The Red Cloud chief., 1882-11-03

article in the Philadelphia Neoord. NJ
now used As an ad~ulicrating mixtni.
with spice and pepper. Carefully
roasted and finely ground. they produf
. powder which canno be distinguished
when mingled with the article which
they are used TO cheaper. A mann.
f~acturer Of pungent products. when
waited upon by IN inquisitive reporter.
made these statements: Eve sell to the
trade probably more adulterated goods
than pure. We can't help it. There
Is no pretence on our part that the
lower grades OF spices are pure. We
simply sell the retailer what he wants.
We sell him spices at almost any figure
pepper. for Instance. ~ low rs eight
and nine cents. but 1t il about as much
something else rs il is pepper 1t would
ruin the trade TO prohibit adulterat:on.
and. besides. there are not enough
spicesgrown TO supply the United States
alone. II nothing but pure spices were
sold"
This Is the specious logic OF all who
manufacture or pack goods that are not
what they seem. Perhaps the baser
material commingled with the spice or
other Ingredient il entirely harmless
does that make truth of the lying label
attached to adulterated goods: Pure
Pepper" ''Pure Cream-of-T Tartar" for
instance? II the ground cocoanut
shells do no harm. why not say on the
label, ''onc-tenth pepper. nine-tenths
cocoanut shells''? 1t is not true
that manufacturers Of goods OF any sort
cannot help the matter, nor that there
is no pretcnsc on the part OF makers or
dealers that lower graies of q given sort
OF m ,rchandise are pure. That pre-
tense Is constantly he'd out in various
WAYS when IL Is not verbally asserted.
The trade that would be ruined BY the
prohibition of adyiteration is not worth
saving. Then there Is the statement
that there are not enough spicesgrown to
supply the country with a pure article.
Does the n mixture Of baser matter in
creasc the quantity? Does not the actual
quantity OF pepper, for instance. re-
main the same, no matter how much
n ''cxtcnds" the bulk OF the pungent
powder with the iiavorless dust?
Furthermore, there in tho question of
relative cheapness. The buyer OF the
a iulterated product pays for the value
less matter as well rs for that which
has its special purpose. and q li,tle
arithmetic will demonstrate that the de-
graded stuff actually costs more than
that which is pure.
+. e.. o pound of cream of tartar.
perfectly pure, costs forty cents. An
adu!tcrated article may be produced as
follows:
Three quarters Of . pound Of pure
cream OF tartar .-.....0 cents
Adu'teratinG mixture ........".... 10 "
Making the POUND cost ................a Z"
But the purchaser gets but thrce-quar.
tcrs OF q pound Of the pure ingredient,
]. e., OF the material which has the nc.
tive quality, and for that he pays forty
cents or ut the rate Of say fifty three
cents . pound. The formula applied to
any case where there Is q purposed
mixture Of good and bad materials-or
good and neutral If YOU please-shOws
the same result. namely: the buyer cf
the adulterated article pays in addition
to the price for the useful the cost a.:
the useless ingredient.
Tho statement Of the packers VI
"pure pepper" which Is not pure--tr
Of any article to which is attached a
lying ~label-that they sell what people
ask Tor. is not true. People do not ask
for fraudulent goods; they do not watt
cotton fabrics loaded down with clay
and starch; they do not willingly PAL
for material which is not useful when II
Is not positively injurious. Who ask,
for a stone when he goes in quest OF
bread? No. the premises are false.
The only . for the course pursued
BY those who mix sand with sugar is
that it pays, and IL pays because nine
ty-nine per cent. Of the people buy
without st'oning. Did they ques
ton. were they capable Of determining
the exact value of the goods they arc
buying. the conditions OF trade would
be entirely reversed-the sellers would
be at the mercy of the buyers.-Boston
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