The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-08-06

eral market price of sugar was the
result solely of the universal and
natural law of supply and demand,
and being advised by our attorneys
that in their opinion a sugar pro-
Queer selling at such a price was
not selling at an unreasonable or eX-
cessive charge or rate within the
meaning of the Lever act, we accord
ingly, on or about May /, after no.
tice to our customers, listed our price
locally on the basis of the general
market price as fixed and prevailed
at San Francisco.
1T has always been the custom
of the company as we'll as other COM
panies to sell it's products at the
general market price. We believe
we have right to do that. 1t is
obvious that we must follow the
market whichever way it goes, up or
down, so long as that market is the
natural market based on the law
of supply and demand and uninflu-
enced by any combination or artifi-
cial or unlawful interference. 1t is
difficult to see how this company
or any other company or person can
carry on business in any other way.
1t certainly would neither be just
nor fair to require, for instance,
the wool grower or miner of Utah
or the west to sell his product below
the general market price if Is per
cent of that product consumed in
this country were permitted to be
sold at the general market price.
And it is this obvious and unjust
discrimination made by certain
agents and officials of the govern
ment against the home production
of beet sugar and in favor of the for
eign production of cane sugar of
which we complain and contend and
shall contend until the last ditch.
Beet sugar in the United States
is produced by white labor and by
American citizens and builders of
homes. Cane sugar is produced
largely by negro and Japanese la
Dor; yet the cane sugar, which is
about rs per cent of the sugar con-
sumed in this country, is permitted
to come into our markets and sold
to our people at the general market
price without complaint or even
without any attempt to restrain or
curtail the price. And the conten-
ton is that producers and vendors
of cane sugar may avail themselves
of our market and sell with impuni-
ty and without molestation at the
general market price, but that the
beet sugar producer of this country
and especially the Utah-Idaho Sugar
company and beet sugar producers
of the west may not avail themselves
or itself of that market price, but is
asked to sell its sugar at a price
one-third or one-half less; and
if it shall not do so, and does as
cane producer, sell at the general
market price, it is to be branded a
criminal and punished
1--WE do not believe that it was the
intention Of congress to so discrimi-
naet against white labor and pro-
ducers of beet sugar in this country
and in favor of negro and Japanese
labor and producers of Cuba, Porto |
Rico, Hawaii or the south, or at all |
to discriminate against beet produc- |
ers and in favor of cane producers |
in this country or elsewhere. Nor |
DO we believe that the courts will so |
interpret the law as to permit such |
results. 1t certainly would be strange
f the wool growers of Australia and
the wheat grower of Can
ida, and the copper miner of Peru,
we're permitted to avail themselves
If our market and sell their products
o our people at the general market
rice, but that the wool and wheat T
grower and copper miner of Utah
md Idaho and of the west, were
lenied the right to sell their prod
let at the same general market
rice, and obliged to sell it at one
bird to one-half less. 1t has been
aid that the government may not
ontrol the general market price of
he IS per cent of the sugar shipped
nto the United States and consumed
" our people, but that it can by GER
ain threatened prosecutions arbi-
rarily control and fix the price of
he beet sugar produced in this coun-
ry. Such statement or claim is self
estructive and is an unjustifia BILE
discrimination against the produc-
RS of our own country and in no
hammer accomplishes cheaper sugar
Or our country. For, attempting
, fix low price on the home prod
ct of sugar produced and consumed
l this country when confessedly no
over exists to regulate or control
he price of the large foreign prod
ct shipped and consumed in the
nited States, creates a harvest for
peculators with no corresponding
enefit to the consumer.
Moreover, contracts with beet
rowers this year are based on
.aling price of sugar. If, for ex-
mple, the price of beet sugar should
, held down to say $12 per 100
ound bag, the farmer will receive
Eos Afr, ~,~ H. I.