Violating the Pure Food Law
By J. N. Q.
THE spirit of selfishness reveals itself in various ways, and a rehearsal of these would necessitate considerable space. A recent revealing of it in Philadelphia is worthy of note, as it met with a deserved rebuke on the part of the authorities of that city. A commission merchant who sold eggs unfit for food was sentenced to three months in the county prison for violation of the pure food law, and the senior member of another firm was fined five hundred dollars on the same charge. In pronouncing the sentence, Judge Barrett said:— The people of Pennsylvania demand pure food; and, as far as able, the court must see that they obtain it. You have had a fair trial, and the jury has convicted you of selling rotten eggs. You sold them deliberately and intentionally and to make a profit, showing an indifference as to whether or not the public would be injured. The big wholesaler and the little retailer stand on the same plane before this court. It must be understood that the law against the sale of impure foods is not a dead issue. Several other violations of the pure food law were dealt with by the same court, and it is to be hoped that the effect on those who handle the food supply of the city will be salutary.