The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1906-06-29

with the enactment OF law provId-
ing for pure food. They do object to
the enactment oflegislation that will
interfere with the business in which
they are the pioneers. The pioneers
of the canning industry were in my
district.
"The first canvass of the canning
industry was taken i'll 1870. The
capital invested was about $4,000
600, and there were then only 81
establishments. In 1900 there were
in this country ., 1S2 establishments,
and the increase has brought the to-
tai number up to 2,6S7 in 1905.
"Our people contend that this in
dustry that has hourished and been
developed without Federal legisla-
ton is an industry thai has given to
the people of this country n pure
food and cheap vegetables, almost as
good as in the natural state. They
would not object to the enactment
of this paragraph if it were possible
to comply with the provisions of it.
"There are two billions and half
of cans manufactured in this country
in a single year. The period for the
coming season for tomatoes, corn,
peas, beans and vegetables is short,
and not one word is included in the
hearings before the Committee on
Interstate and Foreign Commerce on
the Pure Food bill that touches on
that subject.
"The canning season is only about
six weeks in year. Can you expect
an industry like this to undertake to
put either the approximate or cur
rent weight on 2, OO,OO0,00O cans
in that short period? If they were
to try to do it they would have to
weigh each can by itself. Corn
raised on one farm will weigh more
per quart or per bushel than corn
raised on another farm. Tomatoes
raised on one property will weigh
more per bushel than those raised on
another property. The character of
the soil has much to do with it. A
rich piece of land will raise on good
ground good tomatoes, good corn,
good peas. and will give the highest
| weight. Poor land produces poor,
inferior goods and goods of less
weight.
"Our people are as honest as any
in the land. They would comply
! with a provision like this if it were
possible; but it is not possible, and l
| want to state that the impression
sought to be made, and possibly was
made, on members of this House and
on the people of the country that the
Gamers were guilty of putting upon
the country and upon the market
short-weight cans, is not true. You
can take and examine every can of
tomatoes, corn, peas or whatever
they contain on that table pointing
to Representative Mann's grocery
exhibit in front of the Speaker
table and you will find on the can
as it was bought by the gentleman
from Illinois no weight mark what
ever. Therefore, it was given to the
dealer without any weight on the
can, and if any fraud has been per-
petrated on the people you are after
the wrong fellow. You want to get
after the dealer"
The reading public is sometimes
seriously imposed on by we'll meaning
newspapers. Just now, those who
are following the columns of the
daily journals are compelled to &C
cept as the legitimate news of the
day certain quantity of what is
known as the "Longworth Specials. "
For months preceding the happy
event, we were treated with every
detail of the acknowledgement
nuptials, but after they were married
the public rather expected rest. 1t
hardly seems fair to impose on us
now the small happenings of the
present trip abroad, which is likely
to continue for several months to
come.