Evening journal., 1907-04-11
WHISKEYLABELSTO
SHOW INGREDIENTS
Final Ruling Made About
Straight" and BLENDED"
Goods
PRESIDENT TAKES A HAND

WASHINGTON. April li.-In answer to |
a request by the liquor interests for an
opinion from Attorney General Bonaparte
as to the proper construction to be placed
on the pure fod law concerning the proper
labelling Of liquors. letter has been
made public at the Waite House over the
signature OF the President. tersely inter-
pretlng the law. The opinion Of the At
torney General accompanies the letter.
Tho letter is addressed 10 the Secretary
Of Agriculture. Il reads;
MY Dear Mr. Secretary; In accord
ance with your suggestion have sub
miited the matter concerning tho proper
labelling Of whisky under the pure food
law to the Department Of Justice. ] In
close the Attorney Generals opinion.
agree with this opinion. and direct that
action be taken IN accordance with it.
Straight whisky win be labeled as
such A mixture OF two or more straight
whlskies win be labeled blended whisky
or whskies. A mixture OF straight whisky
and ethyl alcohol provided that there Is
a sufficient amount Of straight whisky
10 make Il genuinely a mixture will be
labeled "a compound Of. or compounded
with. pure grain distnate.
limitation whisky will be labeled as
SUCH Sincerely yours
Theodore Roosevelt"
The Attorney Generals opinion as TO
the propcr construction 20 be placed on
the law has been awaited with great in
terest by disullers and rectihers. The
questions at issue arose IN connection
with the labelling Of the dffcront kinds OF
spirit asserted by their manufacturers
to be entitled to the name Of whisky
with or without qualifying words.
Says tho Attorney General;
''rho law does not contemplate that an
larticie should be marked aa a blend,
compound or imitation unless its dosig-
nation would be otherwise false or mis-
leading to the consumer
II Is the intent OF the act Of 1895 tnat
1.-THE term blended sherry or blond OF
sherry or blend of shcrries shall desig-
nate a mixture OF two or more kinds ot
sherry while the titles compound OF port
and sherry or compounded port AMI
sherry would appropriately designate a
mixture of two unlike substances In The
view OF the law. namely two distinct ana
different kinds OF wine.
"rhe mixture Of spirit properly dosis'
mated a. whisky with another spirit
which. standing alone, would not be pro-
perly designated az whisky such as ethyl
alcohol must be labeled or branded as
compound
'.1'ho definition OF whisky as "a naiural
splr,t involves as It's corollary that thcf,
can be such q thing as imitation whisky
II ethyl alcohol, either pure or mixed wiz
Distilled water. were given, by the addi
ton Of harmless coloring and havorins
substances. the appearance and flavor Of
whisky. e Is impossible 10 ind any other
3 name for the product, IN conformity with
the pure fod law than imitation
whisky"
The Attorney General says the most
difficult question was whether mixture
/, Of a liquid such as has been described, or
indeed mixture Of ethyl alcohol itself
with whisky. ought to be labeled whisky
. at au
when" he says. "the words COM
pound or compounded are used in the
act. Il is ordinarily necessary that two
substances. az least, should be mention
, ed as entering into the combination de-
scribod 1t would seem that the same
reasoning would deny the name whisky
10 n compound OF straight whisky and
ethyl alcohol, whether with or without
, color,ng ana lavoring substances. There
is a distinction between tho two cases.
and It is not universally true that Two
: substantves must follow compound AL
though IL is true that only one substan-
tive can appropriately follow blend.
Gold-Filled spectaeles, $3.50
Until April 10 Oenscs included). Cub