Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-08-01
Shows Depression and Disas-
ter in Louisiana and Else
where, Due to Duty-SIaSh

ton and the Democratic slash OF
sugar-duties In a speech to the house
on July /. The Congressional Rec
ord reports the speech as follows:
Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen, | will
my remarks TO the subject Of an in.
dustry which has been materially at
fected by recent legislation.
President Wilson is quoted in the
papers as having said that IL it is
shown by the report Of the present In
vestigating committee that the doTnes-
tic sugar industry can not succeed
without protection, II Is a hothouse
industry and must go.
The president either singles out the
domestic sugar industry TO be discrim-
mated against, or else. the same rea-
soning must apply to all American
industries; that is, II they can not sur
vive without tariff protection, they
are hothcuse industries and must go.
The president contends that condi-
tons in America are artificial and not
natural. Did he ever stop to think
that wages and the standard of living
for our laborers are abnormally high?
As laborers in our domestic sugar in
dustry and other American manufac-
turing establishments receive an aver
age of about two and one-half times
the wages paid to the same class Of
labor in Europe, from the presidents
course OF reasoning II would appear
that hothcuse wages exist in. this
CONTINGENCIES made possible by tar
in protection from foreign cheap labor
and no other cause. What makes the
sugar industry, rs the president calls
1t, dollhouse industry? Have we less
beets? Is our land less productive?
The industry needs protection on ac-
count OF the cost OF labor, which is
equally true OF other American ingti-
tutions. American labo-ing men are
accustomed to high standard Of liv-
ing. They would not tolerate cond.-
tions Of labor existing in some foreign
countries with whom we must com
pete. Hothouse wages have brought
about dollhouse industries and lot
house habits for our workingmen.
favor dollhouse wages and the protect
I've tariff policy which has made not
house wages possible.
There Is no sound argument 10 iusti-
" the Democratic policy In regard to
the domestic sugar Industry. 4
This government requires the mon
ey the tariff on sugar produces. No
revenue is collected with less burden
On the Rsepls than the import duty
on sugar,
= The price 81 sugar to the consumers
in the United States h lower than IN
any country III continental Europe.
The raising Of sugar beets benefits
the soil, and Is most profitable to TIE
farmer.
No monopoly exists In the manufac-
turing OF domestic sugar. On the 9TH
er hand. the so-calIed sugar trust is
engaged In refining imported raws
In short. the cause for the attack on
the domestic sugar industry by the ad-
ministration Is inconceivable.
The great sugar-reflning companies,
the sn-called sugar trust, for many
years have been spending large sums
Of money IN distributing literature 90
create sentiment among our people
for free trade on sugar, and failed to
ACCOMPLISH the results they desired
until the Democratic party came into
power March 4, 1913. II was the gold.
en- opportunity for the sugar trust and
the Democratic party was easily led
on in the matter Of tariff legislation.
Their case was presented to Congress
through one Frank c. Lowry, their
hireling. The administration Welded
60 this lobbyist and accepted his fal.
sified figures and statistics.
Abolishing the duty on sugar will
permit the sugar refineries to moro
cheaply import foreign raws, but this
was not the fundamental reason for
their activities The remarkable
growth of the domestic industry they
considered menace TO their welfare
and II was their greatest desire 20
curb or eliminate the strong and IN
creasing competition caused by TIE
domestic beet and cane sugar industry
The war between the great refineries
and the domestic producers Of beet
and cane sugar has been fiercely
waged since the inception Of the beet
sugar industry, but the growth of the
domestic beet sugar industry between
the years of 1895 and 1912 has been
jumping up from an an
nual production of few thousand
tons to 625.000 tons in the year of 1912.
This, together with the domestic cane
sugar produced in the south. furnishes
the American people with about %
per cent of the sugar they consume
annually. It can readily be understood
that the great refining companies; saw
in the domestic industry a most for.
foe-one that, unless 1t could /,
be conquered. would bring unquestirn.
able destruction in the end to the
great monopoly engaged in the rein
ing of foreign imported raw sugar.
Our domestic sugar has entered the
markets in every state in the union
and in all cases--without single ex-
sold at from 20 to 40
cents hundred pounds below the
price obtained by the sugar trust for !
their sugar produced from foreign i'm
ported raws; and If the market for
sugar is closely followed, it will be
observed that during the six or seven
f-xva n1fNhar 20 Nav uhon 1