New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-04-08
rnr .GRrENGooDM GROoER.

Whether or not we accept as literally true the
estimate that ZOO infants were Killed last
year in the United States by food adulteraton,
there can be no doubt that the evil is one OF
enormous proportion. and one of the worst feat
ures of it is the inability of people, no matter
how careful 10 protect their children from drugs
TO which they object, either on general grounds
or because of the particular condition of their
little ones The purVeyOrs of food i'll some in
stances deride the objections to formaldehyde.
salicylic acid and other preservatives as hnlcaI
and foolish. In others they say they don't use
them. and that the talk about impure food is Il
reckless and wicked attack on their business.
But curiously enough. they are all banded to-
gether-those who say preservatives are harm
less and indeed, what the people demand, and
those who never never have such things about
their premises-to fight any efforts to give the
public certain knowledge of the constituents of
its food.
Now. fOrmadehyde may be good for babies
as a general thing. If So let lis be able to get
milk suitably treated with it, just we get it
peptonized when the baby's digestion is weak;
but let us know what we're getting 1t isn't
the preservative we object to- but the fraud
which forces one thing upon us with the pre-
tence that it is something else. Let those who
want boric acid have it. Let those who want
copper in their green peas have 1t. But give
those of who want to eat our green peas
without copper and feed our babies pure milk
a chance to buy what we want and know that
we are getting it, We may under ordinary con-
ditions be entirely willing to have a little
formaldehyde in our milk: but there may come
a time when the baby is sick and that drug
which is so highly recommended for healthy in
fants by the dealers may do great harm, Just
as coffee or tobacco may do harm to an invalid
adult Who would not think It a crime secretly
70; aFr int
on the theory that he consumed it safely when
we'll? The adulterators Of our baby foods how
ever, hiding their drugs in preparations and
then pretending that they are pure. render nuga-
tory all care and intelligence on the part of the
consumer. The vital fact which they will not
face is the publics right to know what il is get
ting.
The fight against this knowledge and the DOS
sibity Of obtaining it, even in an emergency
when life depends upon care. serves to discredit
those who say they never use the Objectionable
drugs. If they do not use them. why are thew
so unwilling TO have the analysis Of their prod
ucts made available: If they are not cheating
the consumer, why do they want to protect
rivals who are? The pure food agitators NAV
be cranks. This army of slaughtered infants
may be a bad dream That is not the Doint The
question is one of simple honesty. which II
needs no wisdom of the chemists to decide
Pumpkins may De as good as apples, pear Juice
as champagne. chalk and water as milk and
mercerized cotton as silk. But he who asks far
apples, champagne. milk or silk and IL mt oer
with something else and lie Is the victim oP a
plain dirty fraud, which no talk about trade
custom or scientific discovery or popular taste
can make anything but fraud That sort 10
confidence man should 20 to prison just as sure
ly as the much less harmful rascal who passos
a piece of green paper for ten-dollar bin