Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1910-04-29
"Dutch Standard" Explained.

VI ~
"Dutch Standard" Explained.
Judson G. Welliver, the Washington
journalist whose articles on the sugar
trust have been responsible for many
Of the most interesting revelations
concerning this great corporation, ex-
plains the secret Of the trusts power.
In an article in the current Hampton's
Magazine Mr.. Welliver declares that
the secret Of the trusts great money
making ability lies in the Dutch
Standard" upon which our sugar tar
if is based. This Dutch standard Is
one Of those enigmatical things which
have hitherto been covered with a
trite and meaningless phrase. Mr..
Welliver, however. gives us the details
about it. He says:
Holland was long the worlds sugar
headquarters. In the old, rude days
of Sugar-making, Amsterdam brokers
gagged sugars purity entirely by color.
The color was presumed to be lighter
- pi'Poi WI oo liz iloldooCo lldu
been drained off the crystals.
The Dutch standard consisted of
20 glass bottles filed with 20 grades of
sugar carefully graduated in color
from the darkest to the lightest. The
darkest was almost molasses, with
sugar crystals mixed in it, and was
No. l; next lighter was No. 2; and so
on up.
When a cargo of sugar came into
Amsterdam, samples were taken to a
brokers' office and matched" with
the standard colors.
The sugar "a certified to be of the
grade indicated by the number on the
bottle whose color matched" the
sample. Prices were made according
to the Dutch standard numbers: No.
20 drew the highest and No. the
lowest price.
Holland being the sugar emporium,
the Dutch standard became the
worlds standard.
Senator Bristow in his fight against
the sugar trust recently asked the
Senate:
why do you object to removing
the Dutch standard?'
"Because," replied Senator Smith,
because I think the commercial
world has been accustomed to that
standard. l would not render
the sugar world chaotic by striking
out a standard that is recognized
wherever sugar is produced"
Bristow looked like a puglist swing
ing for the Knockout blow as he replied:
1.-The Senator is mistaken. After
examining the tariff laws for some As
nations l have here a list of those
that use the Dutch standard and
those that do not. Countries that do
not use the Dutch standard: United
Kingdom, South African Union, Aus
tralia, Austria-H Hungary, Belgium,
Bulgaria. France, Tunis, Germany,
Greece, Holland, all Dutch colonies,
Italy, Montenegro, Norway, Russia,
Roumania, Finland, Servia, Spain,
Switzerland, Korea, Persia, Honduras,
Costa RIGA, Mexico, BOLIVIA, Brazil,
Chile, Colombia, Ecquador, Peru,
Uruguay, Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti,
Dominican Republic.
l will give you the names
of the eight nations that do use it
and the only ones that do. They are:
China, Japan, British India, Portugal,
Denmark, Sweden, Canada and the
United States!
"The advocates of "the standard
that is recognized wherever sugar is
produced" were speechless. Their pet
pretense had been exposed by a little
honest information"
Mr.. Welliver maintains that if con.
gress will eliminate the Dutch
Standard" from the tariff schedules,
the power of the trust will be broken,
and American beet sugar will have an
opportunity to compete independently
for the domestic business. He rightly
maintains that the sugar tariff-as
we'll as all other tariffs-is not so OBJ.
JSSSAoiuoAS SCStaoS VI llS CCOIlOIuJCS,
as it is because of it's morals. Such
trusts as the sugar trust are con.
stantly %corrupting u machinery OF
government at Washington. To end
the sugar monopoly and these attend.
ant evils once and for all. Mr..
Welliver suggests a new sugar tariff
law, doing away entirely with the
Dutch Standard. The Dutch Stand.
ard is simply and solely a color stand.
ard; it has nothing to do with the
purity of the sugar. In fact, the
Cuban sugar-maker has to go to extra
expense to keep from giving US the
pure white sugar we prefer to use.
The next time the sugar tariff is ur
for revision the Clutch Standard
must be wiped out.
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