Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1912-03-22
FREE SUGAR.

the free list has passed the House
of Representatives by a large major
ity and has gone to the Senate for
consideration Of that body.
The Gazette is Democratic news
paper and is firmly and unalterably
opposed to the protective tariff pol
icy of the Republican party, but we
must record our opposition to this
measure and in thus opposing it we
keep well in line with Democratic
policy and practice. The Democrat
&c party is not a Free Trade party
for the very good reason that we
must levy a duty on imports in or
der to raise revenue for the support
of the government. A revenue-pro-
ducing tariff necessarily includes
some incidental protection to home
producers of articles on the dutiable
list. The true policy then, in levy
ing duties is to select for taxation
such articles as will produce the
most revenue. Sugar is one of those
articles. Under the present law the
government collects annually be-
tween fifty and sixty millions of
dollars sugar duties and the Ameri-
can sugar growers receive about
twelve millions of incidental pro-
lection. This protection enables
them to produce sugar proftably-
without it the industry is doomed
TO destruction. The per capita con-
sumption Of sugar in the United
States, and under the present rate
of duty the per capita tax thus
paid is only about S1.20, which
cannot justly be termed a burden
some tax.
Millions of dollars have been in
vested in the industry in Louisiana
and beet-sugar producing States and
hundreds of thousands of people get
their living from this source. These
investments were made and these
people engaged in this business on
the faith of what appeared to be a
fixed governmental policy, extend
ing over a century. We submit that
it is unfair and unjustifiable to de-
stroy this industry at one blow,
and it is doubly unfair in view of
the fact that no other industry has
met with similar treatment. Take
steel, for instance, which is con-
trolled by the great Steel Trust.
Mr.. Carnegie, certainly an author
ity on the subject, testified before
the House Committee that steel rails
can be produced in this country at
a fair profit to the manufacturer if
placed on the free list. But the
Steel Bill does not place steel rails
on the free list, it merely reduces
the duty. This in face of Mr.. Car
negie's testimony, and in face of
the fact that no rails are or can be
imported because of the duty, and
consequently the government de-
rives no revenue as the result of the
duty, which serves only to tax the
American people to swell the profits
of the Trust.
This is not a matter, as some peo-
pie in North Louisiana think, which
affects South Louisiana only. To
begin with the bill placing sugar on
the free list, as we have pointed
out, is unfair, and we should there
fore oppose it if Louisiana had no
interest in the industry. But it be-
ing Louisiana industry we are
doubly opposed to its destruction.
The sugar producing section of our
State contains large proportion of
our population and wealth and pays
a large part of the taxes which
support our State government, our
schools and charitable institutions.
1t cannot well produce any other
staple crop. 1t is too clear to ad-
init of argument that the whole
State is vitality concerned in this
matter and we consequently APP
prove and commend the action of
Congressman Ransdell in opposing
the measure.
-
Mr. Dan Searlaq Of Vsctahur,