Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1906-06-22
Adnlteration Of Food.

stood TWO tables yesterday covered with
mass of cans, bottles and packages OF
break fast foods, and all other sorts and
conditions of articles sold in the grocery
stores. Behind them, like the "demOn-
stratOr" of some new patent food article
in department store, stood Represen-
tatiye Mann, Of Chicago, who is in
charge of the pure food hill, which WAS
taken up by the House of RepTest nla-
lives yesterday afternoon.
lie picked up 4 bottle OF cherries,
those lucious, red, delicious cherries,
such as you get in your cocktail before
dinner. He held them up to the admir-
. ing gaze of the crowded House of Re-
presentatives. GLOW beautiful they
are" he said, and the members murmu'-
| ed assent. "And yet these beautiful,
red cherries were all picked green, so
that they might be hard, and then they
were treated with some sharp acid to
take the green out of them. Aud then
they were bathed for hours in analine
dye to give them this beautiful red color.
Look"
Mr. Mann unscrewed the top of the
bottle and ropk up from the table piece
of white cloth lie dipped it into the
Juice that hoated on top Of the cherries,
and then held the saturated cloth up to
the House 1t was dyed horrid red.
The House groaned.
Mr.. Cal Is, of Tennes ee, rIdiantly
pure in suit of white linen that match
ed his hair, dashed down the aisle to
where Mr.. Mann stood still holding
aloit the horrid piece Of cloth. "ls
there no punishment for the miscreants
who do these hldeous things" he de.
manded.
"The bill contains rigid provisions
preventing such adulterations, - said Mr..
Mann, consolingly, "and it provides dras-
tic punishment for the men who do these
things"
Picking up another bottle that looked
like the sweetest honey that ever came
out OF the hive of bees that had slipped
the most lucious clover in all the world,
Mr.. Mann continued his demonstration.
at is the most beautiful honey in the
world, isn't ito he said. "IOok, here
you can actually see the bee that was
drowned in its own sweet product" tie
pointed TO a bee that hoaled in the honey
as he shook the bottle. "How it takes
us back to the days on the farm And
yet, gentlemen, this honey never got
nearer to fam than may have been
the glucose factory where this alleged
honey was made. Where they got the
bee have no idea.
Next he picked up bottle Of olive
oil. For a wonder it was ;he real
stuff; then he showed by comparison
another bottle Of oil thai looked Just
IS beautiful as the first This second
bottle, however, ponllemsn," he said,
'fs colton-sctd oil. Now, as a matter OF
fact, collon.setd oil, is in many
respects rs good as olive oil, and if the
dealers sold it as such, instead of label
ing it olive oil there would he no harm
done. Indeed 10 show you what an
excellent imitation of olive oil this cot
tou-seed oil makes | will say that such
all arislocralic selection of epicures as
the Union League Climb of Philadelphia
have been using this cotlon-seed oil for
years.
After explaiaing some other tricks Of
the trade Mr. Mann picked mp what is
known AZ = three-pound can OF tomatoes.
He placed it on the scales aud showed
that it wei he'd about two pounds nine
ounces. This can is sold everywhere
as a three pound can," he said. Here
is another three-pound can" and he
placed a second can of tomatoes in the
other pan Oi the scales. Ii weighed only
two pounds five ounces, being even
lighter than its fraudulent companion.
Mr.. Mann had spoken an hour and
was about to desist because the hour of
adjournment had come, but members sll
over the House begged him to continue.
n read to the House some of the adj
vertisements of men, who make 1t their
business to supply adulierance to dis.
honest grocers. One firm offered to sell
what is called its "No. filler" to
grocers whereby they could make their
own Iepper at home by mixing this
"fller" with corumeal. This filler cost
$50 ton in fve-tOn lots "And you
can Judge from the fact that it is sold
only in fve-ton lots, the amount of busi
ness these fellows do in selling this
stuff" said Mr.. Mann. "They have
another filler, which costs $50 a ton,
which you add TO cornmeal to make the
finest ground cinnamon or cloves or
alspice." He picked up package and
poured out a sample OF the filler. 1t
was nothing better than ground peanut
shells, properly colored and prepared.
The pepper berry itself is copied so
closely that no one can tell il from the
original"
"Whst is the imitation made oi?'
asked one member.
"Tapioca, colored with lampback, }"
answered Mr.. Mann. Then he took up
the question of the mixed Mocha and
the Java coffee, which every housewife
fatters herself she is getting at the
grocery stores because of the advertise