Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1908-10-01
BEET SUGAR INDUSTRY
ProspeFS Under Protective Tariff
LeYisiation.
Democratic Tariff for Hevenus Plan
Would Destroy United Statss'
Sugar Industry.

craI1c promise to destroy their Industry
1t that party should be successful?
That it's pledges would. if carried out.
destroy the beet sugar industry nobody
can for moment doubt The tariff
plank of the Democratic platform of
1908 says: Articles entering into COM
petition with trust controlled products
should be placed upon the free list
and the sugar refiners of the United
States are among the first group OF
business men named by Democratic All
thorities when they enumerate the
great trusts of the land. Therefore.
according to their platform-and Mr..
Bryan says in his speech of accept
ance that platform is binding upon
candidate and that it's pledges must
be carried out-sugar would be one of
the first articles put upon the free list
That the effect Of admitting sugar
from all parts of the world free Of
duty would be the destruction of the
beet sugar industry in the United
States cannot be doubted The average
cost per pound Of sugar in the country
from which we import that article has
steadily fallen from between 5 and
cents per pound in the seventies to less
than 2 cents per pound in 1862. 1903
and 1904: and in view also OF the
steady reduction in freight rates on
the ocean, it goes without saying that
The admission Of foreign sugar free OF
duty would put the beet sugar producer
of the United States out OF business.
Democracy Disrexards Labor.
Cheapness has been and is the sole
cry of the Democratic party in its
tariff theory It thinks nothing, ap-
parentIy. Of the earning power OF labor
| in the United States. whether agricul
tural labor OF otherwise. The Mckin
ley tariff act authorized the payment
OF a bounty on sugar produced in the
United States and admitted machinery
for manufacturing beet sugar free of
duty Prior to 1880, the year Of the
enactment Of that law. the beet sugar
production Of the country had never
reached 2oo0 tons. In the very next
year 1901 1892 it amounted to over
200 tons: in 1852 1893. to LOGO, and
in 1S94-1s93 to 10000 tons.
When the Democratic party came
into control I'm the White House and
Congress it promptly repealed the law
which gave a bounty on home grown
sugar Fortunately. that industry had
attained sufficient strength to be able TO
three years in which the Democratic
tariff was in force, and when the Re-
publican party again came into power
and established a protective tariff the
gains, the production Of beet sugar
jumping from over $500 tons In 1866
1897. the year of the enactment Of the
Dingsey law, to 1900 tons in 1880
1860. 1860 tons in 1862 1909. 900
tons in 1906 1906. and Zoo tons in
1906 1907
Thus under the stimulus given by the
Mckinley act in bounty on beet sugar
and the free importation Of machinery
for it's production, followed by the pro-
lection granted under the Dinghy act.
the beet sugar product OF the country
has grown from 1900 tons per annsIm
to 49,. GO tons. and it's value from a
few thousand dollars to between forty
and fifty million dollars year. The
area in which it is now successfully
produced stretches from New York to
| California and the section west Of the
Mississippi to-day actually produces
more sugar than it consumes. and en-
tirely from beets.
The United States is the world g
s.Irnes between six and seven billion
| pounds of sugar per year. an average
OF over 70 pounds per capita so that
| it may be truthfully said that the aver
age individual in the United States
consumes mere than one-half his own
weight Of sugar every year This enor-
nous quantity Of sugar costs at retail
quitting the average price at only .
and with the rapid growth in popuIa-
ton and consumption OF sugar, it may
| be- safely said that the value of sugar
consumed in the United States will.
during the next decade, average more
/ than million dollars a day. and even
/ more than that as the years proceed
and the population grows.
/ BRigAf Future for Industry
Can our farmers produce all the
| sugar for which CUE consumers are
now paying and viii doubtless continue
/ to pay in the future IN average of a
million dollars a day Yes.
What class OF sugar producers viii
supply this enormous demand Clearly
/ and nauestienabIy, the sugar beet
/ growers.
Why? The answer In found In the
| following figures: The cane sugar pro-
duction Of the United States has during
| the last decade fallen from 31s eco tons
in ng1-s to 236.DG0 toms in 1906 Z;