The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-09-07
IT'S QUEER ABOUT BENzOATE
A BOOSTING ORDER ISSUED AS
ROOSEVELT LEFT OFFICE.
PURE Food Expert, DIR. Wiley, Over
ruled in His Order Prohibiting 1t
as an Injurious Preseryatiye.

ruled in His Order Prohibiting 1t
as an Injurious Preservative.
WASHINGTON.-A clash between
Acknowledgement Bingham of Indi-
ana and the United States depart
ment of agriculture has brought to
light the fact that the department
OF agriculture has not only ruled
that benzoate of soda may be used
IN any quantities in the preservation
OF FOOD stuffs but that this depart
ment is doing everything it can to
prevent the states from enforcing
state laws preventing the use of the
embalming drugs.
mere is long story behind the
subject of benzoate of SODA and the
department of agriculture Just why
the department should favor the en-
banning of beef is not quite clear to
even those who have made a close
investigation of the subject.
1t was on March 4, 1909, the day
President Taft came into office. that
an order was sent out from the bu-
reau OF animal industry permitting
the use of benzoate of soda in the
preservation of meat and meat food
products. Before that date the gov
eminent regulations were. in effect.
that no meat or meat food should
contain any substance which lessened
us Wholesomeness nor any preserva-
tive except common salt, wood
smoke, vinegar, pure sugar and salt
peter.
The circumstances attending the
issuing of the new order were unus-
ual it not remarkable. The order
was issued on March 4th. It was
signed by George B. Cortelyou. Os->
car B. Strauss and James Wilson,
who at the time, as heads of the
treasury department, department of
commerce and labor and department
OF agriculture, respectively, were des-
! lgnated in the pure food law to frame
the regulations. Of the three men
two were to retire from office the
next day, and actually retired before
the scope of their order became
known. DR.. Harvey w. Wiley, chief
OF the bureau of chemistry, had pre-
V1ously ruled that benzoate of soda
was positively harmful in it's effect
! upon the human system. His ruling
was upheld by physicians and chem
lists in all parts of the country, and
by professors at some Of the leading
American universities.
The referee board of the DEPART
ment of agriculture reversed DR..
| Wlley's ruling. The board ruled
that benzoate of soda could be used
by the packers and made no limita-
| tons as to the quantity. The pack
ers Immediately began to use ben
zoate Of soda and rush consignments
| OF embalmed beef to all states of the
union in which there were no state
laws on the subject. It happens that
the state Of Indiana has law pro-
hlblting the sale of food containing
! benzOate of soda as a preseryative
rood manufacturers started a suit
against the state in an attempt to
break down the barrier.
a." When l applied to the department
OF agriculture to send DR.. Wiley and
his assistants to Indiana to testify
4 IN behalf of the state the request
I was refused" declares Attorney
General Bingham of Indiana. "Yet
the department permitted and re-
| quested the members of the referee
/ board and their assistants to testify
IN the case against Indiana. The de-
/ partment said if | wanted the testi-
mony of DR.. Wiley and his assistants
l would have to come to Washington
and get it. When he came here this
week for that purpose the DEPART
ment informed US that we would
nave to get court order to comDel
the experts of the department to tes-
tify We appeared in court and the
department of agriculture was rep
resented by counsel to prevent our
getting this testimony. But the
court decided in our favor, and JUS
tice Barnard issued an order. Is it
not queer that the department of ag-
r1culture should thus hamper us in
our endeaTor to enforce pure food
laws? Think it over
Prof Charles H. laval chemist
for the Pennsylvania state and dairy
food division, had the following to
say on the ruling of the referee
board:
The process of usin0 benzofc acid
in preparing meat is an indication
that we are "oing back five thousand
years, for benzoin or it's products
has not been used in the preserva-
ton of flesh since the Egyptians
stopped embalming their dead"
In the meantime food manufac-
tuners are using benzoate of soda
IN increasing proportions, and a
tainted news bureau in Washington
is sending out newspaper articles to
all parts of the country telling how
beneficial benzoate of soda really is
to the human system.