Gilpin observer., 1913-05-01
WASHINGTON NEWS
By Edward Keating.

the Sugar interests have placed $780,
900 at the disposal Of the Washing
ton sugar lobby for the purpose of
preventing the removal of the tariff
ON sugar.
How this vast sum is to be spent,
is Left to the readers imagination.
This sugar lobby lis the most often
sive of the many Hobbies maintain
ed in this city. do not pretend that
1t is any more corrupt. but It's meth
eds are almost unbelievably brazen.
These paid agents of the Sugar
Trust seem to think that they own
certain senators, particularly those
from the intermountain west, and are
shaken with righteous Indignation
when their title is questioned.
**
1t may be that the fate of the sug-
ar schedule will be determined by the
votes of the two senators from Coo
RADIO. They have refrained from a
definite public declaration of their
position, and 1T is no exaggeration
to say that official Washington is
more keenly interested in their views
of any other two men in the upper
house.
OF course, The Sugar Trust is SUBJ
jecting them to every conceivable
pressure, and under the circumstan-
I In, inht nj
proper that the folks at home should
make their wishes known. Write let
ters setting forth your views, pre-
pare petitions and secure signatures
of your friends and neighbors. and,
necessary, call public meetings and
adopt resolutions clearly stating the
position of the plain people of Colo
RADIO.
Does the sugar trust own Colorado I?
That's the issue, and. let's settle it.
once for all.
While we are ON the subject of
sugar, l want to give you some fig
ures showing what the tariff costs
the sugar consumers of this country
Data gathered by our consular
agents show conclusively that we
are paying from 11a to cents per
pound more for granulated sugar than
the people of Great Britain, who do
not produce a pound of sugar.
Each man, women and child in this
country consumes 80 pounds Of sugar
per annum. If the tariff increases
the cost of this sugar 1la cents a
pound, then every man. woman and
child pays s1.20 year to maintain
the sugar trust and the average fam
! lily of five pays $500.
There are 10000, 900 people in the
United States and their annual con-
trIbution to the trust would be on
this basis s112, 500 900. AS matter
CT fact 1t is nearer to s125.OOO, 900.
But that is not all In the west
ern states, the trust charges us for
freight from the seaboard, although
the sugar is made at our doorsteps.
In Colorado this mythical freight
charge is 55 cents a hundred and this
makes our per capita contribution to
the trust sl.75.
Our population. is 100000 and our
annual tax for the support Of the
trust is therefore $1.4OO,OOO
This Is more than the people Of
Colorado pay in direct taxes for the
maintenance Of their state govern
ment.
But we are comparatively fortunate
The trust is really good to us. See
what IT does to Idaho and Montana
Beet sugar sells at the doors Of the
sugar factories in those states fo1
As cents hundred more than It does
in Denver and $1.OO a. hundred more
than 1t does in New York. So Idahe
and Montana's per capita contribu
tion rs $2.2O.
Idaho has a population Of 325. 900
and dts total contribution to the
trust is s7l5.O0O.
Montana has a population OF 376. 90
and its total annual contribution t.
the trust Is 1927 200.
|
Arizona is the peculiar pet Of tht
trust. The government has spen
many millions ON reclamation project
In that state and the soil and eli
mate are peculiarly adapted to thu
growth Of sugar beets and several Ia
tories are in operation.
But Arizona pays "a cents hund
red more for its beet sugar thar
Idaho and Montana; 70 cents more
than Colorado. and $1.34 more thai
New York. So Arizona's per capiti