The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-03-06
authorizations OF food.

The report of the House agricultural
committee submitting imported oleomar-
gerine to the same state police regulations
as the native product, is an outcome of the
Original package" decision of the supreme
court on the liquor cases, some eighteen
months ago. That decision invaded the
field OF legislation against food adultera-
tion, which is growing so rapidly. The
articles that are the favorite subjects of
oeoasement are olive oil, spices and con-
dimerts, baking powder, cream of tartar,
ground coffee, chocolate, vinegar, spirituous
LIQUORS, cheese and lard-and the sub
| alba, cotton seed oil, gypsum, sand, cocoa
nut shells, buckwheat hulls, charcoal, meal,
rice flour, starch, bark, leaves, poppy seed,
sun flower seed, cayenne pepper and man
| lila rope. Most of these articles are harm
less, and the only dsagreeable thing
about them as substitutes is a feeling that
they are not the commodities we bargain
for. But chemicals of deleterious nature
are ometimes used also, and it is against
these that there is an increasing demand
for restrictive legislation.
|
stood directly across the way to state and
territorial legislation for what is held to
be noXious in one state may be esteemed to
be a very desirable article of food in an
other. The legislatures IN embarrassing
states show strong desire to draw the
line on cottonseed oil, because it is used te
adulterate lard and cheaper the price of it,
but the southern people strongly assert
that their cottonseed oil is Just as whole
some savOry and desirable as pure lard
and a great deal cheaper-and be-
sides, it is an article of Interstate
commerce. and entitled to all the privileges
that prime steam lard can lay claim to-
The dairy states have an implacable hos
tility to oleomargarine, whilst the cattle
raising states insist that it is a good whole
some article of food, and that to subject il
to restrictions would be hostile to the cattle
interest, which far surpasses the butter in
terest in Importance and value.
Then there are glucose, chemical vinegar
and other articles manufactured on large
scale in some of the states, and used exclu-
: slvely for adulterants and counterfeiting
10 the injury of genuine articles of fooC
I SlSSWuSI6- ILSy DC lSSill
mate commodities in the states where they
are manufactured and entitled TO the RICH
of being shipped into other states, ever
against the consent of the latter wher,
they are sent for consumption.
: So, it viii be seen, there is q sharp issu
as to debarring state from legislatinl
against adulterated articles Of food made il
other states and offered for sale in origina
= packages. Many have held that Congress
f alone has power to protect the public healtl
against noxious and unwholesome mix
lures, and bill is now being debated il
the Senate whose object is to take the de
termination of the question of food adulter
alton out Of the hands of the local authori
ties, with e view to q general supervisio
and inspection by the United States gov
Q ernment. Aside from the obiectionabl
0 paternalism of such measures, however
g the variety and contrariety of the differen
interests involved is such as should develo
decided preference for the bill just n
e ported by Mr.. HATCH's committee in th
i House.