Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-08-15
BY ALFRED HENRY LEWIS.
In Hearst's Magazine.

10 relate now HTeSluenI WOulu
make q bargain snd then turn his
coldly narrow, White-House shoulder
on that bargain, is neither graceful
nor pleasant, and If the business must
end there one might better rest quiet.
But the ruin in this instance is only
half-wrought; the destruction is still
in progress Of accomplishment. Even
now, a right sugar amendment to the
Wilson Underwood tariff, an amenod.
ment consistent with the Democratic
platform and in keeping with the Sea-
girt pre-convention compact made be-
tween Mr.. Wilson and Senator-elect
Broussard. would rescue host Of su-
gar survivors who still cling to what
is left of their wrecked fortunes, but
who without such rescuing amend
ment must presently be ingulfed.
Be 1t known, too, in this destructive
connection, that il is the sugar grow.
er. not the sugar refiner, who has
been struck down. That big money
maker, the sugar trust, which buys
and refines but doesn't grow raw SUI
gar, is doing more than we'll The
wilson Underwood sugar schedule
even promises to put an added layer
of fat on its already too-fat ribs. 1t
is the small cane-grower, the little
raw-sugar maker, who has been and
is being destroyed.
No Spreckels, no Havemeyer is
hurt. The great Hapemeyer sugar
trust has one of its biggest refineries
within shouting distance Of New Or
leans. But the intelligent Havemeyer
face, undaunted Of any tariff, is on a
broad sugar grin The big sugar trust
is buyer of raw sugar. In 1916,
when raw sugar viii go utterly and
completely on the free list, IL will get
fits raw sugar from overseas one and
one-half cents less a pound than it
does now.
The little cane-grower and raw SUI
gar maker are q numerous brood
While numerous. however, they aren't
commonly strong in any sense of
money. The popular impression Of
the sugar planter is that of a riotous
Croesus, who rides up and down on
Mississippi river steamboats,, drinks
peach and honey, kills his man at 10
PAGES, and plays draw-poker "twoeall-
five in niggers." This is error There
are a few big cane-growing companies
in Louisiana, with plantations running
into thousands of acres. just as there
are big wheat-growing companies in
the Dakotas with fields running into
thousands of acres. But these big
cane-growing companies are not the
Louisiana rule; they are the eycep-
tion. Get the census figures from
Washington. For every 1000-acre SUI
gar plantation you'll find $50 little
sugar growers blowing. planting and
from 40 to so acres each
During 1911 and the opening months
of 1912, any one of half wisdom po-
litically knew that the Democrats
would win. The next congress would
be Democratic. Mr.. Taft would be.
followed by a Democrat in the White
House Among what Democrats loom.
ed tallest as possible candidates for the
presidency, Was Governor woodrow
Wilson of New Jersey. With the SUI
gar business at his fingers ends, real
izing what raw sugar on the free list
would destructiyely mean to his peo-I
pie, Senator-elect Broussard of Louisi-I
ana decided to call upon Mr.. Wilson
at Seagirt.
Mr. Broussard laid bare to Mr. Will
son the arts of cane-growing and raw
sugar making in all of their Louisiana
details. He began by reminding Mr..
Wilson of the cane-killing frosts of
1911, and the cane-drowning floods of
1912. These natural disasters of
themselves had been all that cane
growing and raw-sugar making could
imm ediately bear. A wrong tariff at
this crisis would break the cane-grow-
ing and raw-sugarmaking back, al
ready too much weakened by frost and
flood.
Mr.. Broussard continued: Cane was
in Louisiana a three-year crop. Cuba,
Porto Rico, Hawaii in that respect
was much more favored of the sugar
gods. In Louisiana The planter having
in mind the three-year life OF his cane,
must annually set aside one-third of
his land for peas, or some other pos
sible crop, to rest the soil. Another
third he planted to cane. while the
final third grew up to @stubble" or the
second years cane sproutings."
The tariff, Dingley, as it then stood.
imposed a raw sugar duty of 1.34SI
cents a pound. With this protection
of more thar one and one-third cents,
do his best. and work his hardest the
or raw-gueare maker Of
Louisiana could make but a lean and
meager profit OF one-half cent pound
Free list raw sugar. wipe out the duty
of 1.34S cents pound, and cane-grow-
ing and raw-sugar making would be