The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1907-11-09
Beet Sugar.


The visit of Secretary of War Taft to the Phil
ppines will revive his demand for free sugar and
tobacco from that country
The administration is fully committed to the
policy it is the especial desire of Secretary Taft
and the President will no doubt recommend it
strongly in his forthcoming message
The House of Representatives in the last Con-
gress passed free sugar and tobacco bill by
very large majority. 1t could not pass the Senate
In fact, it killed in the Philippine Committee
of the Senate, majority of the Republicans and
majority of the Democrats composing that commit
tee refusing to allow the bill to be reported out
Senator Lodge, the chairman and the administra-
ton leader used every endeavor to induce the
committee to make report of kind and
allow the subject to come before the Senate He
not willing to make a motion in the Senate to
discharge the committee, and the committee was
not willing to bring the bill into the Senate Neither
side was sure of its strength
The opponents of the measure feared the power
of the administration if a vote should be recorded
The administration forces feared the effect of
general tariff debate which certain to accom-
pany the discussion of the bill Keeping the bill
in committee the tactical advantage made use
of by its opponents to kill it. Many who would have
followed the administration on direct VOTE would
at hand and refused to vote to discharge the COM
mittee i. e. to take from the committee its further
charge of the bill Secretary Taft is more familiar
with conditions in the Philippines than any of our
public men, and should he become President will be
very determined to carry out his policies regarding
these possessions His views are we'll known and
are honestly expressed by him.
He has often said in hearings before Congress
sional committees when asked what effect certain
proposed legislation would have on the American
people that he not thinking particularly about
that, his chief concern to how the legisla-
ticn would effect the Filipino. Free trade with the
Philippines is not a Republican doctrine 1t can
not be justified from Republican standpoint.
1t is not a Democratic doctrine. Unless President
Roosevelt succeeds himself, Secretary Taft sue
ceeds President Roosevelt there will be no danger
of this legislation.
If Mr.. Bryan or any other Democrat should sue
ceed President Roosevelt the subject would never
be seriously mentioned
The Northwest is more interested in preventing
free Filipino sugar than the rest of the United
States because this section is peculiarly adapted to
sugar beet culture 1t is not political question:
is commercial purely 1t should not be a
phlanthropic proposition, and should an appeal be
attempted on that basis, the wel1-beng of our own
people should be considered in connection with the
Filipino.
The people of the United States paid more than
$3oOoOo,OOo for imported tropical sugar last year.
1t is easy of demonstration that the Northwest can
supply this demand if not prevented by adverse leg
slaton.
The United States consumed 100000 tons of
sugar last year (19o6) and produced 100000 TONS
The most of the domestic production is from the
cane in Louisiana, Porto Rico and the Hawaiian