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Adulteration

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International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Mar 26, 1885

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 11, No. 13.

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Adulteration.

PROBABLY no people in the world suffer so much from adulteration as do the Americans. Our food, our clothing, our medicines—everything we eat, drink, and wear—is so adulterated that we can have no confidence in the purity of anything we buy. There is here and there a State that has laws for the punishment of this crime, but most of the people throughout the nation are unprotected and absolutely at the mercy of unscrupulous manufacturers and unprincipled dealers. The adulteration of articles of food is the worst phase of this lamentable business. Were this confined entirely, as it is only partially, to the introduction of harmless ingredients, it would not be so bad, though even this is an offense against the public and should be treated as such. But when ingredients are used that are positively injurious, as is often the case, the offense becomes criminal in the highest degree, and the perpetrators deserve no consideration. There can be no question as to our being an easy-going and long-suffering people. Were we not so, this condition of things would not be tolerated for a moment. The people have the remedy in their own hands, and the day will come when, provoked to action, they will force their representatives to pass laws for the punishment of this crime. In the meantime we who recognize and deplore the evil should agitate the question, work up public opinion in relation to it, and so hasten the time of our relief. We commend the subject to the Challenge, the Voice, and all other organs of the Prohibitionists, as quite as worthy of their advocacy as the measure they have most at heart; and we earnestly hope that the press of the country generally will take this subject up, and insist upon proper legislative action. The proposed bill in the Colorado Legislature concerning spurious butter is in the right direction, but we need a general law applying to all adulteration.—Western Churchman.