The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-05-26
SUGAR SCHEDULE WAR
LINENS UP IN SENATE
Senator Bristow, With Many Bottles on Desk, Shows
That Dutch Color Test Is Not Up to Date--Per-
mits High Grade Product to Come in Cheaply.

I interest. That the amendment should
| come from a beet sugar Senator. de
claring himself fully alive to that in
terest, was a guarantee of good faitf
! that was not to be overlooked.
! Senator Bristow produced an article
/ of DR.. Harvey W. Wiley, in the Forum
I of 1898, attacking the Dutch standard
/ as one Of the strange anomalies of the
| tariff, declaring that for every reason
! il ought to be stricken out of the law
and showing that even then IL had beer
| generally abandoned ~ the commercial
/ world.
| Senator Smoot interrupted TO urge
! that If the color standard were aban-
| doned it would be possible TO bring in
/ bleached sugars. looking as good as re-
( fined, but of very low purity, and sea-
| them 10 an unsuspecting public as re-
| fined sugars.
Bristow Replies.
Senator Bristow replied by showing
that that sort of sugar would have to
stand the popariscope test. which would
instantly disclose. accurately and not
as matter of guessing, their degree
Of purity. The effort to sell them as
refined sugars would be stopped by the
authorities which have charge of en-
forcing the pure food law. These au-
thorities are even now looking into
that sort of sugars, and know that they
are a fraudulent imitation.
The color test in no wise protects the
country against them; nothing but the
pOiariscope test can do that, and the
enforcement OF the pure food laws pro-
visions, which promptly reach any such
case
The polariscope test already is In the
law. 1t is doing its share of the work
1t can and should do all OF IL Tie
Dutch standard is of no use whatever
save 10 force unrefined sugar to pass
- ~ \
there have its cost increased in order
that the trust may accumulate its i'm
mense profits.
Analyses Argument.
Senator Bristow took up the agrn-
ment that the people of the United
States already get cheaper sugar than
most other countries, and proceeded to
analyze IL That argument" he de-
elared. would not be advanced except
by a man who was insincere or else
hopelessly ignorant of the conditions"
Then he showed that in all countries
where there is not heavy internal taxa
ton on the consumption Of sugar. II IN
much cheaper than here. Whole sale
prices are cheaper almost everywhere
than in the United States; but In some
countries, retail prices are higher than
here, simply because many govern
ments impose internal revenue taxes on
the consumption Of sugar.
Shows Up Difference.
Senator Bristow showed the differ
snce IN the prices n Hamburg and New
York for a period of ten years. From
1873 70 1903 the average price OF refined
in New York was s4S7s per hundred.
The Hamburg price plus the bounty
paid by the German government was
s2-6T per hundred. 4 difference of s.. 2Ses
or s.. IS more than was charged In New
York than in Hamburg.
N the five succeeding years, he said, II
the consumer got the benefit of our tar
if of free sugar from Hawaii and con-
ceSSion sugar from Cuba, there ought to
be a graeter difference than that. As a
matter OF fact. the Hamburg price aas
was S265 per hundred; the New Cork
price was $3.50 per hundred, an a6ivant-
age In favor OF the New York price OF
S2-2b9 per hundred, a net reduction of
but IL cents per hundred, during a
period when the American public was
csulse of concessions TO the tnsuiar pos
sessions and Cuba
Consumer Not Benefited.
"The consumer does not get frac-
ton Of a cent of benefit from our re-
ciprocity deal with Cuba At least
half of it went to the American Sugar
Refining Company, and the rest to the
Cuban planter, while in some cases the
planter gets considerably less than
half because the sugar trust is success
fuI in IL practtVe of beating down the