The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1920-01-17

AO q LIN StAbR hSio oI ANC" AoC
ria, on January 9th, took occa.
sion to refute the very base and
slanderOus rumors circulated in
the sugar belt among the sngaI
cane growers These rumors charge
that while Food Administrator
Mr.. Parker kept the price of sugar
at an exceedingly low price, while
the Food Administration had per
mitted other agricultural products
to be sold at very high price;
and; beDce, said these slanderers
"Parker is not your friend"
] have been always identified
with every movement for the ad
vancement, promotion and pIOtec
ton Of sugar and rice, and con
slider myself as well posted on
hese questions as the average
man 10 this section Knowing the
facts, felt it my duty to do jus
tice to M. Parker's record, and |
showed how Mr.. Parker had been
the friend of the sugar people of
Louisiana.
am very sorry that the news
papers reported only in an ex-
tremely condensed form what
did say. Although quota tion marks
were used by these newspapers,
the remarks quoted were at best a
condensed statemeD'; and even
these condensed statements are
inaccurate. For instance The Times
Plcayune quote 9 me As saying that
the price for sugar fixed at Wash
Ingtou for the 1917 crop was 81
cents. What | said was So 80 per
hund ed pounds. Again the L p
quotes me as saying that whe,s
NJ. Parker rendered his resigna-
ton he thereby obtained a price of
6J cents What | said was that
when Mr.. Hoover refused TO give
more Than So 80 per bnDdred
pounds for sugar, Mr.. Parker ten
dered bis resignation, and because
of the admitted services rendered
be Democratic Administration in
re.electiDg II, Mr. Hoover, not
wanting to lose Mr. Parker as
Food Administrator of Louisiana,
countered by Offering s6. 50 per
hundred pounds; that Mr.. Parker
still held out for SO 80 until the
Committee rep' esentlDg the Louis
lana sugar people advised him to
accept the Sc 30; thereby saving
even at IS 90 per hundred pounds
eighty five cents per ton to our
farmers.
The I p. then says that Sin
1918 Mr.. Parker again made the
fight which gave 81 for the CROP"
This is entirely wrong. l said
that in 1918 Mr.. Parker had moth
ing to do with the price fixing, as
it had been done by joint CON-
mlttee of the Government and the
Louisiana sugar growers. | also
said that Mr. Parker is 40 we'll
aud favorabIy known that in 1919.
while the Louisiana Committee
was trying to get satisfactory
pllce, his telegram to Congress
man Martin, submitted to the Sen.
slolial Committee, had resulted
Hugely. If not mainly, in the deci-
sion of the Committee of the Sen
ate to allow US TO sell our sugar
for double the 1918 price, as MIR
Parker suggested in said telegram.
Judge Gilbert, candidate for
Lieutenant Governor, spoke at
New Iberia, on January the 9th.
aud is reported by the Daily
States OF January the Sth, as hav
ing sald:-
"In discussing the record OF
John M. Parker and the cOnten
tlons of New Orleans newspaper
that Parker is entitled to credit
for keeping the price of sugar ~
in 1917, Judge Gilbert said:
Il am going to tell you, moi
what l heard, but what know
personally, because | was inter
ested in the question and the con
ference at New Orleans. | hops
the statement of Mr.. Broussard
was made in good faith, aud mol
to deceive, when be said that in
1917, Mr.. Parker had been iDstrn
mental in saving sugar when 81
cents was fixed at Washington
but later there was an agreement
to increase the price to 6 cents.
This is not in keeping with whal
had been done. Nothing was none
PRIOR to October l. 1917 The
food administration announced II
would allow the sale of sugar on
the open market and sold five cars
at S:35 cents per pound Novem
Der 2 of that year the sugar mann
facture received q message, moi
from Ms Parker. bnt from MIR.
aOopor. at WaehinRton. tellino