The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-07-21
ADU[7'EBATED FOOD
MENACE TO PEOPLE.
How Food Stuff is Adulterated
and the People Are Pois-
oned by Profitmongers.
Other Than the Beef Barons Arc
Guilty Of Robbing and Pois-
oning the People. 4s

oning the People.
Unquestionably the greatest scrime
that can be. committed is to poison the
water and food supply Of. the people. 4
No punishment ought to be TOD severe
to visit upon the shameless, greedy
scoundrels who consp1re in secret to
sneak adulterants and deleterious
dopes into the foodstuffs that are COM
sumed for the purpose Of nourinshing
and Strengthening the body. Those
who tamper with pure food are no
better than the leper who spreads dis
ease; or the ASSASSIN who slays. in
cowafdly manner
Although the subject Of pure food
Is naturally the predomniating and im-
mediate question that confronts the
people, UP to- within short time ago
the pure food bill In Congress has all
along been regarded as joke. The
capitalistic cannibals who sucked pro-
fits from the public and piled UP their
millions had really become SO auto
cratic and defiant that government of
fcials who made even a pretense to
discuss the matter were removed from
office or silenced by threats and in
timidation. Right here In Ohio one
of the best dairy and food commits
sioners the state ever had-a thor
oughly conscientious man in every
respect-was hardly mentioned for q
denomination in the convention of tho
dominant political party, so effectual
had the food poisoners done their
work, because he exposed their nefar-s
ious practices. Senators and Congress
menn in large numbers have been re-
tired by their party machines because
they cried out against the modern
Borgias. and where politi annihila-
tion became impossible bribery was re-
sorted to IN more than one instance.
But the ~brazen methods of the pro-.
flt mongers were bound to react sooner
or later, and the, exposures of: the vil-
famous practices of the beef barons
by Upton Sinclair and subsequently
by Roosevelt made the passage of the
pure food bill in Congress- which had
again been pigionholed, a possibility.
Whether or. not the new law will be
rigidly enforced the future will decide.
We have our doubts. ...:.
the Congressional committee which In
spected samples of practically all foods.
that are offered in the market, are,
startling. TO say the least. The PrssSi
.of 6. cit ed itorial lly 8 Gives fs1ys
Illustration as Follows: sssS=asAlr
81 -Grocprtes; canned Il goods catsup,
pickles, jetlies and every known brand
Of breakfast food: were there. So. too.hh
were gayly+ colored samples of silk,
some of them "a? yard square, which
had been died with, analine extracted
from beautiful red maraschino cher
ries.
There was black pepper. not to be
sneezed at. made by the ton of corn.
meal and lampblack. There were
opium cures that make opium f1ends,.5
League Club, of Philadelphia, which
was ordinary machinery oil.
1t was shown that though only
100000 pounds Of Mocha and Java
coffee was imported last. year, yet
100000 pounds OF such coffee had
been sold at a price twice as high as
could have been. obtained had It been
sould by it's true name of Brazilian
bean, chicory, bread and sawdust.
There was q bottle: of beautiful ans
ber-colored honey and in 1T as evidence
Of good faith was a bee. This honey
was not made by bee and never
came from a beehive. It was made.
entirely of glucose and this bee was
inserted as a guarantee" of Its purity.
1t would seem almost beyond belief
Ia hue
stoop to such > bare-faced swindling
and unconscionable attempts to en-
danger the lives and health Of the
people. But the almighty dollar has
no heart and it's worshIpers are devoid
of conscience or feeling. Under the
competitive, capitalistic, system the.
rule is devour or be devoured. 1t is J,
jungle. indeed!S ~ 81 sssE.s
And there cannot be much improve
ment so long as this proft-grabbing
system remains. When we, as 6 peo-
pie, learn to produce wealth for IN !
rather than profit; when those who
produce that wealth shall own it,
in other words when we have Cos
operative or socialistic ics,sindustrtal
sytem instead of a, painless competitive
one-then food adulteration and other
crimes will disappear naturally.
1t is we'll worth while for. working
men who have any regard for their
stomachs and desire to remain in good
health as long as possible to give the 3
food question serious consideration. Il 3
is our purpose. to touch up this sub-:z
ject again, as we@believesit Is Of more
vital importance to the toilers than any
other class. The rich usually purchase
the highest priced and purest foods in u
the market. =, The workingpeople. to-
make their dollars reach sas far 40 B
possible, buy the cheaper foods That
is one reason why they do not i've as
long as the rich. IS ss$s as;