The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1909-06-18
OUR POSITION

in it's editorial last week on the pine
annie situation has been misunderstood
bv some and Intentionally misrepre-
scented bv others. Our editorial was
plain statement Of facts as gathered
after A thorough investigation OF both
sides of the controversy, and was pub
Ished Cor the information of the grow
ers. with whom we are in hearty SYM
pathy. and for whom we willlend every
reasonable aid to correct present condi.
tiOnS.
One grower has paid his respects to
THE TRIBUNE. He believes that every
newspaper published in the pineapple
belt should shut its eyes to the facts IN
the case and join in the yell against the
Florida East Coast railway. He even
went so far as to state that if The
TRIBUNE had taken different course;
had advocated the placing of dynamite
under the tracks of the railroad, the
paper and its editor would have been
hailed as true representatives OF the
growers. The TRIBUNE is not an an
arehist publication and will never ex-
cite our people to any such act. The
grower who used such language does
not represent single grower in such
sentiment not even himself, in his
good, sober judgment.
But this growers chief complaint
was directed against little item which
appeared on the fist page OF our last
issue, urging the pineapple growers to
do something to better conditions - to
wire our Senators in Washington to
secure higher duty on Cuban pine
apples.
In response to letters and telephone
messages from growers urging US 70
have something appear in that issue
that would stir up the growers, as a
whole. to assist in the movement being
made in Washington, this little item
appeared. 1t was couched in language
that seemed necessary to meet the de-
mandS of the occasion. The grower
who complains, admitted that after
reading the item forty kilograms were
sent from White City Station alone.
The object of the item was accom-.
plshed in a highly satisfactory degree,
if such reports can come from other
stations. And evidently, it did accom-
plish results, for the whole situation at
Washington changed last Monday. Be-
fore that date our Senators did not be-
lieve delegation flom the growers
could accomplish anything, but on Mon
day they wired to send the delegation
with every fact obtainabe. The TRI-
BUNE viii be highly honored if that
lit offensive item should result in
getting a high tariff on Cuban pine
apples, and the prospects seem so
brigh, that we feel like repeating it
again this week.
The expense of every movement that
has been made to secure lower transpor-
tatiOn rates, duty on Cuban pineapples,
marketing in England or other subjects
OF interest to growers, has been met
by about sixty growers, while there
must be between three and five hun
dred St. Lucie county growers who
have benefited by the expenditure of
time and money, At one meeting held
in Fort Pierce last year the district be-
tween Fort Pierce and White City was
not represented by single grower.
Nearly sixty were present, half Of
whom came from Jensen. 1t is unfair
that these few patriotic growers should
always bear the burden of any question
and the little item was published in an
endeavor to get ALL the growers to
assist.
The question of tariff is now before
Congress. The growers have sent a
committee to Washington. The Flori-
da Senators are doing everything in
their power to get a tariff on Cuban
pineapples, and we believe that three
or five hundred kilograms would great
ly assist in the movement. Send the
kilograms to the Senators from the
State from which you originally came,
stating that You are native of that
State. We think it also advisable for
all Floridians and those of foreign birth
to address their kilograms to Senator