The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-06-10
ALUM BAKING POWDERS IN
CONGRESS.
Senate Committee Report that
the Evidence of Their
HarmfulneSS is Over
whelming.
Efforts to Pass Pure Food Las OPP
posed by the Alum Trust. Speech
of Senator Mason.

Senator Mason's speech in the Sen
ate upon the subject of pure food en-
braces clear statement of the danger
to which the public health is exposed
from alum baking powders.
The Committee and Manufactures
were some time ago directed to in
vestigate food authorizations, and at
numerous sessions in the principal
cities accumulated volume of testi-
mony upon the subject from the best
informed parties and highest scien-
tific authority in the country.
One of the greatest sources of dan
ger to our foods. the Committee stat
ed in their report, exists in alum bak
ing powders. The Committee found
the testimony, they say, overwhelm-
ingly condemnatory of the use of
alum in baking powders. and recon-
mend that such use be prohibited by
law.
Senator Mason. discussing the re-
port of the Committee and the several
bills introduced to carry the recon-
mendations of the Committee into eff
feet, said:
ALUM ABSOLUTELY UNFIT FOR
FOOD.
''When we made this report we made
is based on the evidence before MS. and
the evidence is simply overwhelming.
/ do not care how big lobby there
may be here for the alum baking
powder, | do not care how many me-
MORALS they publish there is no
place in the human economy of human
food for this thing called alum. The
overwhelming evidence of the lead
ing physicians and scientists of this
country is that it is absolutely unfit
to go into human food, and that in
many casasif the gentleman will
read the evidence, some of the ply
sicians say they can trace cases in
their own practice-there are diseases
of the kidneys due to the perpetual
use of alum in their daily bread. i
want to give the Senate an idea of the
class of men we have called. They are
the leading scientists from every col
lege of the United States that we
could get hold of. We had open
doors. and no witness ever came be-
fore that Committee in the twelve
months we were hearing evidence but
who was permitted TO testify.
THE leading physicians of the world
say that cream of tartar is a pure,
natural. healthy food product. 1t is
a product of the grape. and when it
is put in solution in the bread with
soda, if there is residuum left it
does not hurt the stomach. and it
does not go into nor in jure the brain
or the blood or the Kidneys"
ALUM \ MINERAL POISON.
When you mix mineral poison. as
they all say that alum is. it is impos-
sible to mix it always to such a de-
gree that there will not be Il residuum
left of alum. which produces alumina
and which contributes largely to the
disease of the people in this country.
| will tell you now of the men
whose evidence came before the Com
mittee who condemned the use of
alum baking powder. some in one Ian
guage and some in another. | have
not all the names. l simply asked
my stenographer TO go through has
tily and give me those that could be
found readily out of 700 or 800 pages
of evidence there:
GREAT SCIENTISTS TESTIFY CON
DEFINING ALUM.
Ames. Howard t.. surgeon, United
States Navy. Washington. ID. c.
Appleton, John Howard, professor
of chemistry, Brown University. Prov
idence. II. |.
Army, United States, refuses to al
low the use of alum. in anything like
a food product in the United States
Army.
Arnold. j. w. s., professor, Univer-
sity of New York.
Atwater, w. O.. professor and di-
rector Government experimental sta
ton. Washington, ID. c.
Barker, George F. professor, Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania.
Busey, S. G., professor, Washington,
ID. c.
Caldwell. G. c.. professor Cornell
University. Ithaca, y. Y.
Chandler, {. f., professor, Columbia
University. New York.
Chittenden. Russell H.. Professor,
Yale University. New Haven, Conn.
Cornwall, II. b.. professor, Univer-
sity of Princeton, New Jersey.
Champion, c. ~, professor. Division
of Chemistry. ashincton. d. c.
Cuthbert, DR.. NJ. F., physician, Wash
ington, ID. c.
DeSchweinitz, Emile, professor,
United States Department OF Agricul-
ture. Washington, ID. c.
Fairhurst, Alfred. professor, chem
ist University of Kentucky, Lexing-
ton, Ky.
| Fleming, Walter NJ, physician. New
York City.
Frear, William professor, State Col
lege. Pennsylvania.
Freeman, George F., surgeon, Unit
ed States Naval Hospital, Washing
ton, ID. {.
Jenkins, Edward H.. professor. de
partment of Agriculture, State of
Connecticut
Johnston, Dr.. William W.. Washing
ton. d. c.
Johnston. Joseph. professor of
surgery, Washington, ID. c.
Johnson, S, W., professor, Yale Col
lege, New Haven, Conn.
Kerr, Dir. William r., eX-health of
ficer. Chicago. H.
Mallet. John William, professor
University of Virginia.
The Marine Hospital Service reject