The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-24

 min infested evaporated fruits. and the waste of fruit evaporators that should be sent to the dumps or the sewers" find their way into the various preserves, jams, and other fruit products. Ben zoate of soda, and similar substances, also enable food manufacturers to manufac- ture their products in the germ-laden at- mosphere of slovenly, il-kept, and in- sanitaary food factories which are still too much in evidence and which die hard in the march of progress. It is not only the fact. therefore, that the preservative itself is harmful. but the additional fact that it enables the manufacturer to cover up these multitude of sins.
 Dr. Wiley is fighting hard for bet ter conditions; he, it is who has borne the brunt of all the condemnation, crit icism, sarcasm and ridicule that has been hurled at the pure food hosts from ali over the nation. I do not suppose there is any man who has even faint con ception of the trials the head of the bureau of chemistry is enduring in this fight. Money, hired testimony of experts, and powerful political influence are do- ing their best to defeat the great cause he so earnestly stands for. Opposition to him presents itself in all guises imagin- able. sometimes as an alluring friend, oftentimes as a threatening foe but through 1t all, he is constant in his purpose and untiring in his efforts, in the cause of pure and honest foods.
 I have been engaged in food work for nearly F years and during that time have become acquainted with a great many food manufacturers, their chemists, and distributors of food products; and in all my acquaintance with these, wher- ever l have found man who was an adulterator of foods, a swindler of the public, a seller of foods that were in furious to the health of the consumer, l invariably found that man to be an enemy of Dr. Wiley.
 Who are the manufacturers that are asking for Dr. Wiley's removal? I be- lieve that no better argument in Dr. Wiley's favor. no better evidence of his fitness for the office could be furnished than to answer this question. They are the men who desire a return to the practice of using chemical conservatives in food products; they are the men whose united influence was powerful enough for 16 years to defy the wishes of the peo- pie and prevent the enactment of tha national food law. As to the "honor and integrity of these men, I have only to say that they should permit their names to be known that the public might have T chance to judge for itself of their rare qualities their practicable and rep utable" methods; that these men" do not represent the legitimate trade, however, is clear from the fact that manufacturers of pure foods are now forming an as sociation which will come -ut openly In their denuncation of artificial chemical preservaties, colors, bleaches, and like substances of harmful, or at least doubt fnl wholesomeness in food products. and which will insist upon a rigid enforce ment of the national food law.
 Has not the beneficial results of pure food leeislation already been too great to now permit the adulterators of food prod ucts to open the door to harmful preserv- atives in food and make successful their nlaus to nlIllfy the law? The law has greatly improved the quality of onr food and drug supplies: the people have q more wholesome and more nutritious food supply than ever before; food frauds have been checked and short weights abol- ished: the consumer can go to drug store and have his doctors prescription filled without the danger of buying adul- terated drugs. The people are learning tho value of the true labels and the courts have sustained the head of the bureau of chemistry in practically ev- cry controversy.
 These are a few of the results that have been accomplished by the man that the adulterators of food would now put out of office. The manufacturer of food frauds does not want the food law en- forced for the simple reason that II would put an end to the conditions py which he accumulated his ill-gotten wealth; he Is the only person in the United States who does not want the law enforced; for years he said: There shall not be national food law" now he says: , "The national food law shall not be en-