The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1904-12-10
THE SOUTH AND SUGAR.
Discussion of the Possibility of this Sec
ton Producing all the Sugar
Americans Consume.
New Orleans Picayune.

Americans Consume.
New Orleans Picayune.
There is no single article of gener al
use which is imported into the United
States that amounts to SO much as
sugar in its. several forms of raw, re-
fined and molasses, and yet We can
and do produce considerable guam
titles Of this virtual necessary Of life.
With the present degree OF tariff
protection on sugar the producers in
Louisiana and few other states have
been able to make it in competition
with the foreign cane producers, and a
like condition can be stated with re-
gard to the domestic beet sugar
makers. 1t is estimated that the people
of the United States pay an average
of s14O,0O0,0oO year for foreign
sugars, about half of which sum goes
abroad to the foreign producers. and
the other half to the national govern
ment as a tariff tax.
It is claimed that the people OF this
country could produce at home the en-
tire amount of sugar consumed by
them, and thereby save seventy million
dollars a year, more or less, sent
abroad for this important article. In
this connection Mrs. Laura Beck Ellis,
of Georgia, a writer of some note on
economic subjects, in the November
issue Of Gunton's Magazine, treats the
matter at length, and in some detail.
This lady sets out with the premise
that it has been fully demonstr ated
under present conditions that cane
sugar can be produced at handsome
profit in Americas great natural sugar
belt, which includes the rich lands of
southern Georgia, a portion Of the
coast region of South Carolina, all of
Florida, much of Alabama, Missis-
sippi and Texas, and nearly all of
Louisiana. It is generally known that
Americans are the largest consumers
of sugar in the world. We use the pro-
digious total of 100000 tons of this
commodity per annum, an average of
about seventy pounds to every man,
woman and child in our land, as
against Europes twenty seven pounds
pro rata. Of this sugar consumed by
our people they produce from beets
with the aid of the federal tariff and
state bounties about 100 tons year,
while OF cane sugar, with the aid of
the tariff, about 300 tons, more or less,
yearly.
We are, therefore, compelled to pay
about $40, 100000 year for foreign
sugar to make up the quantity needed
for our consumption, when, as the
writer mentioned contends, the whole
amount required by our people could
be raised at home.
Theoretically, all is true as stated
about the capability Of the Gulf states
to furnish the land and the climate
that could be utilized to supply the
country with sugar, but there are sew
eral practical difficulties in the way.
Sugar, being a southern crop, could
not be expected to receive the consid-
GRAFTON at the hands of a sectional
national government that would be re-
qulred to Justify the southern people in
going to the enormous expense to in
crease their sugar product tenfold.
It is true that cotton is an exclusive
southern crop, but it las no protection
in the tariff or otherwise. The south
ern cotton completes with that of the
WhnI0 UnrJ1 ar,H ic or, 1o 80, Il
cessfully without any protection VII at
ever, while southern sugar must have
some tariff barrier against foreign
sugar that would otherwise pour into
this country in such flood as to over
whelm our at present successful in
dustry.
There is danger that Cuba may be
annexed to the union SO that its
enormous sugar crop will come in free,
or some other act of legislation by
sectional congress may in a moment
overwhelm the southern sugar indus
try, because nothing is settled in this
matter. The duty on foreign sugars
affords large part of the revenue
which is SO necess airy to a government
that is spending more than a billion
dollars every two years, and this is
the greatest security that the sugar
planters of the southern states will
continue for some time to have tariff
protection.
In the meantime let the sugar plant
ers OF the south seek, by the aid OF
chemical science and mechanical in
vention, so to improve and perfect
their processes of production as that
they may be able to dispense with all
sxtraneous protection and become in
dependent as are our cotton planters.
Such a consummation is not beyond
the expectation or the reach of modern
science, and let.nS strive for Il.