Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1892-03-25
PURE FOOD AND DRUGS.
Salient Points of tho Bill Which Ha,
Passed tho Senafe.

Passed the Senate.
The Paddock pure food bill has been
passed by the Senate. Its object is to
secure along the lines of interstate
commerce the guarantees against fraud
ulent authorizations which are now fur
nished by some of the States and which
1T is in the power of all the other States
to provide for their citizens. Its most
salient terms are in substance that
every personIwho manufactures and de-
livers for shipment to any point outside
the State or Territory any drug or arti-
Gle OF food, and every person who exposes
for sale or delivers such drug or article
of food outside the State or Territory in
which it is manufactured, shall, on de-
mand, furnish n sample of the same for
examination or analysis under the direc-
ton of the Agricultural Department..
Such articles as are found to be adulter-
ated, within the meaning of the act,
and are transported OF being transported
from n State to another for sale and
are still in the original or unbroken
packages, shall be liable to be proceeded
against in the District Court Of the
United States and seized for confisca-
ton or condemnation. If condemned as
being adulterated they shall be sold,
and the proceeds. minus the costs
and charges, shall be paid into
the United States Treasury. A
trial by jury may be- demanded.
1t is believed by the advocates of the
measure that if it become a law this pro-
vision, which can be enforced against
the article itself, will effectually prevent
the transportation of fraudulent aduIter-
ations across State lines. They say
that with such a rod hanging over him a
man who is conscious of having in his
possession adulteratcd food within the
meaning of tho statute never will VEN
ture to send those goods across IL State
line for sale and disposal. 1t was ex-
planned by Mr.. Paddock that in framing
the measure sufficient care had been
taken in regard to the publication of
analyses SO as to prohibit the
mention of the name Of the person
or corporation that is under sus-
picion. There is to be no publica-
tion of such analysis until after the trial
n conviction of the person. There
will thus be no invitation to competitors
in trade or individuals who might
through spite work feel like entering
complaints against others who are
manufacturing different commodities to
inf. rm against them without sufficient
| reason.
The measure was strongly objected to
as tending 10 interfere with the con-
sumption of cotton-seed oil and some
other substances which are used in
compound food products on a large scale
and are widely claimed to be equally
healthful as the material for which they
are complete or partial substitutes. But
if such claim be a correct one the
products ought to be offered for sale on
their merits, and no honest manufacture
er should object to being obliged to label
or otherwise designate his goods in ac-
cordance with fact. The rights of con-
sumers of food and drugs ought to be
considered, and they constitute a much
more numerous class than the a
facturers and vendors put together.
The person who pays out his money for
an article has the right to know what he
is buying, to choose for himself whether
he or she will take the genuine thing or
another thing which is guaranteed to be
Just as good" Especially should this
right be jealousy guarded in the case of
material to be taken into the system.