The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-08-25
bENzOATE Of
SODA QUESTION
IS UPPERMOST
The Battle Opened Yesterday
Will Be Renewed at To-
morrow's Session.
COMMISSIONER lhDD OF
NORTH DAKOTA TO SPEAK

Delegates to National Pure Food
Convention took Today OF in Order
to Visit Some of the Interesting
Places to be Seen About Denver.
Denver, Aug. 25.-The delegations
to convention of the Association of
State and National Food and Dairy
Departments suspended business to.
day until night to give the visitors q
trip to the mountains. Tomorrow Il
is expected the benzoate of soda Ques-
ton which yesterday resulted in DIFF
ferences OF opinion between secre.
tary OF agriculture, Jas. Wilson and
j. @. Emery of Wisconsin. the presi-
dent OF the association. will again
come UP. At that time DR.. Ira REM
sen, chairman of the referee board
which reported to the government
that benzoate Of soda had not been
found to be harmful as a preserva-
tive, is expected to speak.
Tonight speakers will be DR.. II. 2.
Barnard, state food commissioner OF
Indiana and DR.. E. F. Ladd. state food
commissioner of North Dakota.
That the adulteration of food WIN
soon cease altogether in this country
and that the Remsen referee board.
appointed at the instance of P1esi.
dent Roosevelt to investigate the use
OF benzoate of soda as preserva.
tive. would be sustained by his de-
partment were assertions of Secre-
tary of Agriculture Wilson at tho
opening of the annual convention Of
the Association of State and National
Food and Dairy Departments yester-
day.
Secretary Wilson's remarks follow.
ed bitter attack by J. @. Emesy.
president OF the association.
| Pointing his finger at the secretary.
Mr.. Emery disputed the report of the
referee board that benzoate had been
found to be not harmful, and then
accused the secretary OF having urged
~
| vestigation OF tho subject.
Let me say declared Secretary
Wilson, jumping to his feet, that if
we had money enough down there's in
Washington to employ DR.. Ira Rem
sen and other four chemists on his
board we would try to get them, into
the department OF agriculture. haye
told the president that we want the
biggest men in the country in the de-
partment or the department will
cease to grow and when it ceases 70
grow l don't want anything more to
| do with it
I'm glad to see you have invited
DR.. Remsen and other members OF the
board to appear before you. trust
you will give them a fair hearing
why shouldn't We give them fair
hearing?" shouted Mr.. Emery. This
insinuation comes with poor grace
from the secretary, when we recall
that 1t was he who blocked our re-
quest to have benzoate OF soda rein.
vestigated."
Il don't quite know what you
mean" said Mr.. Wilson.
Well, Mr.. Secretary, have your
letter in my pocket" retorted Mr..
Emery. I'm it you recommend that
our request be not granted"
will you allow me another word?"
interposed the secretary. IF you will
recollect. you gentlemen, just prior to
that time, at your convention al
Mackinac, condemned all OF US down
in Washington, and l did not think
you were the right material to make
a supreme court out Of"
Secretary Wilson. who described
himself as IAN interested spectator
and not delegate, was invited to
speak by A. H. Jones. food commis-
sioner of Illinois.
Eve in Illinois believe there is NO
more faithful and useful servant OF
the people than Mr.. Wilson," declar.
ed Mr.. Jones. Ills efforts to drive
poisoned food out of the country have
been a help to every state commis-
sioner in the union"
In his address Secretary Wilson
said:
From President Emery's report
you might infer we have done moth
ing in Washington. We are endsav.
oring to operate the law with as lit
tie friction as possible, showing
leniency where honest mistakes are
made. We have instituted many
criminal prosecutions and seized
great quantity of impure stun. We
have investigated the milk supply Of
Chicago. Kansas City, st. Louis and
Cincinnati, have denied entry into
this country of imported foods found
to be impure and all the time we are
devising means Of making the law
more perfect. We hope to have our
department cooperate with the vari-
GUS state departments. am con.
vinced that 1t only will be q short
time before the adulteration of foods
in this country shall cease altossth.
er."