The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-02-24

YESTERDAY IN CONGRESS.
Senators Talk of prohibition and the Adul.
teration of Food.

| Senators Talk Oh fIOA- .&AAeA blc <auuA-
teration of Food.
WASHINGTON. February 23.-Not a
| quarter of the Senators were present at
todav,s session. The bill to fix the COM
| pensation Of keepers and crews of life
saving stations was passed. Keepers of
life saving stations, except stations known
as houses of refuge, are to be paid 5000
per year, and members OF the crews of
| the stations to be paid s65per month dur
ing the time the stations are manned.
The Senate bill to provide for a COM
mission on the subject of the alcoholic
liquor traffic was read at length and
passed without dissent. Mr.. Vest re-
marked as to the impropriety of such an
| important bill being passed, with only
some half dozen senators present Mr..
FRYE said like bill had passed the SEN
ate eight times. The question was again
put on the passage OF the bill and only
two Senators were heard to vote, Mr..
Frye for and Mr.. Vest against it. The
vote was again taken ana some half dozen
senators were heard to say aye or no and
the noes seemed to have it. The yeas
and nays were asked for by Mr.. Voorhees,
| who suggested that the bill should be
either explained by Nj. Frye or be laid
aside for the present. -
Mr.. Frye said the senator from Wyo-
ming Mr.. Carey was chairman of the
committee that reported the bill.
Mr.. Carey assented to the bill being
laid aside for the present and that course
was pursued.
The bill to prevent the
Adulteration and DIisbrandinr
of food and drugs was then taken'up. Mr..
Paddock, in charge of it, made some brief
remarks in its support. All the bill
aimed to do was to make it impossible,
as far as legislation might do so, for any
article of food or drink, Or any drug, to
be sold for what it was not. The bill
was aimed at no honest product and dis
criminated against nothing.
Mr.. Bate argued against the BILL He
believed that laws for preventing adulte-
ration and misbrandfng should be made
by state legislatures. He found the pay
OF inspectors and laborers at every rail-
road station, assuming the stations, to be
10 miles apart, would amount to over
$27, 200, 900 year. The proposed meas
IRE, he feared, was only an excuse for
impure politics. 1t conferred on the Ag-
ricultural Department possibilities to
corrupt politics by commissioning a null
titude of employees disguised as pure
food inspectors, stationing them as vi
dettes along the railroads, of course at
places convenient to voting precincts.
Mr.. Coke also opposed the bill. He
said the undertaking would add eHor-
mously to the expenditures of the gov
ernment. The bill attempted an utterly
impracticable thing-that of regulating
and taking care Of the food, drink and
medicine of IS, 5,0O0, 900 people. 1t would
overrun the country with spies and in
formers. Chemists and inspectors would
have to be everywhere. Even then the
attempt would be a failure. The pc ople
would never accept 5ife dictum of a
i Washington bureau as TO what they could
eat or drink, or what medicine they
could use. sP
/ Mr.. Paddock declared that Mr.. Bates
estimate as to the expense of admins
tering the bill
Was Most Extravagant.
The Secretary of Agricultural asked for
100000 to defray the entire expense for
year. On the basis of the expense of
administering like law in Massachu-
sets, the cost of administering the pend
ing measure would not exceed $50, 600.
All the Agricultural Department would
have to. do, would be to have articles
complained of analysed. The idea of
having inspectors at every railroad sta
ton was absurd.
Mr.. Paddock read resolutions and
memorials from legislatures and organ
izations in various parts of the country
in favor of the bill. AS to the assertion
that adulterations could not be prevented,
Mr.. Paddock asked whether the fact that
prevented would justify the failure to
pass laws for the punishment of such
crimes.
Mr.. Bate asked whether the fact that
states were unable to prohibit murders
and burglaries would justify the general
government in trying to do SO in the
state.
Without action on the bill the Senate
adjourned.
To Amend Naturalization Laws.
WASHINGTON, February 23.-The
Oates naturalization bill was today acted
upon by the House judiciary committee.
Mr.. Oates was authorized to report the
bill favorably to the House. The most
radical changes in the existing laws are
the abolition of the declaration of in
tention'' and the requirement that natu-
ralization proceedings shall take the
form of court trial. in which five
years residence, ability to read the Con-
stitution and the absence of certain NOR
al disqualifications to citizenship must be
proved.
will Be Adversely Reported.
WASHINGTON, February 23.-The SEN
ate committee on finance today ordered
an adverse report made upon Senator
Coke's bill to amend the laws in regard
to national banking associations. Only
three members of the committee were
favorably inclined towards the bill. The
measure proposes to wipe out the nation
al bank circulation replacing it with
treasury notes. 1t permits banks to lend
money on real estate security, interest
not to exceed per cent in any case and,
in the absence OF stipulation, to be fixed
at 6 per cent.