The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-06-01
ALUM BAKING POWDERS IN CONGRESS
Evidence Of Their HarmfuIness
Is Overwhelming.
Efforts to Pass tlure Food Laws OPP
posed by the Alum Trust--Speech
of senator Mason.

VI SCndtOE MdSOh
Senator Mason's speech in the Senate
upon the subject of pure food embraces
| a clear statement of the danger to which
| the public health is exposed from alum
baking powders
The Committee on Manufactures were
some time ago directed to investigate
| food authorizations, and at numerous ses-
sions in the principal cities accumulated
volume of testimony upon the subject
| from the best informed parties and high
| est scientific authorities in the country.
| One of the greatest sources of danger
to our foods the Committee stated in
their report, exists in the alum baking
| powders. The Committee found the tes-
| timopy, they say, Overwhelmingly con-
their report, exists in alum baking
| powders, and recommend that such use
| be prohibited by law.
| Senator Mason, discussing the report of
| the Committee and the several bills in
| troduced to carry the recommendations Of
| the Committee into effect, said:
| Alum absolutely Unfit for Food.
When we made this report we made it
! based on the evidence before US, and the
evidence is simply Overwhelming. I do
not care how big a lobby there may be
| here for the alum baking powder, I do
not care how many memorials they pub
! lish, there is no place in the human
| economy of human food for this thing
called alum. The overwhelming evidence
Of the leading physicians and scientists
/ lf fry l. &c abc alI
unfit to go into human food, and that In
many cases-if the gentleman will read
| the evidence some of the physicians say
! they can trace cases in their own practice
| there are diseass of the kidneys due to
the perpetual use ofsaium in their daily
| bread. l 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 before that Committee
| in the twelve months We were hearing
| evidence but who was permitted TO tes-
| tify.
| The leading physicians of the world say
that cream OF tartar IS a pure, natural,
healthy food product It is a product OF
the grape, and when it is put in solution
in the bread with soda, if there is res
iduum left It does not hurt the stomach,
! and it does not go into nor injure the
brain or the blood or the kidneys.
Alum Mineral Poison.
When you mix a mineral poison, as they
all say that alum is, it is impossible to
mix it always to such degree that there
Will not be a resduum left of alum, which
! 81,
largely to the diseases of the people IN
| this country
1 will tell you now Of the men whose
evidence came before the Committee who
| condemned the use Of alum baking pow
! der. some in one language and some in
another. have not all the names l sim
/ ply asked my stenographer 70 go through
| hastily and give me those that could be
/ found readily out of 700 or 500 pages OF
! evidence there:
Great Scientists Testify Condemning
| Alum.
! Ames, Howard E, surgeon. United
/ States Navy. Washington, D. c.
Appleton, John Howard. professor OF
| chemistry. Brown University. Providence,
R I
Army. United States, refuses to allow
the use of alum in anything like a food
| product in the United States Army.
/ Arnold. J. ". S. professor, University
/ Of New York.
/ Atwater. ". o. Professor and director
Government experimental station. Wash
/ ington. D. c
/ OF Pennsylvania.
/ .. c.
Caldwell. C. c, professor. Cornell Uni
! versity. Ithaca, y. Y.
Chandler. c f, professor. Columbia,
/ University New York,
Chittanden. Russell II, professor. Yale
( University, New Haven. Conn.
! Cornwall, H B., professor. University
/ OF Princeton. New Jersey.
/ CHAMPION. c. A. professor. Division o.
/ Chemistry. Washington. D. c.
Cuth5ert, Dr.. n. F, physician. Wash
/ inEton. .. {.
De Schweini5z. Emile. professor. United
/ States Department OF Agriculture, Wash
ington. .. {.
| FairhurSt. Alfred, professor, chemist
University % Kentucky. Lexington, Ky.
Fleming. Walter N. physician. New
| York City.
Frear. william. professor. state Col
/ leze. Pennsylvania.
Freeman. George ?, surgeon, United
States Naval Hospital, Washington. 2. c.
jenkins. Edward H. professor. depart
uent q agriculture. state o. Connecucut.
Johnson. Or. william ". Washington.
D. c.
johnson. Joseph Ts5sr. professor Of sur
/ gerry, Washington. y. c.
Johnson. 5. ". professor. Yale College,
New Haven, Conn.
Kerr. Dr. William r. ex-hs4lsh ofscer.
Chlosgo. II