The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-20
SMITH AND BEET SUGAR.

We do not know whore Senator Clay
of Georgia got his information upon
President Joseph T. Smith of the Nor
mon church on the beetsugar ques-
ton, ms 10 his salary rs head of the
beet-sugar industry in Utah. Nor do
We know whether Smoot s denial Of
Mr.. Clay's statement was a denial Of
the whole statement or only on the
salary or not. Probably not entire, but
charged by Mr.. Clay. "the head of the
Mormon church absolutely fixes the
price of sugar in the interest of the
trust and against the producer. To
the combined statement of the salary
and the fixing OF prices, Smoot said,
81 deny that absolutely.
Now, this denial Of Smoot s may
have hcrn technical merely, that as
president of the Mormon church. Smith
draws this salary and fixes the price
for The trust aud against the producer
Such qubbling dcnials as that arc COM
mon in the replies of Mormon writer's
aud speakers, who are extremely literal
when il suits them TO be so, and so
given 10 objections TO literalncss when
the contrary suits their purpose. But
Of course Joseph f. Smith. as prcsi
dent of the church, does not draw
twenty thousand dollars a year from the
sugar trust, although in the final an
alysis that might not be so worry wrong
Il statement. either for he is head of
the beet sugar ndusiv in Utah be
cause he is president of the Mormon
church. And as head Of the sugar in
dus,ry he no doubt draws n good salary,
for It is big industry.
Whether he fixes the price of sugar
or not, directly, is a question. Prob
ably the final word on this price-iiN-
ing is spoken by the managers Of the
Great American Sugar Company, which
has Just paid upwards of two million
dollars into the National treasury for
cheating in weights
There can be little question, however,
that il is Smith 5 compulsion brought
10 bear upon the raiscrs Of sugar beets
for his factories, that makes them raise
and sell bcets at a price far below
what is fair TO themselves. And when
they protest, and threaten 10 quit rais-
ing bccts. il is President Smith S word
that causes them to submit, and TO go
on raising hccts. as many rs he wants,
and at the low prices that have pre- /
vailed from The first, in spite Of the
raise in the price OF sugar in former
wears, ton Of beets would buy from
the factory hundred weight Of sugar,
bects being $50 per ton and sugar
the same per hundred, In recent years,
however, the beetraisers get no more
for their bccts, hut have to pay q good
deal more for their sugar-$6.OO per
hundred, and upwards. So that where
formerly a ton of bcets would buy
hundred weight of sugar, it will now
buy but - pounds.
There is not the least doubt in the
world but that President Joseph j.
Smith is responsible in a large degree
for this change. He could have pre-
vented the prices going so far against
the farmers, by keeping up the old
relation between Ton Of bects and
hundred weight of sugar. He could have
well afforded 10 do so, for the beet
factory companies under his control
have made such enormous profits that
their stock has had 10 be watcred
heavily to keep down the appearance
of huge dividends on the perccntage,
basis.
So. Senator Clay struck the bull s
eve all right. even though technical de
malls may be made. For 1T is pIaln
that under tho Smith hcadship, the
beet -raisers have bccen steadily getting
the worse Of it year after year, and
what they have lost in fair treatment
and lust prices, the Smith companies
have pained. until their stock. from be
ing only fairto middllng Investment
has become enormously remunerauvc,
and gllt edged on the market