Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-06-13
Washington Bureau OF
The Ottumwa Courier,
WASHINGTON. D. G. June {

washington, -. ", June y.
Pie is soon to know Its fate
Little did the thoughtless statesmen
who blithely passed the pure food law
realize that 1t contained dynamite
which might shatter the very founda-
tions of our gastronomic liberties. But
it did
"Sir," demanded Senator Henry
Cabot Lodge, statesman, scholar, lit
erateur and aristocrat, when in the
senate cafe one day he could not get
his order filed. "sir, do you mean to
tell me that a man can't have cold
smince pie when he asks for it here?
We must know more of this?"
The threat was sufficient Thereaft-
er cold mince pie was ever ready at
the beck of the Goldfish statesman.
But DR.. Wiley, chief chemist, steely
of eye. hard of heart, unyielding Of
purpose, was not thus easily to be
handled. Dr. Wiley has been looking
into pie, and circumstantial report de.
clares that his verdict is against 1t.
Pie CommerciaIIzed.
1t pie is to be excommunieated from
the fellowship of prandial proprieties,
1t will be one more alarming testimoa-
1al to the menace Of commercializing
tendencies. Time was when pie was
as honest as our mothers knew how
to make 1t: wholesome, toothsome, al
together desirable, it appeared to the
palate without offense to the integu-
ments of the alimentary tract. Then
pie became commercialized.
Nay, more. 1t was trustified, f1nanc-
ed, exploited, degraded. Benzoate Of
soda was introduced into it. Machines
were invented to manufacture it. 1t
was turned out by the million. It's cir
culation was the largest in the world,
and no allowance made for return cop
les. The benzoate Of soda made its
more or less indefinite preservation
possible; and after long and exhaus.
tive experimentation DR.. Wiley, &C
cording to alarming rumor, has decid-
ed that benzoate of soda is altogether
bad, and must be suppressed. With
1t must go the pie of commerce.
Mayflower Brought Over Pie.
Pie came over in the Mayfower.
Then men who laid the foundations
OF this nation were bred on it. The
minute-men of Concord and Lexington
We're filled no less with patriotism
than with pie. The desperation OF
courage, the recklessness Of death
which inspired the heroes OF Bunker
Hill may be traced directly to the in.
fluence Of cold mince. What wonder
then that the descendant Of these men
who now graces the senate chamber
with his presence, should view with
alarm whatever might presage the
passing of pie?
The empire Of pie was established
at Yorktown. The great Napoleon
ceded new empire to it. Its con
quests were pressed until its domain
extended from ocean to ocean and
thence 1t urged its conquering way te
the islands of the sea. With
it's consort, dyspepsia, it came to rule
over 1O0,000,0o0 happy freemen. Ant
then came wealth, luxury, decadence
vice, commercialism-an benzoate 81
soda. The cycle is all but complete
The pie Of the fathers is no more
the degenerate and unworthy descend
ant tina has usurped It's glorious name
deserves just what DR.. Wiley is about
to hand it.
Thus far the evidence is largely cir
cumstantfal. Some weeks ago It was
announced that Dr. Wiley as chief exc
cutiye under the pure food law was
investigating benzoate of soda. He
would find out all about the stuff be-
fore he issued any decisions. He
would probably treat the subject in q