Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-07-05
THE FUTURE SUGAR CAMPAIGN


The main criticism voiced against the anti
free sugar caihpaign-and a criticism in which
there Is considerable trufH4t is that most of i
was under cover, most Of II wasscloaked and hid
den from theseyes of the people There was q
good deal of effort expended in doing things IN
the dark that might just as well have been done
in the daylight FL
The Hawaiian sugar interests, it is to be no
ticed, have come very well out of the lobby in
yestigation. The press of the country, Republic
an and Democratic has generally found little
fault with what Hawaii did. Even the extreme
" pro-Wilson papers confine their comment
mostly to the large amount of money spent
which has been given as somewhere around
100000, and to the $4,000 salary given the
planters representative IN Washington + They
have asfew sneers and many good linmored jibes
on thesfasnbjects,fb utfno seGieus condemnation
Of the methods used by, Hawaii. .-.z.
The beetHngar interests are more severely
criticised .eA md yet from al the massYfy
mony taken, from the discussion of the chk
paign work of Truman Paimer. Henry Oxnard
and others, there has come no evidence of any
bride conspiracy no evidence FSf sorruption, no
evidence of yoteselling or influence-buytAal ME
things that the beet sugar people have done are
not nearly so-terpible AS -might-guess from
the uproar raised by the Democrats who re,try-
ing to jam the tariff bill through
The vorsf that can be saidsof the beet-sugar
campaign is that the beetsugar men pulled ev-
cry possible wire in order to staye off hostile leg
islation, and that they worked almost entirely
under cover.
Ey,,o,, ,,ndor no l;n,olinhf rsnf N
committee's inquiry, the revelations were not
startling, except as they showed the long and Sc
cret work of preparing for the political cam
paign of 1872
Among the pieces of evidence seized upon by
the Wilson supporters Sc d.aeInasing were the fol
lowing: ~
That the sugar plank in the Republican plat
form Of 1912 was written after consultation with
the sugar interests
That the beet sugar men contracted with a
press service bureau to send copies of sugar pro-
lection speeches broadcast over the country.
That the sugar issue was included in the Re-
publican campaign handbook at the request of
the sugar people.
That an effort was made to get men on the
Philippine commission who would not be hostile
to sugar interests
That the sugar interests worked hard To get
men ON important congressional committees who
would not be hostile to them, and that they
worked to keep tariffrevision from coming. to
the floor of the senate.
As matter of fact, this is about the sum and
substance of the sensational" evidence found in
the letter.files of the United States Beet Sugar
Industry Association.
We do not believe that an honest considcra-
ton of this eSeyidence" will lead to the conclu-
sion of Hlegitimate lobbying, except as, illadvis-
edly. it was carried on with as much secrecy as
possible. Is it to be wondered that the beet
sugar industry took every possible step to save
itself from threatened ruin,-worked for cor
gressmen who would not be hostile to it,-oI-
posed congressman who opposed it? Is il to be
wondered that the Republican party, standing
on the protective tariff principle, stood, so far
aas possible, by the sugar industry?
Legislation is effected largely by playing poll
tics Hawaii has a forcible instance in the fact
that President Wilson is holding off local APP