The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1914-09-11
THE REASON FOR
RESTORING SUGAR DUTY
Would Increase Domestic Prodrc.
ton and Save Consumers
SlOO'OOO,OOO a Year.

The advancing prices of sugar and
the worlds short supply demonstrate
es that those who have persistently
advocated the building up of a big
sugar industry in this country have
taken the right position. Protection
to sugar, they have said, was not
simply a benefit to the growers by
enabling them to develop this in
dustry. but it was a safeguard to
The nation, and its full develop
ment wossd save the 100000. 900
or more which the nation annually
pays to foreign countries for sugar.
| At the present price OF sugar, with
England buying all available stock
and with France and Germany prac-
tically cut out as beet-sugar pro-
ducers, it is altogether probable that
we shall have to pay possibly twice
as much for our sugar as in recent
years. and the nation may in the
next twelve months have to send to
foreign lands 5000, 100000 instead OF
siO0, 100000 for sugar.
II there had been an absolutely fix
ed policy making safe a Protective
tariff to Amrican sugar interests.
it would have been possible to bring
about far larger development of
this industry in the United States
than we have had. But with pol
iticans constantly fighting the sugar
Tariff, capitalists have hesitated
about going largely into the bust
ness. and the result is we are still
dependent upon other lands for the
bulk of our sugar. The higher prices
OF the next twelve months or more
will probably cost the nation far
more than it would have cost to
maintain a Protective Tariff to
point which would have Justified the
largest development OF cane and
beet sugar growing to the benefit
OF farmers and to every other inter
est in the country. With the certain
ty of a very large shortage in i'm
port duties and the necessity OF
raising more revenue, it would seem
to be a propitious time to restore
the tax on sugar, and do ii in such
a way that cane and beet growers
would know that for a long term OF
years they had a certainty OF a Pro-
lection which would justify going
largely into the business. The duty
on sugar produced a very large rev.
enue which the Government needed
and which it now sadly needs. If the
men who are controlling legislation
are willing to admit the error that
they made in removing the sugar
duty, it might be possible TO restore
this and again revive this in
dustry.
If this war teaches anything, it
teaches the folly of an economic sys-
TEN which has made us dependent
upon foreign countries for our sugar
and our shipping and for many OF the
things which could have been made
at home had there been a certainty
of fair measure of protection. The
nation is paying a fearful penalty
Tor the uneconomic policy which has
left us without a merchant marine,
which has put the cotton growers
and the wheat growers of the country
at the mercy of the present situation
by reason of the shortage of shipping,
has almost destroyed the sugar in
iustry and his prevented the develop
ment of many industries for whose
products we now annually pay hun
dreds of dollars to foreign lands
when we ought to be producing
them at home. 1t is about time for
the people at large, as well as for
men in public life. to be doing some
serious thinking and to admit the
error of their economic views, for
these economic views have already
cost this country many millions of
dollars and are liable to cost il many
hundreds OF millions during the !
present war.
n :,.s,