The Washington herald., 1909-04-15

A sweeping court decision has unraveled
another knot in the enforcement OF the
pure food and drugs act. according to
DR.. Harvey ". Wiley, government food
censor
1t concerns the manufacture OF candles
and sweetmeats. So radical is its na-
ture that the entire confectionery trade
viii be affected. DR.. Wiley elaborately
explained il 10 IN interested audience in
the Western Presbyterian Church last
evening.
Three days ago the United States Court
Of Appeals in New Jersey handed down
a decision that the confectionery clause
Of the pure food end drugs act was 20 be
literally interpreted-a ruling for which
Or. Wiley himself has not contended.
The fun text of the decision came TO the
Bureau Of Chemistry yesterday afternoon.
and after 2 cursory reading the chief OF
the bureau declared II one OF the most
significant interpretations OF the law yet
given by any jurist. He believes it will
be bomb she'll in the ranks OF the candy
makers.
Hoist by Their own Petard.
The confectioners are hoist by their
own petard. When the pure food act
was brought into being constructed with
the utmost deliberation the candy manu-
facturers insisted upon inserting a sep
arate clause relating 70 their business.
DR.. Wiley did not see the value Of such
a provision. and informed the candy men
IL might rebound 20 their detriment
fnThpU insisted rrr0u n1a0fuor xra,-,- e. .rfos
lines about themselves" +" he said last even
ing. They were entirely honest in their
effort TO weed out the edulterators from
their ranks. Chromium and all mineral
substances fell outside tho line OF legiti-
mate candy making, they declared, and
they desired to make their position en-
phatic by an entirely separate clause.
Congress granted them their wish.
The broad significance OF the term,
mineral substances now is dawning upon
their minds. The court has not adopted
the point OF view Of the extremist salt
and water are mineral substances IN the
eye OF the scientist and If the candy
makers were deprived Of these, there
would be no candy. But the court will
take the view that water is q beverage,
and salt a condiment and article Of food,
and there is no danger that literal in
terprepatiOn will reduce the clause 10 9
grotesque absurdity.
Metallic Substances Barred.
But the text hits hard. II bars out
nitrate Of silver from all candy making.
Al metallic substances which enter more
largely into the composition Of sweet
meats than you would think. are barred
The cloud Of doubt upon this point has
I ].
or candies coated with some shining
mineral, have been condemned 10 ex-
tinction.
"A more effective prosecution, and a
surer penalty, will be derived from the
decision. Only recently I came acrous q
chocolate cream which had not a specA
Of chocolate in IT, Il was thinly coated
with oxide Of iron The justice has i'm
measurably strengthened our hand in
dealing with such a case"
The new shibbOleth Of Dr. Wiley Is q
general merchandise marks act, which is
merely a projection Of the pure food law
( into a field embracing all barter While
a more sentimental appeal may be made
upon the plea Of aduleration. and anita
ton conducted upon this basis is more
fruitful. Dr. Wiley believes the true point
of attack is indirect misbranding and mis-
/ representation.
THE most vicious form OF lying is that
which clothes itself in the garb OF truth
When a label is luminous with a false.
I hood, il must be condemned as such. nc
matter how carefully the falsehood Is
modified and refined and retracted by fol.
lowing explanations. \ misleading pic
ture. an epigram which carries with II
a misleading inference, and thereby be-
comes the subtlest form Of deception
are ruthlessly barred from the label The
label must tell the truth. and nothing
but the truth
"The CIergyman's Booze"
DR.. Wiley raised a laugh by calling :
certain patent medicine the clergyman's
favorite booze" and added that a mar
who desires 70 imbibe alcohol AT al
should imbibe II honestly. Asked whether
he did not believe Edward ". Bok's edi.
tOrials where highly influential. he Gaid
I do not read the Ladies Home Journal
so don't know"
When the misbrander and the adulterei
are not merely the object OF attack from
the Bureau OF Chemistry, but also from
! the postal authorities the champion o;
pure food believes that the crusade viii
reach its climax. He asserted that 2
higher morality prevails in business but
much work remains to be done. The
Bureau OF Chemistry. he said has de
tected more than 1.100 violations Of the
act since January !.