ques-
ton of a protective sugar tariff.
1t may be safely said that so far as the
sugar trust is concerned, it would even
now be just as satisfied if the American
1beat suganindustry could still be entire
w stifed. For it would be so much
simpler for the trust to let otners assume
the cares and responsibilities of proHQr-
ing raw sugar in Cuba, India, the
Philippines, Europe, and other countries,
and to merely import and refine this
raw material So long as it can control
the sugar refining industry of this coun-
try, it is making clear profit of about
ten dollars on every ton of sugar import
ed and refined. And any reduction in
the import duties would add to this
clear profit This would be an ideally
comfortable position for the trust. For
this reason alone it prefers to act in the
role of power behind the political throne
that wishes to help "poor Cuba rather
than to develop the American beet sugar
industry. But this domestic industry
defied the trust.
When the beet sugar factories began
to multiply and manufacture refined
sugar direct from raw material produc-
ed on American soil, then the snake OF
unrest entered the sugar trust paradise.
And when it became apparent that the
disturber had arrived to stay, man so
far-seeing as the president of the sugar
trust quickly grasped the tremendous
possibilities slumbering in. that indus
try. 1t did not require much judgment
to see that the present domestic sugar
manufacturers could be compelled so
much faster to come to terms with the
trust, if reduction of the duties on
Cuban sugar weakened their position.
That the American beet sugar indus
try, in its present condition, would be
entirely destroyed by such reduction.
nobody ever believed seriously But
the domestic sugar producers were, and
are, perfectly justified in opposing such
reduction on the ground that it would
place them at a disadvantage in their
competition against the sugar trust
Even if all this nauseating sentiment
tally about Cuban distress had not
been thin and transparent covering
for the very material. scheming of the
sugar trust, the domestic producers
would still have been fully within their
rights in claiming that it was the duty
of the American government, and es-
pecially of the present administration,
TO first fulfill the pledges made to them,
before any charity was bestowed on
Cuba.
It argues well for the future of the
American beet sugar industry that even
in its period of infancy it was able to
stem the tide of sugar trust supremacy.
Perhaps it was this that opened the eyes
of the sugar trust to the unexcelled op-