The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1906-02-02

this. | want the time to come when
they all shall be an enlightened race.
At present their labor is degraded.
Should the sugar industry assume the
proportions that the conditions of
the islands warrant, it would be nec-
essary to import laborers from China
to aid in handling the crop. l hope
this time may never come. i hope l
may be wrong and that even if this
measure does become law it will
not be necessary to import the cody
labor from China to do our work. and
especially when that work is in con-
nection with our own labor. Yet
there is grave reason to fear. The
Hawaiian planters are already asking
for this labor. The Philippine Com
mission expressed the same wish for
the Philippine Islands in their report
of November l, 1902. And SO say
this is no idle question and, sirs, l
am opposed to any policy or any law
which strikes a blow at the laboring
people of our country. l Lam especial
ly opposed to any policy which will
bring the oriental labor into competl-
tion with our own. This does not
come from spirit of hatred or an
tipathy for race. l want the Chin
ese people to succeed. They are
succeeding. They have been touched
by the hand of civilization and are
being reused from their long slumber.
But let success come to them on their
own ground. Their blood is not our
blood. Their ideals are not our
ideals. In my Judgment, the people
of no nation should be given welcome
to our shores in whom do not lie the
essential elements of American citi-
zcnship."
Mr.. French showed the cost of pro-
ducing sugar in the Philippines added
to the cost of refining and transpor.
tation would drive the beet sugar
, industry out of existence: "We saw
little while ago that sugar can be
produced cheaper in the Philippine
! Islands than it can be produced here.
/ But who will receive the benefit OF
this reduction? The bill does not
/; contemplate that the American con.
sumer shall receive the benefit, but
rather the producers in the Philip
pine Islands. Or even If it did con
template that the benefit would be
for US at home, the bill would fal
short of its purpose because the price
would be fixed by the sugar barons O.
the American sugar trust. The beet
sugar companies cannot produce su-
gar for less than about 81 per hun
dredweight. Three-fourths of thi
cost price goes to the farmer whit
raises the beets and to the laborer
employed in handling the crop
Should this bill pass, the sugar trus
could place the sugar from the Philip
pine Islands upon the American
market for less than $3 per hundre'
pounds, and they would use that ad
vantage in cost price To drive tn
beet-sugar industry from the Ameri
can continent. Sirs, this must com
or else the American farmer must b
degraded, the American laborer mus
. receive 10 Wer wages, and the Ameri
can home be IN want of that whic
our ideals demand.
e Senator Hepburn has introduced
G bill providing for the creation of
II National Board of Corporations, an
v engaged in interstate commerce.
e In explaining the composition
# the proposed Board, the Senator sal
: ''The bill provides first, for the ere
IS ton of tribunal within the existir
If Government which shall Supervi
is and determine the status Of the ct
10 poratons. 1t proposes to exercise
1r control over them other than SUI
h control as is necessary to enable the
ID to determine those facts.
ID "lt provides in substance, that
er corporation shall engage in intersta
of business except it pass the scruti
r. of a Board Of corporations, that boa
to consist of five members under d
Ill within the jurisdiction, primarily,
at the Department of Commerce a
to labor, four of the members of
IT. board to be appointed by the Pre-
W. dent and their appointment to
ratified by the Senate, and the Il
| member to be the Secretary of Gu
n. merce and Labor.
he sit also provides that the corpo
or. tion engaged in such business st
ds not engage in certain other busint