People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-09-14

WASHINGTON, Sept II. The question
h adulteration of food and drugs in
this country is discussed in detail in
the report of Special Agent Alexander
j. Wedderburn of the agricultural
department. After referring to the
fact that many stories of adulteration
are grossly exaggerated, the report
says:
The attention of foreigners has
been drawn TO the fact that the
greater or less adulteraton exists
among us As a result foreign COM
petitOrS of our manufacturer of food
products have used the fact to their
own advantage. America to-day Oc-
cupies the unenviable position of be-
ing one of the very few countries
that failed to require by law the
proper branding of their manufacture
ed food and drugs. Whether such re-
quirements would accomplish the de-
sired results is unknown, but the evil
would be mitigated by wholesome
Legislation. This belief is sustained
by the esults Of the food laws of
England and other foreign countries
as well as of the various states. The
concurrent testimony of the state Off
cials charged with the enforce ment of
state and local laws is that a national
effort is necessary to secure enforce
ment of state laws. If it be true that
it is impossible for any state to fully
execute its laws no matter how
stringent, so long as the original
package decision stands as law, then
the need of a federal law is impera-
tive.
The effort to purge the country of
this crime is dong good and aids in
keeping down the adulteration. of the
products we consume, but each year
brings to light new articles in which
method TO improve the profit if not
their quality has been found. That
almost every article of food and drug
used in our country is adulterated is
proved most conclusively by a vast
amount of information gathered by
the department. The extent of the
practice is as broad as the continent
but its character Injuries The pocket
rather than the health.
The general character of food adul-
terations is principally commercial
fraud, and the extent of criminal or
poisonous adulteration in food is so
limited as to amount to but bagatelle
in the immense sum of products con-
sumed A large proportion of poison
Gus authorizations arises from careless
ness and ignorance. But ignorance
is no excuse for the wholesale des-
tructiOn of life by the addition of
poisonous pigments to many articles
of food, and especially confectionery,
cream and like articles. 1t has been
proved that adulteration is general
and increasing, and that no kind of
food, in solids or liquids, is free from
the finishing touches of the manipula-
tors. Whether the intent be criminal
and vicious or simply fraudulent the
result is the same, and the people
will continue to suffer until the
strong hand Of the federal law steps
into supplement and support the
action of the states.
The extent Of adulteratiOn is fully
Is per cent of which per cent is of a
character injurious to health. But tC
furnish 100000 people with food,
drink and drugs cost not less than
$3.50, OOO,O 900, and it is found that the
amount of adulteratiOn reaches the i'm,
mense sum of 81, l0i, 600, 900 annually
AT least per cent of the whole is dele.
terious to health and Sl3j, 200, 900 con
stltutes the annual amount paid by
American people for sacrifice of theil
lives or injury of their health.
As there exists no more serious OF
exhaustive drain upon the resources
of the people than the adulteratiOn
of their food and drug products, the
federal government should enact a
law to prevent the transportation Of
misbranded, poisonous or deleterious
food and drugs from one state to an
other, not interfering with the police
powers of the states. This being
done, the various state laws would be
come effective and By systematic
effort on the part of the officials Oh
honest dealers and manufacturers
authorizations would be reduced to {
minimum and millions of dollars saved
annually to the country. The cost o.
execution of such a law would be
moderate and should be borne by the