The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-01-29
PURE FOOD BILL
OUTLOOK HOPEFUL
Senator coumber Expects Early
Vote on Pet Measured
cusses It's Enemies.
BY w. w. Jermane.

Washington, Jan. Ex-senator p.
McCumber of North Dakota, whose eff
forts in behalf Of pure food Legislation
for several years may be successfully
rewarded at this session of congress, i
talked most interestingly to your cor
respondent. today about the iJ.mense
influences that oppose such legislation,
and those which favor it.
y By the construction Given by the |
courts to the interstate commerce clause |
Of the constitution, said Senator Nc |
Cumber, no state has the power to |
prevent any, commercial article from
Ebeing imported into its territory. Not |
only that; it has no right to interfere
with the first sale of such, property |
within it's borders in original, unbroken
packages. You see, therefore, that I
state authorities are helpless so far as
preventing importation and original
! sales. Now, it happens that about IS
per cent Of all the adulterated and mis-
branded articles of commerce. are sold
| in states other than those in which they
are maHufactured.
! 81 have for years pressed considera-
ton of a pure food bill. The present
bill is to supplement the efforts Of the
/ states to eradicate the curse of adul-
| terated and misbranded foods, to reach
| the root Of the evil, the manufacturers
themselves. ! It's object is also to pro-
1 tect the honest manufacturer and deal
er. It is impossible for an honest man
ufacturer of goods to compete with one
| who manufactures counterfeit articles
at one-tenth the cost. Another object
| Is to prevent the evils of adverse laws
| of the several states and also adverse
rulings by the commissioners of each
state upon similar laws. A manufac-
turer sells to the wholesale trade. The
wholesale trade ships products to all Of
l ,lCA% No. H4
branded differently in different states.
The wholesaler is at loss very often
| to understand what the state require
ment is. The decision of the state
commissioner is sometimes arbitrary,
and not always exercised with entire
justice. If we had national law on
the subject so far as interstate com
merce is concerned, that law would
govern, and state laws would soon con-
ject is to promulgate honesty and de-.
cency in the sale Of foods and drugs.
The purchaser Of anv food or drug is
entitled to get just what he pays for.
"The bill does not determine what
man shall eat or drink, or consume
in any way. It does not determine
what shall be shipped from one state
to another. It declares what shall be
deemed to be adulterated or misbrand-
or misbranded, it does not prevent
it's being sold or shipped from one
state to another, but simply requires
that it be labeled so that the purchas-
er will know what he is purchasing.
The Opposition to the Bill
e "Among those who might be regard
=. ed as the principal opponents are the
t blenders Of WHISTLES and wines; that
y is, those blenders who substitute in:
). Wine. It is we'll known that dozen
r kinds of wine will be drawn from the
f same cask, colored and Favored to imi-
tate known brands and sold upon the
o market as such. This is also true of
q olive oils and many otherNthings which
! might be named. Another class Of speo-
= pie who are opposed to the bill are
4 those manufacturers Of jellies or pre-:
a tended jelies, who use coal tar dyes
4 for their coloring, and also salicylic
y acid and copperas for preserving and
: coloring. Many of these are represent
+ ed in what is called the National Asso
ia citation of Food Products. r:ar,1
1.-THE distillers, SO far as T know, ia
. vore this legislation. Their products
Of course must measure up to the stand
ard required by our laws. Ard it i:
IS nothing more than right that they
should not be- compelled to compete
with blends of the worst characters 81
Is WHISTLES, rain water, prune juice, bead
m ing oils, and favorings often used il
is what are called the Blended WHISTLES
g, wines, etc. = - =. IL: s.s* e.e
,e Those Who favor the Bill.
Fl sfI believe that it is we'll establishe;
that the brewers Of the United State.
almost universally manufacture pure
&c oS~ %S4x
strongly supports measure Of This
kind. ILL )
cit is not always the article which
| has had to battle hardest for its exist
/ ence (which seeks to shelter itself. Per
haps no product has been more bitter
| ly assaulted by competitors than thu
| alum baking powder. And yet the man
] ufaeturers Of this product, confident o.
| tion declared their hearty support 0:
| this measure:
/ Among the opposers are a numbe
| of manufacturers Of patent medicines
I The druggists who sell patent @medi
| cines, or at least their organ, the Ma
+ tional Druggist, have been very. bite
against any pure food and drug legisla
/ tiOn. 4
| Honest Food for Honest Money.
| @'The bill, in short, seeks to proven
| counterfeiting in those articles essen
| tial to the health and happiness Of tn
| people and drugs. It insist
| that SO long as we are compelled to pa,
| or trade honest dollars for goods wHic1
| we purchase, the manufacturer of thos
goods should be compelled to give u
/ honest goods in return.
| "The great bugaboo which has un
| doubtedly created some prejudic
! against bill Of this kind is the falls
| supposition that the agricultural depart
| ment, or some person or persons, shout
| inspect and pass upon the question Q
| what manufacturer s goods should b
| entitled to be sold There is nothin
| Of the kind in the bill. There ar
| clean-cut definitions declaring what ar
| adulterated and what are misbrande
| goods, and preventing interstate com
| merce in such goods. And no powe
! but the court itself and jury can pas
| upon the question Of whether or not an
| product measures up to the Requirement
| Of the law. That requirement. is sin
| p1e It is that when goods are adulte1
ated by substituting one ingredient fo
| another, the package shall SO state. Yo
can sell glucose for glucose, but not fc
honey. You can sell a combination Q
brown sugar, glucose and little map]