Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1881-05-19
Authorizations.

AQulCeraClOnS.
es There can be no greater evil than the ono
Of the present day of adultcratipg articles Of
food, drink. medicines and oven fertilizers.
THERE'S scarcely an article bought or sold
as merchandise but is moro or less taintod
with foreign substances. Even sleazy dry
goods are starohed and pasted over so as to
! give'them the appearance Of body aud dura-
s bility, while costlier articles have gloss and
softness impaired to them capable of decoiv-
q ing the wary as to their value und texture.
z In such articles tho only injury to the con-
sumer is tho loss sustained in money by
paying for IN inferior article tho prico Of
good ono, but in articles Of food and drink
q moro serious injury often results to tho
health of tho community. In ono of tho
NoHhern cities short timo back tho i'm
PRECISION was general that new and fatal
disease then prevalent was traceable to im-
pure butter, and no ono can tell how fnr tho
human system is daily taxed to meet the
solely for making money. These adultera-
tions ore not only wrong in themselves nnd
injurious in their consequences, but they
should be prevented by stringent laws strictly
enforced. With the advance of civilization
and intellectual Improvement tho comforts
and projections to life aud health have been
increased, the knowledge Of diseases and the
curative and restoring properties Of medicines
have been enhanced and lilo and health
should bo improved in proportion, but the
reverse seems to bo truo Of this ago. Not
only do new fatal diseases spring up. but
sickucss increases in all parts Of the country
and We are of the opinion that this is due
4 largely to adulterntions of food. Its further.
moro admitted that the practice is extending
and widening every year, until puro articles
have become tho exception instead Of the
rule.
Thenty years ago adutcrAtions were con-
Aned chiefly to liquors and costly winos, and
with these they have so increased by their
riso in price that large proportion of the
liquors used arc manufactured from poison
Gus chemicals, destructive alike to mental
and bodily health. AS these articles were
not necessaries, but in their use injurious
even in "a pure, state, litlo attention was
paid to their adutoraton; but tho lovc of
money has carried this limited practice to
nearly all tho neccssaries and luxuries Of
lifo, tho ratio of impurities constantly in
creasing. We have seen it estimated that in
ground coGees adulterations often reach rs high
as fifty per cent. and in ground pepper and
apices as high US seyenty.iivo per cent. Of the
whole. Even when sold in the berry these
articles arc more or less adulterated, as seen
in painted coffee, false berries and in the
dust and scales found in them. In much Of
the brown sugar NV sold from twenty-five
to fifty per cent. of glucose is found, giving it
that glossy, crystal appearance readily seen,
whilo the fancy syrups Of the day have
assumed ms many names as compounds. Wa
tered milk has long been sold in cities, but
this was q mere cheat, but now wc have
butter under many names and compounds
Bacon is pressed for the lard sold and nut
on tho market as bacon. Every device
and strangcm, which promises proit, is
being resortea to, until tho evil demands
suppression and is attracting public attention
to that end. Tho practice is. worse than the
connterfeting ofmoney, which the government
holds high crime for it is coun ter!ei,ng the
nccessaries of life for tho purposes of gain,
"th"s pcipS hs brcht moral wrong, while It's
consequences affect the lives and health of
the public at largo. Should not Congress
legislate on tho subject and should it not DO
done before tho evil spreads further? 1t
has been mooted as q proper subject Of leg
islation and we hope to zee it acted on
Our old citizens can remember tho day Of
tobacco inspectors, when inferior grades were
condemned and burncd without re remuneration
to the producer Tho law was harsh one,
and in an article of the kind, not necessary,
\, bnt in articcs Of food and medicine of daily
nse some Legislation to prohibit and punish
tho sale by manufacturers of adultcratcd
. compounds would DO wholesome. The
trouble is not with the local merchant, but
with tho manufacturers and large dealers,
sgho grow rich BY tho injury of others.