The evening times., 1899-01-18
ADVOCATES OF Pure
FOOD ASSEMBLE
Proceedings of the Opening
Days Session.
Delegates Welcomed TO the City by
Commissioner Wight.
Address of National President JOS
cph A.. blackburn and Local
President Frank Hume.

Inc delegateS assembled In the hall long
before that hour, and the registration of
names. together with the issuance of tick
cts and badges, occupied great deal of
time.
Several hundreds members of the con-
gress were seated in the hail when Rev.
Byron Sunderland offered fervent prayer
for the successful issue of all the questions
TO be considered.
Commissioner John b. Wight was then
introduced, and welcomed the delegates to
the city on behalf of the people of Wash
ington. During the course of his remarks
MIR. Wight said:
Mr. President and Members Of this Congress
the Commissioners of the District take great
pleasure in welcoming you to the Capital City
We remember you with us last year, and
we took great interest IN your proceedings This
interest has been greatly increased 10y the bill
before Congress. Senator EvaTts said
that il the difference in the wins at the
various dinners he WAS forced TO attend that
troubled him, but the indifference of them /
suppose that is the way with you. Of all the
cereals and prepared foods and drugs in the I'M
ted States il Is not the different kinds that inter
est you, but the indifferent articles and these
you want TO eliminate.
We thank you for trying to save for us on.
families and our happiness and IT gives me the
greatest pleasure, l repeat, TO welcome you 10
This, the Capital City Of the nation.
dress the delegates were again welcomed
TO the city on behalf of the local Pure
Food and Drug Association by its presi-
dent Frank Hume, who said:
A. chairman OF the local advisory committee,
behalf Of the delegates from the District of
Columbia, il gives me great pleasure to welcome
You TO civ Every American naturally feels
al home in the National Capital as tins Dis
trict Is owned by the entire nation, and MAS, as
you all know. ST apart 10y the fathers as the
locality to Dc owned and controlled forever hy
the Government itself Independent OF all states.
but dependent upon them. The people oi the
District OF Columbia feel that il i not only
privilege but pleasure for them to welcome the
citizens Of the different States when gathered IN
our midst
A year ago today there met 1t the National
Hotel committee Of gentimen. self-constltutcd,
ii vnu please. who. after discussing the growing
evil of food and drug aduiteration believed thst
Ihc welfare OF all OF the people of the United
States demanded That some effective effort should
bc made to secure the enactment OF a national
law "i..-l would enable honorable men To re
main IN business That committee believed that
. product. matter how good, how heathful or
low aPIctiziug useful il might be, should he
willing sail under lis proper name. and ap-
peal 10 the public confidence and public patron
asc - honest product and not dishonest
oEe. Adu!tcration had become so common, mis-
branding and substitution - universal, and the
rapid increase alarming. that it was felt that
something should be done relieve the stu
Iion. ard u compel the proper branding %: all
udcr these conditions that committee issued i
cal i1r q Pure Food ana Drug Congress, To a.
~rmble in iHe ity OF Washington on the 2d 'ay
al March. l~g4. The result of that cal. most
satisfactory. Gentlemen assembled from thirty
States OF Ills iniou, and carefully considered
thc question presented 10 them. and after DAYS
81 debciation and thought, united with the
most remarkable un3nImltN III recommending the
adoption Oi a bin tor the prevention of nIishrand-
ing and adultcIation Gf food and drug products
II Of qualification 10 the local com
mini fi11F call had ted 50
fully They felt that they had done their full
duly when they surrendered 10 the national or
g4uization. and thus called into existence an or
ganization which repreSl ntpd thirty States. and
nearly every important industry engaged in The
production, sale and manufacture OF the products
upon which man depends tor life ard health
The same committee, under the direction OF this
body. has during the past year acted as the local
advisory committee Of the National Pure Food
and Drug Congress. II has been our pleasant
duty 10 assist in bringing together this present
gathering, and il l. further pleasure well
come you 10 our midst, and bid you God-Specd
IN the great work you nave in hand.
II seem, arspCious Il know that il not
done by design that you should assemble in this
city the anniversary OF the day which the
local committee first met and set in motion the
machinery which has resulted successfully up
10 the present Iime and which, by your help and
thaJ Of the people Of this land, enabled
70 believe viii induce Congress at no distant day
enact "a law which much need.
Adultcration j. something which, even in its
iniidcst forms, no honorable man contend
which does injury 10 the consumer who Is thus
induced 10 part with his money for something
which he has mol asked for. but it prevents men
who are trying 10 make a living, and At the same
time do IN honest business, from succeeding. IL
would be useless 10 dwell upon the MANY evils
oi adultcFati0n. and especially in addressing a
body Of this character. who familiar with
them. and shall therefore not occupy your time
but simply urge you TO 80 on in the good work in
which you have done so well, and have carried
on mp to the present time so persistently and
earnestly. and, rs ne all trust, so successfully
1t Is probable that a single member Of
this body, any other well-informed friend Of
proper branding and pure drugs, would desire
10 prevent the manipulation Of these products
because IL would be real injury AdmiKtures
which not detrimental 10 health are oft,s;
of very great benefit. Many proprietary products
among the best that as sold. but while ad-
mittg this, reason exists that such products
good, bad or Indifferent should be misbranded.
and this i the great matter, / understand it,
that this congress has in view, and most hear
tily trust that YOU will continue your good work
until YOU have not only seen the lawmakers of
nation place upon the statutes laws to rem
cdy the existing evils but until the States enact
uniform laws, and we see that they are properly
executed, this movement should spread through
ont this great nation, not only into the States
but into every locality, until men who
gagged in ilegitimate trade and fraudulent prac-
tices made TO understand that othello's occu-
patton has passed away.
Trusting that your visit in Washington may
prove pleasant, and assuring you that every dele
gate from Washington will be only too glad to
aid in making il 50, and that the work of the
present assemhlage mSy be harmonious and
painstaking and earnest its predecessor on bc-
half of our committee and the delegates from the
District, i again bid you welcome.
President Blackburn then read his en-
nual address, follows:
The question Of what we shall cat has been
neglected subject ever since Eve ate the apple in
The Garden of Eden. What a myriad of evils
would have been avoided had not the first OF all
plre-food laws been violated.
The measures here 10 consider is not Of
fercd a all in any sense. No one, not
even its most ardent friends consider il a pana-
for all the ills that afiict food supply
Neither do we think that the twin sister of
fraud-the hsrlot adulteration-will be an impos
sible creature when this bill becomes a law
Since the great lawciver of Mount Sinai issued
thai immortal edict: ''Thou shalt not steal'' men
have stolen, and viii steal, until the end of
time.
The Declaration of Independence claimed all
men were created free and equal; that they were
endowed by their Creator with certain inalien-
aide rights. yet slavery existed for three-quarters
ot i century after the adoption and recognition of
that doctrine. The most sacred laws of God and
daily, hourly violated. and | am sure
there those who Will attempt 10 violate this
important and righteous measure.
While this bill does not do all We could wish
does moi meet all the objections that have been
OF Will be raised against it, il will and does do
much that needs 10 be DONE and will be certain
10 render adulteration hazardous less profitable,
and exposure quick and certain | think the
least observing and the most skeptical will agree
that il is high time that the many State meas
ures 10 protect the public health and secure puri-
ty in food, should have their PRINCIPAL fea-
lures crystallized into national statute that all
States may engraft their legislative twigs on the
national Aine, and thus develop the fruits of
legislation harmonious, progressive and uni