Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1856-09-06

ffo4S fhs Loadon Times. dxg 60 ,a-,..'--'
The Report Of the Select Committee Of the House
Of Commons the Adrlteraion OF Food" IL before
The following paragraph appears up the
eusious, which the committee has arrived at
81" regards the aduterstioa Of articles with substAn-
Of cheaper and inuocuous character the public de-
rive the full benefit Of this eheapness In lower price,
would be difficult not unwse. Tor the Legislature In
terfere unless could do by requiring that every such
article be sold a. MIXTURE distinguished from the
article in ts pure state. But Whenever article Is SO
sduterated as TO involve pscuniary fraud injury to
hsah tsppes to committee to be the duty Of the
Legislature to provide efficient remedy"
will be observed that this paragraph though cautious
y worded does not recommend the application Of egsa-
tive interference to authorization itself The committee
does not appear 10 object simple sduleration- e. to
selling article under the name aud profession Of being
the genuine article. while il is such really but mix.
ture Of the genuine article With various other substances
Thsis what in common psrlance is by adultera-
ton, and In this the committee crmnay though
hints that the Legislature might impose upon the seller
the Of some mark distinguish such mixed article
from the genuuenot that goes TO recommend
even this.
So far the report represent certain opinions of
q particular section OF the committee which coma out
very prominently in the proceedings Great efforts verc
made by members ofthe committee get his vbos
question OF adueraon regarded strictly according To the
ton Of supply and demand II assumed that the nun
lie could tell genuine article from mixed one and hat
they preferred mixed one because il cheaper and
upon that assumption the inference made that aer
ALL the seller OF mixed aulterated articles only met
the wishes of the public in the kind of article he
The public had rather have cheap article mixed than
dearer genuine and they got what they there
pscunary fraud in such transaction The mi Red
article sold at the market price OF the different NATE
rails OF which it composed that the purchaser re-
ceived what worth the money he gave All this view
Of the followed supposed follow from the
assumption mentioned but beg leave TO Doubt
the truth of that assumption We doubt whether public
agrees 10 buy thinks In the act OF purchase that buy
ing mixed article man goes into shop to buy loaf
OF bread. pot Of marmalade, pound of coffee or
an ounce OF cayenna- He may know that mixture and
common enough in these articles and that
therefore he the risk himself of buying them mixed
and adulterated but deny that he TO that
MIXTURE or that there is understanding between him
and the seller 20 that effect He wants the genuine art
CIV and If article Is sold him as the genuine one
which adulterated he is cheated. The committee dis.
ngushed in the paragraph have quoted between sim.
pie adueraton and aduteration which involves pecu-
MARY fraud and that there is only pecuniary
aud when the mixed aduterated article is sold at
higher price than the inferior substances with which il
mixed would bring in the market,-that is saw thew
only allow fraud to conss, in charging Tor ar
Gle than its component materials actually worth But
Is there not fraud in calling article what is not and
selling it genuine when il really mixedg Ii will be
said "0hi the public virtually knows this; they know
that if articles really genuine they would have TO
"pay for them, and they would like to have TO
present composition of these articles" But reply in
the first place that this certainly portion of
the public. The classes that afford buy the |
genuine article have IT, but the present system.
prevents them However willing they may be pay for
L. il is to be had for love money Here is an OBJ
vious injustice then wants buy genuine coffee
and he hugs coffee mixed with cbicory roasted wheat
beans and mangoldwurze tis very poor consolation TO
him be informed that he has got the chicory roasted
wheat beans and mangoldwurzel at the proper market
price Of those ances for even il he has got them IN
ipr thP he ia usai haran Ia
want them at price So the potato and other starch
es which mixed with his arrowroot NAV have been
sold at their fair market price, but that compensation
TO him This class Of purchasers then Is certainly i'll
by the present system. In the place. there any
portion Of the public i'll off that had rather have
mixed article at lower price than pure higher
this at rate ought not to be taken for granted with
out giving the purchaser choice in the But &C
corng 10 the present system he has choice he must
have either the mixed article or none at all.
All this Is the more important because adueration il
TO grow and Increase that il what the committee
calls innocuous adulteration is allowed penicous adul
teraton is to along With IT, and it be remem
bered too, how absolutely the public the mercy of
shopkeepers in these matters The rule Of eptor
would be very fair apply rgdly in such cases
How is man. when he goes into a shop to know spu.
rious article from genuine onep The seller has him in
his power unless indeed, every is be compelled
to keep chymst in ordinary, to take with him on his
shopE eeping rounds and test article he buys II
be said the poor cheap articles and what cheap
articles must ne aducrei ones and tie defender of
nocuous adueraton this argument for the con-
clusion he arrives but hoS YOU check adueraton
when it begins; and when has outgrown the harmless
limit, aud become poisonous, who absolutely the
victims of this and fatal kind of aduteration
a the poorF They simply at the mercy Of the shop
keeper in the village the market town They
have choice but 10 buy what is placed before them
and change their chymst their grocer their
Weather neighbors send up London for their
goods They are in fact in the hands Of that class of
tradcsman who least under the influence of public
opinion and who tempted make their way by
the low arts and tricks Of trade At the time too
much must not be expected from legislation in the way OF
tor these grievances and protection the purchaser
A standard board OF Hsssalls who would punish the
fraudulent by publishing their names, would peraps be
better security to the public against the dishonesty OF
tradesmcn than any legislative penalty.