The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-11-08
UNITED STATES VS..
SACKS OF FLOUR
UNCLE SAM GETS INTO THE
BLEACHING FIGHT TO TRY TO
STOP THE USE or
PEROXIDE.

A
trict Of Wisconsin"
| TO the uinitiated in legal phrase
| ology the above looks like strange
| title for law suit Yet Pierce But
Ter, one of st. Paurs best known at
torneys. has the task OF representing
she federal government In at least
eleven actions that are named in tn Ut
manner. Five OF these are to BE-
tried at Des Modnes, two at Madison
and one each at New Orleans, Mil
waukee, Chicago and Indianapolis In
the federal district courts. The de-
PENDANT -four has been seized on the
order of the United States department
| OF agriculture on the vharge of being
an adulterated product because 1t has
been bleached, and Mr.. Butler, at the
request of George w. Wickersham, at
torney general. will prosecute all the
cases. Counsel for the -four viii be
Atty. Bruce s. Elliott of st. Louis,
who has been retained by certain big
milling concerns which desire TO con-
tfnue the practice of bleaching. That
the -four be tried by jury may be de-
manded by either the government or
the attorney for the millers, and II is
likely that every case will be tried in
that way. The time has NOT yet been
set for the trial OF any of the cases.
Mecabe ConsuIts Butler.
George p. McCabe, solicitor for the
department of agriculture, with head
quarters at Washington, is In the city
in consultation with Mr.. Butler In the
preparation OF the governments side
of each of the cases. DR. A. s.
Mitchell, who has charge of the gov
ernment's pure food laboratory in St.
Paul, in the old capitol building, is
| also busted in this work
| bleaching of flour" said Mr.. Nc
Cabe yesterday, has been going on
for a number of years in various parts
| of the United States, until now 1t Is
| claimed by some millers that the pro-
cess is carried on by so per cent of
the milling concerns of the country.
I am glad to say that the millers OF
| the northwest, on the whole, are not
| bleaching flour. Last summer the
Northwestern Millers association,
which embraces nearly all the millers
of wheat flour in this section of the
country, agreed to quit the bleaching
/
partment of agriculture that bleaching
was an adulteration of the product,
and therefore illegal They didn't adj
NIT, however. that bleaching hurt the
flour. AS far as / have ascertained.
that pledge has been faithfully kept"
Mr.. Butler, on being interviewed
yesterday, said:
Cases Are Important.
"These cases are Of great impor-
lance and are being watched By mill
| ing people with the keenest interest.
| both at hom and abroad. The bleach
ing process in one form or another has
been before the courts of England and
France. There has been some patent
litigation In this country over the
question OF bleaching, but this did not
settle the controversy as to whether
bleaching is detrimental to health or
not No decision by a federal court
mas been made.
"MilIers are by no means of one
opinion on the matter. Some millers
favor the government side, but some
associations of millers. especially in
the southwest where soft winter
wheat is produced, yielding a darker
flour than is made from the more
northern wheat, are opposing the gov
eminent and bearing the expense OF
defending the seized flour.e
Draas in Peroxide.
zone point that the government will
bring UP in these cases is the well
known fact that nitrogen peroxide il
a poison. The electrical process oil
bleaching which is in vogue introduces
this poison into the -four. The de-
tense will contend that the quantity OIL
the poison that Is introduced is &c
small that no person can be hurt bS
it. especially in view Of the fact that
a great percentage of 1t Is bound to be
volatilized in the baking. The defense
1t is expected, will point out that 1t Is
seldom that raw -four is consumed
also that more nitrogen peroxide than
is injected into the -four by the bleach
ing recess Is often found in healthy
human system This may be true
bat 1t must not be forgotten that
bread Is eaten by old and young, sick
and well, strong and weak, and al
have a right to be considered. An
amount of poison that would not af-
tS@L q well pCN5OAl Hit6uL bC SAlE6LlGs
ly Injurious to a sick person.
Another point that the governments
will raise is that the bleaching pro-
cess conceals the inferiority of lower
grades of flour made from cheaper
wheat The southern grown wheat
makes -four that is often quite dark
unuti1 1t has been bleached white, and
then 1t Is hard to distinguish from
the -four made from the harder and
more expensive wheat, of the north.
think the defense will reply that the
bleaching actually removes the infer.
iority of the flour. that is made from
softer wheat.
THE government will point our thai
both wheat and -four should be sufh-
GENTLY aged to produce the proper
product on the market and that the
bleaching process gives the flour thu
color that is possessed by that which
! is rightly aged and therefore deceives
the customer. The other side, in all
Likelihood, will maintain that bleach.
ing does away with the necessity 81
ageing,'
Lost-Boston terrier, with four white
feet and crooked loop tail. wearing .