The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1906-07-27

products of the country are adulter-
ated, and how the consumer is de-
frauded. The space in front of the
speakers desk resembled a small
section of a delicatessen store and a
corner grocery with cereals, jams,
jellies, tins of peas, tomatoes, corn,
prepared spices, bottles Of whiskey and
wine, imported sausages, branded
cherries and other edibles and drink
ables scattered over two tables
demonstrate to the House through
these various food products the neces-
sity for national pure food law.
One of the first articles taken up by
the Congressman was the ordinary
condiment-pepper- to the lay
mind is considered too cheap for any
manufacturer to spend time in adul-
terating. He read circulars from nu-
merous concerns offering for sale
certain grade of aduterant which
could be used to produce pepper or
almost any other of the spices with
some slight modification. AS he scat
tered package of this over his desk
the members in the vicinity started
back in order to avoid the usual sneez-
ing which follows the Inhalation of a
small quantity of pepper. But they
were reassured by the "groceryman"
that it was not harmful, for while
it was called pepper 1t was nothing
but ground olive pits. He convulsed |
the House when he read the price list
of adulterants showing that they were |
offered to the trade for $40 a ton in |
tive-ton lots, and that at that rate they |
We're guaranteed to make the finest |
black pepper which, as everyone |
knows, is sold by the ounce. He made |
the statement that even the pepper
berry itself was adulterated by a.
eleverly contrived manufacture of tap-l
oco colored with lamp black.
Possibly the most striking demon
stration of the afternoon was one with
/ bottle of red cherries. These cher
lies, it was explained, were picked
green, and that after being bIeached
)ut white by the use of a powerful
lcid, had been colored the brilliant
ed by the use of coal tar dye-a
leadly poison if used in large quanti-
les. Representative Mann dipped a
,iece of white cloth in the Juice of
hese cherries, and it partook of a
brilliant red as though it had just GOMEZ
rom a dyers.
Olive oil, explained Mr. Mann, is
,roduct which is in most cases, adult
Grated. In many instances the cOun-
erfeit is merely American cotton seed
lila wholesome and satisfactory
ressing for salad, but it costs about
Z as much as real olive oil, and the
American buyer certainly does not
are to purchase a dressing for four
lines its actual worth.
HIvELEss HONEY.
One of the freak EXHIBITS was a
ottle of ''honey" which, In order to /
the assurance Of the buyer ,
nat the article was genuine, contained,
5 If by accident, the body of a real
ee, yet the whole mess was pure and
nipple glucose, and had never been |
ear a hive. much less a comb. The /
i've probably was a ten story fac /
Dry in one of the large cities.
A bottle of "Freezine1 was exhibited I
y Mr.. Mann, who explained that this
article was guaranteed to
reserve meat from the action of the ,
ir and stop decay. While he adj
lifted that ii would stop the action of ,
allure on meats. he claimed that the
reservative itself was actually poison
us, containing sulphide of soda with
ed coal tar dye and could not be /
sed safely upon human food.
The public is unwittingly defrauded
, a great extent through short weight
nd short measure in package goods.
Explained Mr.. Mann. and he insisted
lat the manufacturers should be com
elled to state on the label the guam
tv contained IN the bottle or carton
! line with this was a dramatic dem 6
when the Chicago pure food !
kpert beld up before the House a II