Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-04-23
Sugar with Starch
Continued from Page One)

in a solemn warning to American
consumers by DR.. Harvey w. Wiley,
noted pure food champion, contain
ed in the current issue of Good
Housekeeping magazine, published
today.
DIR. Wiley, in declaring that the
move is an opening wedge to a
threatened notification of other pro-
visions of the food law, charges that
the legislation is backed by lobby
from the corn growing interests and
is a move to bolster the price of
corn by affording an outlet for sur
plus corn starch adulterants.
Says Nation Will Protest
Final passage of the law by the
House of Representatives, Wiley de-
clares. will constitute the first or
ganized, purposeful attempt on the
part of Congress to undo the good
work which characterized the form
ing and passing of the Pure Food
and Drugs Act of 1906.
Every laboring man. every me-
chanic, every artisan, every banker,
every railroad employee, every farm
er not producing corn, every farm
~ - WIZ, CNCiS (IuD, Sh-
cry medical society and, in fact, ev-
cry one of our 115,OO0,000 inhabit-
ants who is capable of raising a
voice will protest against this legis-
lation If it should finally become
law.
eff we once begin to break down
| the wise provisions of the Pure Food
act, permitting one class of our
n 10 .
other classes, legalizing adulteration
which will not be made known to
the country at large, we may well
give up hope of ever restoring the
Food Law to it's original purpose.
| namely to protect the American
consumer both in regard to his
health and the planning of his do
| nestle budget.
when we consider the attitude
OF Congress in 1906 in passing a law
Tor protecting the people from i'm,
proper trade processes, and when we
ma that the vote was almost unan-
lmous in both houses, the wonder
will grow why the Congress of 1870;
would undo this legislation by legal
izing an adulteration which other
wise could not have obtained any
wide vogue and would certainly have
peen contrary to existing law.
THE general effect of discovery
OF this wact would not be calcu-
ldteo 10 increase the confidence of
our people IN our legislative bodies. -
In describing the chemical, nature
OF the proposed adulteration of su-
gar by processed corn starch. Dr..
Wiley says:
This proposition which has been
approved by the Senate permits the
INTRODUCTION OF artificial dextrose
made by treating corn starch with
aclo IN place of the natural dextrose
coming from starch by the digestive
processes. In other words, it offers
the human organism pre-digested
starch.
Pre.Oieested Starch Deleterious
1t Is the universal opinion of
dletlclans and psychologists that if
we feed the human animal pre-
dlgested food we take away from
mat animal the power of digesting
food in the natural way. Hence, if
we pre-digest our starch and then
give it to the human animal to eat.
we shall. in the end, destroy ali
power of digesting starch.
Therefore, to promote the indis-
crlminate use of pred igested starch
by the thousands of tons is a direct
attack upon the health of every one
OF our 115,000,000 inhabitants.
In the production of this glucose,
all other materials which are useful
and beneficial to health, and which
originally were joined to the corn
starch, have been eliminated, and a
product substituted which has no
trace of any tissue building charac-
ter, no nourishment for bones Or
teeth, nor material out Of which
nerve and brain can be made; no
vitamins which are so essential to
complete digestion and health, and
no minerals without which our foods
would be. wholly useless.
Nevertheless, if the object is sim
ply to promote the sale of corn pro-
ducts, the Congress ought to append
TO the bill just passed by the Senate
clause repeating all existing res
trlct1ve legislation, so that the pro-
ducts of corn starch may again be
mixed with wheat flour without
notice to the consumer. thus vastly
increasing the market for corn pro-
ducts. The restrictions which for
bid the mixture of glucose with our
honey should be repealed in like
HidHllei, SO mere announcer enormous
market could be found.
IF all these concessions should be
made, there might be very consid-
cradle increase in the price of corn
to the corn grower. This increase
in the price of their product would
not pay one tenth of the injury done
to the American consumer. No
amount of benefit to one branch of
agriculture could ever pay such a
bill of damages"
DR.. Wiley states that the chairman
OF the House committee on Inter-
state and Foreign Commerce has
promised him a hearing on the pend
ing Senate legislation when it comes
before this committee for action.
His Good Housekeeping expose urges
public health bodies, women's con-
sumer organizations and others con-
cerned in public health and welfare
to asitate against passage of the
amendment.