The Washington times., 1909-05-15
A CHANCE FOR REAL REVIS-
ION. NO. XXI.

ION. NO. XXI.
The joker in the sugar schedules il
In the words Not above No. Is Dutch
standard in color" Remember that.
With those words out of the Payne
Aldrich schedules, it would be the best
sugar schedule we have had, even with
the excessive duties. With those words
IN, the bill might just as decently read.
"Ail sugar sold in the United States
Shall be passed through the refneries
pf the Sugar trust"
With those words in the bill. it
might Just as correctly read, "a bill to
compel the importation of molasses-
stained sugar only, so that the Sugar
trust may have the joe of making it
white"
Nobody would have so much concern
at this sort of crooked law-making, if
1t were not for the fact that this
mystic clause makes the Sl45, 100000 of
the trusts capitalization good divi-
dend paying stock at the expense of
the food of the people
The elimination of this old color test
will admit good, palatable, wholesome,
= light-brown and white unrefined sugars
into the general trade of the country.
1t viii make the two-thirds of our
sugar which we must import real
competitive factor. The trust will have
D.. competitors in the sugar mills of the
whole world.
VIII our domestic sugar growers
have any more competition than now7
How will this simple and fair elimi-
nation of sntiquated and unscien-
tifc test affect the sugar growers of
Louisiana and the beet districts.
Absolutely not at all The light
brown and white unrefned sugars
: which we should import in the place of
The blaekstrap and other dark sugars
TO which our importations are now con-
fined for the benefit of the trust, would
pay the duty as now. Most of the
dark sugars shipped here to be re-
fined by the trust fer our tables test
about 90 by the polariscope, and there
fore pay Sl.6S5 duty. The light
browns and unrefned whites that would
like TO come in, but are kept out by
the trusts color test, test from 9S to
lS0, and would average 90 They
wOuld pay Sl.79 as unrefned sugars.
SO much of them would be used in the
cooking and preserving of the land,
and on the tables of the people, that
the Treasury would be enriched bv
from 100000 to S6,OOO,OOO a year
by this increased duty. Importations
would not be increased, at all, unless
consumption should be stimulated But
instead of coming in brown and being
vhitened by the trust, it would come
nearly or quite white and be consumed
in that form.
The Louisiana sugar grower is now
under the thumb of the trust. The
only sugar mill that has dared to de-
fy the trust by taking out the stain
of its product and selling direct 10
the trade has been. we are informed.
put out of business by the trust, by
merger OF otherwise Protected. as
they would be. by duty of about 81. 80
hundred, the louisiana mills would
be perfectly secure of the market At
once on the abolition of the Dutch
standard test, the sugar market on the
high grade unrefned product would be
wide open one, and the trusts monop-
oily over the Louisiana growers would
end with its power over the market.
The trust could no longer use the for
eign unrehned sugar. all now dumped
perforce on its wharvcs, as a club 10
beat down the price of the louisiana
cane product. In an era of greater
freedom. Louisiana would be freed. too
Louisiana, changing her methods 10 the
production of light brown and unre-
fined white sugar, would be secure be
hind her protective tariff And in this
security, she would be rid of the trusts
grip.
As for the beet factories, they are
mostly trust properties. All OF them
turn out refined sugar. protected by the
duty of Sl.95 hundred. This would
not be touched by abolishing the color
test. Their problem VIII merely be "a
sell refined sugar in competition with
linrehned paying around Sl.SO a hun
dred, and with refined from abroad
paying Sl95 20 get in. In view of the
fact that the best beet sugar mills
probably make sugar as cheaply as il
can be made anywhere no anxiety need
be felt for the beet men. Their pro.
lection lies in the duty, which would
be left unchanged by cutting out the
color test. No one but the trust would
lo = aoctnl Tho cnlnr tn-t is q La zor