The daily sentinel., 1912-10-30
COLORADO SUGAR BEETS.
CONTINUED from Page IL


commodities of general consumption.
On the other hand, our present
sugar schedule, based upon archaic
notions and designed solely to give to
the American Sugar Refining COM
pany complete control OF the sugar
business, levies an annual toll of not
less than S1l0.OO0.OOO in excessive
charges upon the people. We con-
sume more sugar than any other ma
ton. Our per capita consumption is
SIG pounds; being exceeded only
by the English. This schedule will
be changed. for it is the case of go
100000 consumers against the sugar
trust Is it wise to oppose any
change whatever, OF to adjust duties
in fairness to the needs of the public9
Being in favor of a revenue tariff
on sugar, and having little doubt
that in the final adjustment the fl
nancial needs of the government will
require its retention upon fair
basis. | trust | shall not be accused
OF insincerity if I affirm that the re-
moval of all duty upon that commo-
dity would not injure the business a
particle except to reduce the tremen-
dOus profits of the trust We shall
continue to raise heets and run our
. AhNN'A AN1 anu bAA4lA hlNtlH > W meet
the growing needs OF a growing popu-
lation And farmers will receive for
their bests what they can force the
trust to pay; just as they have been
doing for four or five years.
Sugar is a necessity of life. The
world has no Surplus stock on hand.
To the contrary, the price of sugar
rose rapidly last summer and fall,
because of Il shortage in the worlds
supply. II Is estimated that the trust
taking advantage of the opportunity
added $l0,000,000 to its profits dur
ing that time, but It was not then
concerned either about the beet
grower or the labOrer in the beet
field At any rate 1t has given them
no part of the $4,000. 900 which
it arbitrarily placed upon the backs
of the consuming public
The worlds output of sugar in
1910 was li,914,57j tons. OF this
total the United States took 1850
35b tons, England, 1911, 800 tons,
Germany l25S,952 tons. Austria
554.G3G tons Spain 56.67l tons.
France G47.iS6 tons, Switzerland
107 ,O3G tons, Russia l,630,921 tons,
Netherlands 1854 tons, Denmark
81 ,2S7 tons, Italy lOS,74l tons. Bel
gium lO2.2O3 tons aud Turkey 234,-
500 tons; a total OF l2.5gS.4S1 tons.
This left but 2.346.O94 tons for the
vast population of Canada, South
America, ASIA and other sections of
the globe. We Carry our rations on
our backs, with little or no surplus
and none at all in sugar The de-
mand for this great staple is grow
ing faster than the supply. It has
been said a peoples prosperity is
measured by the extent of it's sugar
consumption. Judged by that stand
ard, the world l. prospering. If We
could increase our production of
sugar four fold We could barely sup
ply the home market. and that is
wholly impossible. Why then give
ear to the baseless assertion that a
ariff Is responsible for our sugar in
dustry and that We must depend on
our government TO protect il by taxa
tion or it must languish and die2
But Senator Guggenheim is deep
ly concerned for labor, which he says
is the chief cost OF sugar" With
the duty reduced as contemplated,
the sugar refiners will purchase the
cheap labor product from abroad"
etc. | am told that the labor em-
plOyed in raising sugar beets is the
cheapest in the country and is done
almost entirely by foreigners: by
Japanese, Chinese and Hindoos in
California, by MeXicans, Russians
and Polaks in Colorado and other
beet growing sections. | shall be
glad TO be corrected if this is not
true but until corrected | affirm that
there is no cheaper labor on this con
tinent than that found in the sugar
fields of America, and that our beet
bOr, for no other will consent to do
the work | speak not of the mills,
which run about three months in the
year, where more intelligent labor is
needed, although the numbers em-
ployed are comparatively few. If the
rcfincrs can discover any cheap labor
product from abroad that is any
cheaper than that of the cheap labor
which has come from abroad and
is given employment here, they
should inform a curious and slIepti-
col public where 1t exists.
This labor Of ours is as cheap as
it can be. The wages it receives
cannot fall without extinction. This
is not due to any oppression of the
laborcr. The work is very hard and
exactinE None will do it but those
who must II is related that in 1900
there was revolt in the Arkansas
Valley against the large Mexican
population there gathered to weed
the beets, whereupon the work was
Offered to the Ubjectors. These tried
it for q day or two and then told
the Mexicans that they were welcome
to the job Now, since the wages
earned in this field of labor cannot
be any lower than they are, and since
the field is monopolized by foreign
ers, / am somewhat skeptical about
the sincerity Of those who express so
much concern for it only when the
duties on sugar are threatened.
Perhaps the most remarkable of all
the Senator's statements upon this
subject is, that the contest on sugar
Is now between the sugar beet pro-
a ~, SE,g, ono hand t1,a 10 no