River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1910-12-01
The Wisconsin Pure Food Law

Q6 JOuIudl Vi LuC <1h4NA iSe@A-
Medical Association for November
26, contains the following editorial
comment on the enforcement of the
pure food law in Wisconsin:
Our readers will remember that
last summer attention was called to
the sane attitude of the Wisconsin
health authorities on the subject of
truthful labels on food products
The courts of that state have decid
ed the manufacturers of glucose
cannot sell their product in Wiscon-
sin under the euphemistic but mis-
leading term, corn syrup. To get
even the glucose trust has boycott
ted that state and glucose cannot
be had of the jobbing grocers of
Wisconsin. These grocers, naru-
rally, feel aggrieved, and have pass
ed resolutions against what they
call an unwarranted loss of trade.
In an editorial entitled Making
Food Laws Ridiculous, Leslie's
Weekly wakes indignant over what
it calls "the foolish, restrictive leg
islation of Wisconsin" which re-
quires that manufacturers shall tell
the truth on the label. Says Les
lies. 1t seems inconceivable that
the people of Wisconsin should iol-
crate such an imposition.
We are not surprised to note thai
the Wisconsin press enters bit Ell
protest against any interference,
under the guise of pure-food legi--
lation, with the sale of WHOLESOME
and popular articles of food
We too, "are not surprised t
note" that Leslie's Weekly looks or
the restrictions due to requiring
that the truth be told, as an I'm
position" When we remember that
the widespread fake "Vaivi" was
the subject of Especial article, +"
and that the Alexander cancer cure
received a similar write-up in Les
lies Weekly, we naturally expect
that publication to come TO the de-
tense of those attempting to dis
credit and destroy the pure food
laws. Neither are we surprised to
note" that the Wisconsin news
papers are entering a protest! In
the previous editorial we said:
For the past few years 'Karo'-
a trade-marked name for glucose
favored with syrup been
heavily advertised all over the
country. We may now expect the
advertising patronage of the glu-
cose trust to be withdrawn from the
state of Wisconsin in the hope that
the newspapers of the state will
bring pressure to bear on the state
legislators to amend and emascul-
ate the present law. 1t is to be
hoped that Wisconsin newspapers
in this instance will not sell their
birthright of journalistic freedom
for a paltry mess of advertisins
potage"
The potage will probably prove
tempting in some cases, consum-
N alton that the glucose manufac-
turers doubtless wish and expect
The cold facts of the case are that
the profits to be made in selling glu
cose at real syrup prices are enor-
mousse great, that if no other
question were involved, it would be,
as the Wisconsin Supreme Court
has decided, "a fraud to sell this
article to the public under name
that induces the belief that it is
procuring a syrup produced in the
usual way - These profits
the glucose trust is willing to share
with the newspapers through the
medium of an advertising campaign,
doubtless with the idea that few
publications will tell unpleasant
truths about the products whose
advertisements they carry. 1t now
remains to be seen whether the
Wisconsin press will stand for the
interests of their constituents at the
expense of loss of revenue We
are optimistic enough to believe
that a state which has enacted, en-
forced and interpreted a statute
such as the Wisconsin pure food
law will not be found wanting in
editors and publishers to defend
it.
1t is to be remembered that if the
other states of the Union would in
sist on the Wisconsin standard of
truthfulness in the labelling of food
products, those manufacturers who
fail to recognize honesty as moral
obligation would be brought to ac-
knowledge it as legal necessity.
In summing up its case against
the Badger States pure food law,
Leslie's Weekly asks: Whats The