The Indianapolis journal., 1899-11-16
PURE FOOD.
The Universal Demand for Cheap
Observation-Disclosures

From Speech at Massachusetts, Farmers
Congress.
Men cannot be made honest by law. but
law can make dishonesty pay penalty
when ii steals the livery Of honest products
to serve a dishonest purpose. In every CIV
ilized land and in a few where civilization
is not as radiant as In our own. fierce COM
petition and unbridled greed have under
taken to profit by the adulteration of nearly
every article of food used by the human
family.
The universal demand for cheap things
brings supply. Wheat flour Is adulterated
with corn flour, buckwheat with wheat mid
dlngs. Vermont maple syrup Is made that
never Vermont and is made from sap
of trees that grow in Chicago. Glucose has
titled from grain. good portion of the
strained honey of commerce never produced
any strain upon the bees. Milk is ROBBED
of its cream. filled with lard and sent all
over the world TO ruin the reputation OF
American cheese.
Borax and formaldehyde go into milk to
kill babies and weaken invalids. oysters
are partially erbalmed with chemicals.
Lemon extracts are made without lemon
oil and vanilla extracts without vanilla
The hogs of the North compete with cheap
cotton-seed oil Of the South and mix In the
same tub under the banner of lard. Ari-
ficial smoke is made for hams out of poison
Gus drugs.
Jellies colored in imitation of the natural
fruits and sold fruit jellies flood the mar
kets, although they are almost as destitute
of fruit juice as a bar OF pig iron. The
embalmed beef business has been exagger-
ated, but we do not need any for either
soldiers or civilians. Canned fruits are pre-
served with antiseptics which delay the
digestive processes. Baking powders under
misleading names crowd the markets.
Spices enriched with pepper hulls and
ground cocoaunt shells are manufactured
and sold by the ton. The close partnership
which has existed for so many years be-
tween coffee and chicory does thriving
business in many States under the firm
name of coffee Cheapness is secured by
these adulterations and false labelings. but
the people are defrauded.
The force which has been behind most OF
the pure food legislation of the United
States for the last fifteen years has been
the farmer. Since he engaged in the battle
for honest food products. most OF our pure
food legislation has been enacted. Dairy
commissions have been established because
farmers demand not only laws, but the ma
chinery to enforce them.
This question of the character OF the food
supply of 100000 will now be settled by
the money and brains at the command tf
the manufacturers of counterfeit products.
1t will not be settled by men who till the
farms of the nation. 1t will not be settled
by the pleading of any class for the privi-
lege of plundering somebody. II will rot he
settled by chemists and experts hired 10
give opinions. 1t will not be settled by legis-
lators who do not care for the public good
and who do not fear public judgment. It
will be settled by the voice OF the consum-
ers of food products demanding laws which
compel these products. If sold, to be honest
and healthful, and by the American farmer
claiming the right of way for the honest
products of honest labor.