The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-20
SOLD ALUM POWDER
A St. Louis Judge Assessed -Four
$1oo Fines.
DEFENDANTS ARE RETAILERS
The Decision Declares That the
Powders Contained COm-
mercial Alum.
J St. Louis Republic.

The alum baking powder cases were de-
cided in the court of criminal correction,
Monday morning, by Judge Clark. The
verdict in the case Of the Great Western
Tea and Coffee company, 725 Franklin
avenue, was guilty of the sale of baking
powders containing alum in violation Sof
the pure-food laws Of Missouri The
fine assessed by Judge Clark was $500.
/ By agreement between counsel, F. N.
Judson and S. S. Bass for the state and
T. B. Harvey for the defense, the verdict
in this case is to apply also to three
others. They are B. Woltering, j. G.
Faust and ]. e. Paule, charged with sell
ing Bon Bon, Raiser and Blossom baking
powders containing alum. Five other cases
on which the testimony would have been
the same were nolle pressed by the state
at the conclusion of the trials last week.
This was done In order that the retail
dealers should not be given too great in
convenience, as the intention Of the at
torneys for the state was to get a convic-
ton and demonstrate thereby the validity
of the states pure-food law, which in
terdicts the use Of alum in all food prod
ucts in this state on the ground that 1T
Is a deleterious substance and dangerous
to the health of the public. This is the
second time that the pure-food law has
been INDICATED in Missouri in reference
to the sale of poisonous baking powders.
In the other case, that Of the State YER
sus Whitney Layton, now OF East ST.
Louis. the defendant was convicted as a
manufactures of making and selling alum
baking powder. A fine of 500 was as
sessed. The case was appealed by Lay
ton to the supreme court of the state.
The supreme court handed down a de-
cision in the case that affirmed the finding
of the lower court on the ground that the
legislature had right to protect the
health of the public by proper police laws,
and that, as alum had been declared in
the English courts and in other foreign
countries to be an improper and I'M
healthy ingredient in food, the law was
also referred to the fact that baking
powders and other food products contain
ing alum were excluded from the COM
missary ration Of the armies OF the
United States and of Great Britain, an
other point showing it to be under the
ban of suspicion as substance danger
Gus to the public health.
The manufacturers of the alum bak-
ing powder have made hard fight to con-
tinue their sales in this state. The law
that prohibits the sale of the alum bak-
ing powder was passed by the legislature
| in 1898 The first case, that of Layton,
came up in 1899 While it was pending in
the Supreme Court in 1901, determined
effort was made to repeal the law before
the Legislature then in session. The bill
was reported from the Senate committee
unfavorably and in language that stamped
alum as one of the most dangerous or IN
gradients used IN food.
The senate committees report also took
fling at the powerful lobby that was
maintained at Jefferson City by the So
called alum baking powder trust. The re-
port gave the names of the various manu-
facturers in the United States, long list
of them, who comprised this trust Sena-
tor James Orchard was the chairman OF
this committee and it was to his efforts
and those of his fellow committeeman
that the failure of the bill was DUE
In Judge Clark's opinion in the present
cases, he stated that the defense mad
shown through eminent chemists that
their baking powder was made with g.
T. S. or cream tartar substitute, The
chemical components of this substance, as
| shown by the defense, were agreed to by
| the eminent chemists for the State, who
| positively asserted that they constituted
| burnt alum" In other words, Judge
Clark's decision was that G. T. S. was, in
effect, commercial alum, and therefore
! It's use was violation of the pure-food
| law Of the State. It's use under some
| other name than alum, which 1t is, can
| not exempt either the manufacturer or
! the vender from prosecution and convic-
| ton under broad law framed for the
| purpose VI projecting JIG AeoAIn VI Inv
| public from the use of alum or other sub
| stances of a deleterious and dangerous
| character. is
! Mr.. Judson, counsel for the State, stated
Monday that it was the intention to con-
tinue the prosecutions in Missouri of
dealers who continued to sell baking
powders which were made with alum or
| c.. T. S. Time will be allowed for the
present decision of Judge Clark to be-
| come known and If cases of violation of
| the law are then found, manufacturers
and wholesale grocers will be arrested
wherever 'evidence is obtained against
| them of such sale r. ..E.- .'ra