The Washington herald., 1907-04-11

The controversy over What is whisky %
vas settled by President Roosevelt yes
terday when he wrote d letter TO the Sec
rotary OF Agriculture approving a legal
decision on the subject by the Attorney
General.
The action of the President, which is
taken under the provisions of the pure
food law regarding the labelling of foods
and drugs, viii probably affect 80 per cent
of all the sO-called WHISTLES sold IN
the United States. Incidentally. the out
come IS a victory for DR. Wiley, the chem
ist of the Agricultural Department It
was he who first exploited widely the
theory that in nine cases out OF ten the
article that folks think is whisky is either
not whisky at all or is partly whisky and
partly something else.
The substance OF President RoOsevelt's
order is that all so-called WHISTLES shall
be labeled for just what they are.
straight" whisky is the only kind Of
nrewater henceforth permitted TO use the
unmodined name whisky" Charles J,
Bonaparte evidently had lot of fun
writing his legal opinion. for although he
tiously suggests several waggish names
for the different sorts Of whiskies and
alleged WHISTLES in order that they may
comply strictly with the law. For
straight whisky he suggests the brand
''Semper Idem. and for a rank imitation
he would attach the label Something
Better Than Whisky
Letter of Endorsement.
The Presidents letter to Secretary
Wilson. indorsing Mr. Bonapartes opin-
ion, IS as follows:
AIy Dear Mr.. Secretary; In accordance with your
suggestion ] have submitted the matter concerning
the proper labelling Of whisky under the pure food
law 20 the Department Of Justice lnelose the
Attorney Generals opinion. agree with this opin-
ION and direct that action be taken in accordance
with it,
Straight whisky will be labeled as such,
mixture Of two or more straight whistles viii
be labeled blended whisky WHISTLES.
A mixture Of straight whisky and ethyl alcohol,
provided that there is sufficient amount Of straight
whisky 10 make it genuinely mixture viii Be-
labeled as compound Of or compounded WITH pare
Imitation whisky viii be labeled as such
Sincerely yours, THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
The decision in regard TO labels on
whisky bottles has been awaited with in
tense interest by distiIlers and rectihers
all over the country, for, according to
DT. Wiley all but a few of them are
putting on the market various sorts of
adulterated or blended liquors which are
WHISTLES only in name. The degree and
kind of adulteration Dr. Wiley's bureau
has found. but the extent of the adHltera-
ton is declared to be almost universal
Attorney General BOnaparte not only
brings out In his opinion. the fine legal
distinctions necessary 10 a decision of the
points at issue, but as a judge Of good
whisky and a judge of bad whisky he
enters into an extended discussion Of i'm
pressions produced by the beverage on the
senses of taste and smell.
Purpose Of the Law.
AS to the purpose Of the pure-food law,
Mr.. Bonaparte gives this opinion:
THE primary purpose Of the pure-food
law is TO protect against fraud consumers
of foods or drugs; as an incidental OF
secondary purpose, it seeks to prevent OF,
ar least, discourage, the use of deleterious
substances for either purpose: but its first
aim is to insure. so far as possible, that
the purchaser of an article Of food or of
drug shall obtain nothing different from
what he wishes and intends to buy. Ac-
cordlng TO the recognized canons of
its provisions must be interpreted with
reference 10 and in harmony with this
primary general purpose, so that, in de
termining the proper nomenclature for arti-
cles of food as defined in the act the
intention of the law will be best observed
by giving 20 such articles names readily
understood and conveying definite and
familiar ideas TO the general public. al
though such names may be inaccurate in
view of a chemist or physicist or an ex-
pert in some particular industrial art, as
in the distillation and refining Of spirits. 80
Mr.. Bonaparte then tackles the ques-
ton what is whiskey?" saying;
"A chemist or a distiller might answer
this question altogether differently from
the ordinary purchaser Of whisky for his
own consumption: but the purchaser 5
view of the matter is material 10 attain
the primary purpose Of the pure-food law.
and I think il may be safely said what
he means by whisky when buying it as "A
distilled spirit. n for use as beverage,
and having the particular flavor which
human experience has classified as that
OF whisky.
FInvorS Are Different.
lllDuDktN4Ar Al-t lttNulS OF ulNGreUi
kinds Of spirits all known as whisky
differ considerably. and il may be that
the general impression of their similarity
is due. in some measure. to Imagination
or imperfect memory; nevertheless. a dis
unct and definite idea is suggested To the
mind by the words whisky favor this
idea is az essential factor in ascertaining
the Identity of q spirit claimed 10 b..
whisky, and, in my opinion, il is the de-
cisivc factor in determining the relative
weight of the claims Of two or more kinds
of spirit 10 the same
According TO the true intent of the
pure-food law he says. "a mixture OF
whisky with neutral spirit must DE
deemed a compound and not a blend.
although the spirit may be a distllate
from the same substance used 10 furnish
the whisky and that such a mixture
stands on the same footing as a mixture
Of whisky and brandy. or OF whisky and
num-.
In conclusion. Mr. Bonaparte's infre-
quent- humor flashes out in the following
paragraph.
The following seem TO me appropriate
specimen brands or labels for %
straight whisky % a mixture Of two or
more straight WHISTLES. GO a mixture of
straight whisky and ethyl alcohol, and