Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-12-22
MADOENED BY HUNGER.
A Famfne-Stricken Partisan Mob erie,
Out for Bread.

Coh Aof DTtdus
bowling, surging mob of gaunt and
amine-stricken Paris;ans rushed through
the streets OF Paris in the last quarter of
the eighteenth century, hurting anathe-
mas on the head of the Minister of Agri-
'ulture and muttsring curses on the
,ristocrats who whrled by in their gor-
geous equpages. The corn supply had
failed, and the improyident Parisians, al
ready ground to the earth by the oppres-
sions OF the nobl ty, were the first to
suffer from the scarcity. They sent dep
uta:ions to the King TO pray for relief
from the gnawing pangs of hunger.
Trade was tottering, and the pristine
glory of France seemed likely to be over
wbelmed on the rock toward which the
corrupt nobility had driven the ship OF
state. Little was done to relieve the
famine, and the means of the hungry
ones broke out into a sulen roar that
BODIED no good to the throne of the Ca
oets. The echo of that terrible cr-
reached the palace at Versailles, where
Marie Antoinette. the beautiful wife OF
Louis XVI, held her court. When she
heard the threatening voices of her suf-
iering subjects, she asked what they
wanted.
"They are crying for bread which they
cannot get" answered her courtiers.
"If they cannot buy bread" muir
INJURED the dreamy and impractical
Queen. why do they not buy cake-it
is cheap enough ?"
This answer was carried to the mob,
and derisive cheer went up from the
hungry crowd. Mutterings against the
luxury OF the rich while the poor were
starving swelled little by little. A cry
was raised, "Down with the baker and
the bakers wifep' and the Parisians,
Aungry as they were, caught the signii-
canoe OF the nicknames. This was the
first blow struck at the monarchy. Louis
XVI. and Marie Antoinette were known
to the Partisan mob as the baker and the
bakers wife, and the unfortunate an
swer of the Queen when her subjects
were starving was remembered until the
guiIlotine had severed the destinies OF
the house of Capet from those of France.
Little more than one hundred years
later another cry is heard. This time in
America. 1t is not cry for quantity of
bread, but OF quality. Everywhere adul-
teration is common in articles OF food,
and especially the twin poisons ammonia
and alum are used to adulterate our bak-
ing powders by the greedy and merciless
manufacturers. Many States have strin-
gent laws on food adulteration, yet they
TAIL to check the evil. 1t is on the in
crease. The last report of the Dairy and
Food Commissioner of New Jersey shows
AZ per cent. or nearly half of the food
submitted to him for exam
nation were adulrerated.
Sometimes the adulterants used were
found harmless, and in these cases the
purchaser would be only swindled, but
N many instances rank poisons were
found in articles of every day consump-
ton. A large percentage of canned veg
etables. such as peas and string beans,
we're found to contain copperas to give
green color. and number of baking pow
ders had been doctored with ammonia
10 give an artificial leavening strength
and 80 permit of carrying more waste
matter. In these cases there is not
only fraud, but danger to the puoiic
health.
In view OF the failure to enforce ex-
isting laws the recent United States gov
eminent report recommends the passage
If a law in every State requiring the
manufacturers of all food preparations
to nrint on every label list of all the
;ngredients the article contains. This
goes straight to the point. 1t is not even
necessary to wait for the Legislatures TO
act Boards of Health of the larger cities
can take this matter up and MAKE =
thorough examination oil all the ioou
preparations and expose such manu,ace-
urers as are found aduiterating our oaiiy
food, and 80 protect the public