Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-03-21
General Congressional News.

a..
General Congressional News
The Senate committee on finance Tuesday
morning amended the Aldrich bill to author
ize the Secretary of the Treasury to apply
surplus money in the treasury to the pur-
chase of United States bonds, or to the pre-
payment of interest on the public debt, and
ordered favorable report upon it. The
committee also authorized Senator Sherman
to report favorably the bill to wipe out the
charges against States for loans of 1886. 1t
amounts TO between twenty and thirty million
dollars.
The Senate committee on agriculture has
resumed his hearings upon the lard question.
Professor Wiley, chemist of the department
of agriculture, appeared and gave the COM
mttee the result of his microscopic exami
nation of the various samples of lard sub
mitted to him
( In reply to a question by Mr.. Blair, wit
ness stated that he had no reason to believe
that any of the ingredients contained in the
samples were injurious to the health. Cotton
seed oil was nearly identical in its qualities
to olive oil, and was equally as wholesome.
Butter, said the witness. was adulterated with
cotton seed oil, but not to any great extent.
The chief adulteration of butter was neutral
lard and beef stearine. Milk was adulter
ated mostly by water. In the city of Wash-
ington about 80 per cent. of the milk was
adulterated. The adulteration of milk was
chiefly accomplished by the removal of the
cream. One way to adulterate milk was to
milk the COW only two-thirds leaving most
of the cream in the udder. This was sold
as pure milk, while the remaining one-thrd
was MIXED and sold as cream. All the con-
dimeuts examined by him were adulterated
with peanut hulls. Beer and cider were
largely adulterated with salacillic acid which
was injurious to health.
F. b. Thurber of New York, in behalf of
the National Pure Food Association, argued
before the House Commerce Committee in
support of the Crisp bill for the establish
ment of national bureau to analyze and pub
lish the nature and extent of food adultera-
tons. He suggested an amendment striking
out the clause forbidding the transportation
of adultnrated food on the ground that 1t
would array against the measure all of the
transportation companies statement was
read to the committee, which was prepared
by Drs. Barcley and Edison of the Brooklyn
and New York boards of health, containing
n startling exhibit of the number of articles
of food and medicine adulterated. Mr.
Thurber did not claim that more than one
per cent. of the articles in common con-
sumption were adulterated, but he held that
that was enough to justify the passage of
the bill.
James Matthews and John Callahan, for
mer employees of Squire Co, pork pack
ers of Boston, Mass, appeared before the
House Committee on Agriculture this after
noon and testified that Squire ( Co. made
two qualities of lard. one pure and the other
4, l.,
Witnesses said they left Squire 4 Co. to
accept better positions with Fairbanks 4 Co.
which had been promised on the condition
that they would come here and testify.
Afiidavits were read showing that petro-
eum tanks were thoroughly cleansed, before
being used for cottonseed oil.
The House, Monday, passed Mr.. Dingley's
fractional currency silver certificate bill,
under a suspension of the rules, by vote of
LIS to 81 after Il sharp debate. The passage
of the bill by so large ma jority was some
what of surprise, because it was opposed
by the quiet influence of the Secretary
of the Treasury, who did not want
the trouble of the new issue, and by such
democratic leaders as Randall, Cox. Bacon
and Bland. and Scott, Mills and Brecken-
ridge who voted and worked against 1t. The
brunt of the fight for the bill was borne by
MIR. Diugley of Maine, aided by Mr.. Phelps
of New Jersey and Mr.. Dargan of South
Carolina.
The bill provides for the special fractional
silver certificates of the denomination OF ~,
Is and 25 cents. to be issued, paid and re-
ceived in the same manner as the 81 and 81
certificates. The Secretary of the Treasury
is authorized to make regulations for the
distribution and redemption of the certiti-
Gates.
The argument for the bill as presented by
Mr.. Dingley. was that there is a large aud
increasing demand for currency of frac-
tioual parts of dollar for transmission
through the mails. Seedsmen, publishers
and dealers in many articles already do a
large part of their business through the
mails. In addition to this, farmers and resi-
dents of rural districts at a distance from
noints of distribution, find it necessary to
largely use the mails for ordering and pay
ing for many articles that they can't buy at
home. and they are now Obliged to resort to
rost,ye STAMPS which are liable TO stick to-
,,e,her in warm weather: TO silver coins,
which attract attention to their letters and
increase the danger of loss, for it must be
remembered that only at one post office out
of eight can the postal note be obtained, and
oven this is announcement and expensive Tor
small sums.
The necessity for some such currency as
this bill provides is shown by the fact that
hundreds of seedsmen, grangcrs, and thous-
ards of farmers have asked for this conven-
ieuce. Objections to it are of little weight
compared with its advantages. The issue of
the fractional silver certificates will not tend
tn Withdraw fractional silver coin from cir
culation. as they will be mainly used for
transmission by mail and not for pocket
change. This has been the experience of
/ Canada. which has fractional currency IN ad-
d;tion to coin The fractional certificates
wont be issued to larger amount
than is desired for the public, as the demand
will ,auge the issue. and no more certificates
of oil denominations can be issued than there
are silver dollars deposited in the treasury
The people are simply given the choice OF
the denominations they want.
Col. Allen says it will add 5000 year
10 the revenue of the Lowell post office from
the Hood Sarsaparilla Co., who are compeii-
cd to take stamps from small dealers in the
country towns,
The President has nominated Strother NJ.
Stockslager of Indiana, to be commissioner
of general land Office, and Thomas }. Ander-
sen of Iowa to be assistant commissioner OF
the general land office
The friends of Gen. Hancock, who have
been active in their efforts to raise sufficient