Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-15
STUFF WITH WHISKY LABEL
Compounds Of Liquor Seek Courts Aid
Against Pure Food Law.
DECISION M MLINOIs COMEs soon
Barrels OF variOu- nixtures More or
Less Harmful Already In Possess
sion Of the Cover
ment.
Trom a staff Correspondents

- $500
WASHINGTON. Sept. H-(Special)-
within a few days II Is expected the dues-
ton OF the right Of rectifiers to compound
alcohol, caramei, essential oils and other
ingredients and to label the mixture
whisky" will again be passed upon. Not
long ago Judge Thompson OF the United
States court Of southern Ohio decided en-
phatically against the compounders and
they brought a case exactly similar in
illinois. The judge in the latter case is
now considering the testimony brief and
other cum and his decision is looked
for almost any day.
The United States now owns 100 barrels
OF initiation vinegar which was seized in
Kansas city before It reached its destina-
tion IN Oklahoma The stuff was made Of
q small quantity OF alcohol mixed with
water, aeetic acid. a few other drugs and
. quantity Of coioring matter. It was made
in Chicago to initiate cider vinegar and
was intended to be sold as such, 1t was
seized and eonfiscated under the pure food
and drug act and the court upheld the
seizure after a light.
Just q little while ago an enterprislng firm
of money-makers in Ohio succeeded in COM
bining the washings of a pumice heap from
a winery with a few coal tar products, a
little alcohol and a few acids. About 1900
barrels were filled with this stuff and were
marked Port" Sherry" "Claret'' and a
number Of other names frequently applied
to wines and shipped to New Orleans. There
one Of DR.. Wiley's inspectors seized the
stuff. Naturally the owners showed fight.
But the chemical division Of the Depart
ment Of Agriculture had the dots on them"
and they 'fessed up. The United States Of
America holds title to that sea Of booze and
unless the owners give bond to ship and
dispose OF the lot out OF the Jurisdiction OF
the United States it viii all be dumped into
the sewerage system OF New Orleans. II
they put up the bond the Inhabitants of
Mexico or one OF the South American re-
publics will have enough material to start
a. fuIl-fledged revolution. for a gallon OF the
mixture would certainly induce a digger
Indian to take to the warpath.
These Incidents indicates that the pure
food act is working. 1t viii, Of course. be
attacked until upheld by the United States
supreme court. But 1t is certainly acting as
a purgative upon the manufacturing estab-
lishnents OF the country which have In the
past shown little consideration for the
stomachs OF their patrons.
Lenders aud Laundries.
Loan sharks and laundrles win come in
Tor a great deal OF attention during the
next session of congress. If present plans
are carried out. 1t is the common belief
In Washington that fully / per cent Of
the salaries and wages paid to Uncle Sans
employees in the national capital finds its
way into the pockets OF the loan companies
and money lenders. Clerks who are house
keepers. in many instances. pay 8 per cent
. month for the privilege of sitting at the
tables, eating from the dishes and sleep
ing In the beds for which they once paid
the regular price and subsequently mort
gagged Unmarried men and women with
no collateral" pay anywhere from s to
10 per cent per month for loans ranging
from IS to $780, and they generally die or
resign before they succeed In getting
square" although cases are recorded where
principal and legitimate interest has been
paid five times over.
There are a score or more former Off
cials located In handsome offices, who live
well, own autos or horses and never do a
lick of work. They don't have to.
On leaving his office in the Interior de-
partment one of these thrifty gentlemen
had q bank account Of about s2,OOO. He
started in to live upon that and has never
made less than $50 per cent on that orig