The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1912-08-23

and the raising of sugar beets for the
manufacture into sugar by local fac
tories in the North and West. The in
vestment in these two branches Of the
domestic industry amounts to about
$20O.OOO,O 10000.
1t is not necessary to acuse the men
who shape the legislative policy OF
the Democratic party of any personal
hostility to the farmers. laborers and
manufacturers engaged in producing
sugar from American SOIL Their ar
gument is the stock free trade ar
gument, namely. that if the farmers
and laborers of this country cannot
produce sugar in competition with the
yellow and black men who grow the
sugar cane of the tropics and who are
forced to work for one-ffth of the es-
tablished American wage, the domes-
tic production of sugar should be
discouraged. As for the growers of
sugar cane and sugar beets. let them
grow other crops. Let the beet sugar
manufacturer abandon his factory and
go into some other business. Let the
workmen find other jobs-if they can
Let the stockholders in the local sugar
factories scattered throughout the
country pocket their losses.
This is a fair statement of the posi-
ton which the Democratic party has
taken in this matter of the sugar tariff
From the viewpoint of the theoretical
free-trader it is a perfectly correct
position. 1t assumes that the destruc-
ton of the American sugar growing
industry by the removal of the tariff
would mean cheaper sugar for the
American consumer. Practically,
however, there is serious flaw in this
claim. The removal of the sugar
tariff and the consequent destruction
of the domestic sugar-producing in
dustry would leave the sugar market
of the country entirely in the hands of
the big sugar re6ners. The refining
industry is said to be controlled by
not more than six men. It is fam
iiar fact and one brought out by the
Investigations of a Democratic con-
gresional committee that the refining
business is dominated by the so-called
Sugar Trust and that of the few re-
fining concerns that are not actually
in the trust all but one or two are on
exceedingly friendly terms with it.
How much of any possible reduction
in the cost of raw sugar such a COM
bination as this would hand on to
the customer may be judged from the
reputation which its members-who
have been engaged for the past two or
three years in repaying vast sums out
of which they had swindled the gov
ernment-have established for philan-
thropy. Their probable action is in
dictated by the course that they
adopted in 1890 when the removal of
the sugar duty was followed by an ad-
vance of forty-6ve cents a hundred
pounds in their charge for refining.
Applied to the present sugar con-
sumption of the country this would
enable the refners to pocket So, 500,
10000 of the $s3OO,00O revenue taken
away from the national treasurery
while the consumers of the country
would still be under the necessity OF
making up the latter sum in other
taxes.
The Republican policy with respect
to sugar is equally we'll illustrated by
the bill passed by the votes Of Re-
publican senators as substitute fol-
the free sugar bill of the House. This
bill makes the substantial reduction
of thirty cents per hundred pounds ir
the full rate of duty in the belief that
this cut does not seriously endangel
the prosperity of the domestic sugar.
producing industry. The 2rotectiv.
policy seeks to assure stable supply
of cheap sugar for the American con
sumner but aims to do It by encourag
ing the production of this sugar al
home under conditions that will assur,
fair competition and prevent monopl,
or the manipulation of prices. Wha,
effect of this policy has been is showr
by a few facts regarding the pro
gress of beet sugar production in the
United States within recent years:
The real growth of the industr.
dates from the enactment of the Ding
ley tariff in 1879. In that year tn,
output of beet sugar was 84.0O0.0O
pounds. In 1911 the production wa
in excess of 100000. 600 pounds. a,
increase of nearly 100 per cent
There are at present seventy-one bee
sugar factories in operation scattere,
throughout seventeen states and tn
growing of sugar beets is an impor
tant farm industry in all these states