The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-03-08

verted into alcohol, after the existing
custom in the European countries just
named, and this alcohol would come di--
rect1y into competition with Standard
Oil petroleum for the generation of
heat, light and power.
The trust would here present the
tenderest spot in it's body to the in
viting thrust of the knife of COMPETE
ton at the hands of the public at large,
and as potatoes, sugar beets, corn,
ETC., can produce a grade of alcohol,
costing much less than petroleum for
the purposes enumerated, substantial
progress would at once have been made
toward depriving the trust Of much of
the power that it at present enjoys.
Alcohol Denaturalized.
The alcohol thus made would of
course be denaturalized SO as to pre-
vent it's use as a beverage, as has been
done in Germany, France and Sweden,
and so the proposition would encoun-
ter no opposition from the temperance
people.
Mr.. Stevens believes that this sug-
gestion of his offers a ready avenue of
escape from Standard Oil oppression,
and he will be ready at the proper time
to press it on the attention of con-
gress. He calls attention to the fact
that the agricultural products which
both as regards money and toll, than
almost any other of the farm crops.
The opening up of a greatly enlarged
market for these crops would add i'm
measurabIy to the agricultural wealth
of the country, and improve the condi-
ton of the farmer CORRESPONDENCE.
A large price and a ready market
would always be waiting for these
crops, and in time the Standard Oil
company would be driven out of the
field with it's richest by-products.
Report Is Interesting.
In this connection a recent report
from Consul General Frank H. Mason,
at Berlin, is interesting. This report
had to do with the market in the unit
ed States for fusel oil made in Ger
many.
This German fusel oil is a by
product of the manufacture of alcohol
from potatoes, corn and other grains,
the refuse of molasses, and the refuse
from sugar beet Enthusiastically the
crops which are referred to by Mr..
Germans regarded the by-products
from which fusel oil is made as mere
waste.
Today the United States buys nine
tenths of the total German output of
fusel oil and Great Britain the other
tenth. This oil is used in the man
ufacture of varnishes, perfumes, GER
tain explosives, and, it is said certain
grades of confectionery The demand
for it is in the United States de-
veloped very rapidly, and the export
from Germany increased to 223 metric
tons in 1901, 260 tons in 1902 and 343
tons in 1908. Then there was a falling
off in the American demand, but within
the past six months the exports have
again become heavy. The price which
the Germans receive for their fusel Oil
is from $25 to $40 per 100 kiles (22O
pounds) which means a very much
higher profit for the farmer on crops,
some Of which have paid indifferently
well.
The strength of this demand for flu
sci oil from these European countries
shows that the American farmer has
here an opportunity to increase mis-
income such as he has not had for
many years. And so it is entirely pos
sible, not to say probable, that the
present agitation against the Standard
Oil Company will be productive of
good along at least one important line
not in the thought of those who put
the agitation under way.
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