The Washington times., 1909-05-26
.BRISTOW ATTACKS
ANCIENT SUGAR TEST
Kansas Senator Declares
Dutch Color Standard Is
Obsolete-Stirs Senate.
BY 7. C. wELLIvER.

The real fighting on the sugar sehed-
uIs OF the tariff bill opened In the Sen
ate today. when Senator Bristow intro
duced and spoke for his amendment to
strike out of the law the Dutch stand
ard OF color. This is the amendment
for which. for weeks past. The wash
incton Times has been Masking an IN
sistent fight
Senator Bristow declared;
''The Dutch color standard is ancient.
unsclentihe. utterly inaccurate, and
abandoned by the best commercial prac-
tlce and all scientific practice in tt.
world.
at provides no protection to the
grower Of cane OF beet sugar within
this country.
Its sole and only Utility is to protect
the sugar refiners in the monopoly
which they enjoy. and which enables
them TO add % cents per 100 to the Ie-
gitimate cost of sugar to the con-
sumer."
Offers Two Amendments.
The Senator from Kansas introduced
two amendments. one OF these would
strike out the worfs mo. Is Dutch
standard" wherever they are found in
the Aldrich bill
Tne effect Of this amendment would
be 10 do away with the Dutch STANDARD
as a color test of sugar. The other
amendment would reduce the duty on
refined sugar from 1.91 cents per pound
in the pending bill to ISIS cents.
Senator Clay also introduced an
amendment to the sugar schedule the
effect Of which would be largely to re-
duee the sugar duty and likewise to
eliminate the Dutch standard require
ment
Highly interesting was the exposition
given by Senator Bristow of what the
No. IS Dutch standard IS. He brought
out for the edihcation Of the Senate and
laid upon his desk an array of bottles
containing sugar These are the bot
ties, officially sealed BY the Dutch gov
ernment, and in the possession of the
Treasury Department, used to denote
the Dutch standard Of color in sugar
Senators eYinced the closest interest in
the exhibits and crowded about and
examined them closely.
Senator BristOw prefaced his remarks
by some general observations on the
N
effort to put those Republicans who
were In favor of revision I'm the attitude
Of assaulting the protective tariff.
This, he said, was not justified He was
as devoted a friend of protection as any
man in the Senate. Protection was a
wise policy when it could be uesd to de-
veIop any of the CountrY's resources
But when q duty was imposed that unore
than measured the increased cost of
production here IL was not a legitimate
duty.
He declared the revisionists I'm the
Senate were not attacking protection,
but trying TO preserve II and defend
IT against those who are trying to make
il symbol of graft and greed"
Standard Is Old.
The Dutch standard, Senator BristoW
explained, Is a provision the Dutch gov
ernment established many years ago to
measure the purity Of sugar imported
into Holland from the West Indies. IT
is a test of sugar on the basis OF color.
Sixteen bottles filled with sugar of die
fering colors are used to make the diff
ferent grades. After Holland adopted
the standard in question. it was taken
up and adopted by various European
countries. At that time there was no
other method of testing sugar but by
color.
According to the Dutch standard. the
lower color represents the baser sugar
and the higher Colors the better or
higher quality of sugar.
Later on, Senator BristOw explained,
the pOlariscCPe test was utilized. This
fCopffn,tad -, mia r,--