The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-12-29


the cost of living" Therefore, within
/ in barrels to the farm and factory
makers is today worth only four
sevenths CD the price paid just two
lyears ago.
| planters within easy reach Of this
| place from ten to fifteen thousand
| dollars for syrup each year, and two
years ago paid as high as 30 cents per
gallon. This year the highest paid
was "a cents and we are now paying
20 cents, including barrel, or only Is
cents net to the farmer, and we can
scarcely find sales at that price to our
refineries.
This is no fault of conditions at
Grand Ridge or in West Florida. On
Saturday, December 90 the market for
our syrups in New Orleans (the pro-
ducts OF Florida, Alabama and Geor-
gta are all classed, and quoted in
New Orleans market as "syrups, that
of Louisiana as "molasses') closed at
2S to 80 cents. On December 20 open
% 10 cents. On December 20 open
kettle centrifugal classed same as
formerly known as pure New Or
leans closed in New Orleans market
at Is to %; same day last year 30 to
40 cents. tSee New Orleans Planter.
December 20.)
Why is this? The specter of free
sugar" whose hideous head is now
but dimly seen and felt, its tragic eff
fects just now have reduced the price
of southern lands twenty per cent or
more, and the prospect of immigration
reduced in equal proportion.
This is no political TRADE My fore
fathers paid a high price for protected
sugar for near a century, when 1t was,
in fact, only q product of the south,
and now we, their descendants, who
have come south to do our best in all
that uplifts its people, find them willing
(not the masses" but the ''classes')
to destroy the industry above all
others that nature made for this soil
and climate.
1t is not our apparently insignificant
syrup business that suffers, but the
entire sugar growing of the United
States cannot and will not survive
free sugar" The Miles Planting
Comp of Louisiana, do not expect
to operate their three large factories
after the close of this seasons grind
ing. and that is hut the beginning.
Not a single centrifugal factory in
the cane sugar belt will continue after
the advent of free sugar. The beet
sugar industry is almost entirely |
owned by the sugar trust. ana may
hold on until the local cane sugar in
dustry is destroyed, and will then be |
merged into the refneries of Cuban |
sugars. and sugar beet cultivation will /
be a thing of the past, the same as |
cane growing. And when our sugar |
factories are bankrupted, or driven to |
Cuba and when It is too late even to |
rehablHtate the industry in our own !
lands, we will all contribute to high |
living by consuming foreign sugars |
When the sad results of free sugar |
were suffered under the Cleveland ad- |
there was no redress but |
20 grin and bear it, and the reaction |
came, and was swift and sure, and the |
lesson was so well learned that we all |
thought and said such a calamity |
could not, and would not again, be |
enacted.
A rush of northern capital was
found to rehabfiitate the factories OF /
Louisiana and millions were invested |
in beat sugar lands and beet cultiva- |
ton, and every factory of Louisiana |
was enlarged or replaced by one of |
double capacity.
There was no place to go for refuge.
Now all is changed and millions have
gone into Cuba, and millions more |
will be transferred there within the |
years of grace" given in the free |
trade tariff.
Mr.. Editor, you have never seen, nor |
felt, a kick from me heretofore. |
have used honest effort to benefit my
adopted state, and the feeble efforts / |
have expended had begun to bear |
good fruits" Now all is changed and |
can hold out no such alluring pros |
poets as your article. Our planters
are discouraged beyond measure. and |
no considerable cane is saved for i
spring planting. The rush will now be /
back to cotton. and that will be over
dome. and prices back to no profit, |
and we viii have cheap shirts with
no money to buy them.
Yours truly,
JOHN THOS. PORTER.
Grand Ridge, Fla, Dec. "a.