The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1900-06-20
POLITICAL POINTERS.
Topics of Interest Discussed at the
State Capital.

and food commissioners and the lat
ter's connection with the baking
powder trust indicates that, how
ever high his spoken ideals may be,
he has not the frmness to enforce
them, when one of his subordinates
smirches them. A spIain, unyar-
nished tale will show the accuracy
of this.
To remove the scandals that
attended sessions Of the legislature
when the baking powder contest
was on, the latest session enacted a
law requiring every maker Of these
powders to print and affix to each
can or package a label stating that
this powder is composed of the
following ingredients and none
other, naming them It was a
good law, an honest and fair one.
It's effectiveness was deferred from
the date of its passage in April to
January, 1900, for the express pur
pose of permitting makers to be
ready for it when it took effect.
The Office of the dairy and com
missioner began to receive inquiries
from manufacturers relative to the
new law, its terms, and how I'M
labeled powders in stock would be
treated. To meet thase questions a
letter was prepared in reply to one
from G. r. Croft & Co., of St. Paul,
manufacturers of the ''Snow fake
powder, under the date of Dec. s,
1899, and copies sent as a reply 10
all inquiries. The following is O
much of the letter as illustrates tt e
remarkable course subsequently,
taken by the commiss oner. At
tention is directed. to the warm
approval of the law, the etermina-
ton to enforce it vigorously and,
especially, the reasons why stock
on hand would be subjected to it:
II assume the legislative intent to
be that on Jan. LIST, 1900, all baking
powder Oh the market would bear the
liable provided by the act, an assump-
ton which is strengthened by the fact
that the proposition to make the act
effective July l, 1899, was rejected.
Several manufacturers, your firm being
among them. submitted proposed labels
some months ago, and have, with the
approval of the department, been put.
ting their product, thus labeled, on the
market. *** I may add here that
however may have been predisposed
to regard the cases of old stock in re-
tailers' hands after Jan. 1st, the notifi-
cation received indirectly, but none
the less authoritatively, from two lead
ing makers of "cream tartar" powders
that they will not obey the law and
will not label their powders, leaves me
no other ground for any other course
than rigid and impartial enforcement
of it's provisions.
II shall do this more cheerfully be-
cause of the fairness, reasonableness
and impartiality of the act it super
cedes, obtained by penalty SO bold
that it hardly avoided publicity.
II have no doubt of the constitution
atty of the act, but would enforce it if
| had, until the court of last resort so
held it. | am very respectfully,
J. NJ. BOWLER,
estate Dairy and Food Commission. !"
Just prior to January l, and COM
ing in of the new act the agent and
the attorney of the baking powder
trust" held conference with the
commissioner. Later be expressed
to his secretary his regret that the
letter of December s had been
written. His inspectors were given
to understand that they should not
enforce the act as to the trust pow
ders Then an inspector was order
ed by the commissioner to 90 to a
store in St. Paul and get cans of the
trusts powder. He went and met
there the trust S agent. The COM
missioner had acquired doubts of
the constitutionality of the act since
his letter of December 8. and had
arranged for ::friendly' suit to
test it. Then followed a letter to a
St. Paul firm authorizing the sale of
unlabled powder in stock Jan. l.
All other makers, domestic and
foreign, have complied with the law.
They naturally felt indignant atthis
paltering with the trust that de6ed
the law. They interviewed Gov.
Lind. He called the commissioner
in, and later, called him down. He
drafted letter for the commissioner
to send out which resumed the posi-
ton taken by the commissioner in
his letter Dec. 8. The commissioner
sullenly ignored, as far as he dared,
in this direction. Inspectors bring.
ling in samples ct trust powders
with others were told to put the