CHAPTER II. 



DOMESTIC SUGAR VS. "EXPANSION. 



Nothing less than immediate, unconditional annexation of Porto Rico, Cuba and 

 the Philippines and their admission to the Union as territories, with all the privileges 

 of interstate free trade, irrespective of their form of government! This demand comes 

 from Spanish property holders on these islands, and from a small but powerful coterie in 

 this country that seeks to monopolize the cheap labor and marvelous productiveness of 

 the tropics. Whether or not this demand is generally joined in by the so-called "expan- 

 sionists," or "imperialists," those elements of the body politic are being industriously but 

 stealthily "worked" in the interest of this scheme. 



WHAT IS THERE IN IT FOR THE ANNEXATIONISTS? 



By remission of duties they would make an extra profit of $30 to nearly $40 on 

 every ton of sugar, $5 to $8 on every pound of cigars, $1.50 on every pound of wrapper 

 tobacco, 35 cents on every pound of filler tobacco, $25 to $40 on every ton of rice and pro- 

 portional extra profits on all early or tropical fruits and vegetables. 



Because of the cheapness of production with tropical climate and labor, the profits 

 of the business under free admission to this market would be quite "beyond the dreams 

 of avarice." These crops and industries here in the United States would of course be 

 ruined by such competition. 



The inability of the domestic grower of beets and cane and of the manufacturer of 

 sugar therefrom to compete with the tropics (at least for many years) is shown by the 

 following comparative exhibit, based on official data and gold values: 



United West East 



States Indies Indies Hawaii 



Yield of sugar per acre, tons 1*4 2% 2% 4 



Cost of sugar per ton $75 $40 $20 $35 



This is a fair mean under average conditions, though the yield for the United 

 States may be criticised as too high and the cost as too low. On the other hand, experts 

 will claim that the tropics can produce more sugar per acre and at less cost. 



Quite likely the latter is true, for only on this basis can an explanation be found 

 for the momentous increase in imports into the United States of sugar produced by the 

 yellow races from 250,000 tons in '92 to 600,000 tons per year. And this while Cuba's 

 industry was almost prostrated by war! 



In Egypt alone, over $50,000,000 have been invested in cane sugar houses and 

 plantations within the past few years, mostly English money, at vast profit, owing to 

 cheap fellah labor and great productiveness of soil under irrigation. Vast projects for 

 further extensions are under way in Egypt and other parts of Africa. 



The enormous profits in the Sandwich Islands are due in part to the marvelous pro- 

 ductivity of Hawaiian plantations. The Ewa boasts of having produced an average of 

 8^ tons of raw sugar per acre in 1896, or four times the largest yield ever reported from 

 Louisiana cane or California beets. Reports of the Ewa, Hutchinson and other planta- 

 tions give the cost of production at from 1% to 2 cents per Ib, compared with 3 and 4 



