The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1906-08-03

i products of the country are adulter
ated, and how the consumer is de-
4 frauded. The space in front Of the
speakers desk resembled a small
section Of delicatessen store and q
corner grocery with cereals, jams,
jellies, tins Of peas, tomatoes, corn,
prepared spices, bottles of whiskey and
wine, imnorted sausages, branded
cherries and other edibles and drink
ables scattered over two tables.
Representative Mann proceeded to
demonstrate to the House through
these various food products the neces-
sity for a national pure food law.
One Of the first articles taken up by
! the Congressman was the ordinary
neutrality-suspicious. to the lay
mild is considered too cheap for any
manufacturer to spend time in adul-
terating. He read circulars from nu-
mer0us concerns offering for sale
certain grade Of adulterant 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 treasured by the "groceryman"
that it was not harmful, for while
it was called pepper it 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 |
fve-tOn lots, and that at that rate they |
were 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
cleverly contrived manufacture Of tap
loco colored with lamp black.
Possibly the most striking demon
stration Of the afternoon was one with
a bottle Of red cherries. These cher
RES, 1t was explained, were picked
green, and that after being bleached
out white by the use of powerful
acid, had been colored the brilliant
red by the use Of coal tar dye-a
deadly poison If used in large quanti-
ties. Representative Mann dipped a
piece Of white cloth in the Juice" Of
these cherries, and it partook Of a
red as though 1t had just come
from dyers.
Olive oil, explained Mr.. Mann, is a
product which is In most cases, adul-
terated. In many instances the coun-
terfeit Is merely American cotton seed
ola wholesome and satisfactory
dressing for salad, but 1t costs about
u as much as real olive oil, and the
American buyer certainly does not
care to purchase dressing for four
times its actual worth.
HIvELEsS HONEY.
One Of the freak EXHIBITS was a
bottle of honey" which, in order to [
complete the assurance Of the buyer
hat the article was genuine, contained, :
as IL by accident, the body Of real {
bee, yet the whole mess was pure and
simple glucose, and had never been
near q hive, much less comb. The
hive probably was ten story fac
.ory In one Of the large cities.
A bottle Of "Freezine'' was exhibited
~ Mr.. Mann, who explained that this !
remarkable article was guaranteed to
preserve meat from the action Of the
iir and stop decay. While he adj
nitted that It would stop the action Of
nature on meats, he claimed that the
,reservative itself was actually poison
rus, containing sulphide Of soda with !,
ed coal tar dye and could not be
lsed safely upon human feod. !
The public is unwittingly defrauded
Q great extent through short weight
md short measure in package goods,
Explained Mr.. Mann, and he insisted
hat the manufacturers should be COM
'elled to state on the label the guam 9
ity contained In the bottle or carton.
n line with this was a dramatic dem q
nstration when the Chicago pure food \
xpert held up before the House q ZIG