Evening star., 1902-03-24
PURE FOOD HEARINGS
THEY CLOSED WITH THE TESTI-
MoNY GIVEN TODAY.
DR.. Hickling and Mr.. Wedderburn
Both Faored the Passage Of the
Hepburn Bill.


The pure food hearings which have been
| in progress for the past two weeks before
the House committee commerce came
to an end today, with the testimony of two
witnesses, when the committee took up the
subject in executive session.
Dr. -. Percy Htckling, practicing ply
sician Of this city. was the first speaker.
The committee was told by DR.. Hickling
that it was practically impossbility for
science to determine the exact effect on
the public health of food adulteration If
allowed to continue the general adultera-
| tion of food might develop into something
serious in the way of general deteriora-
ton Of health. For these general reasons
DIR. Hickling said, he believed those inter-
ested in the general public health had a
right to demand that any substitution in
| food products, whether harmful or not,
should be presented by law. He believed
| the Hepburn bill would accomplish this de-
sired result.
Mr.. Wedderburn's Testimony.
Mr.. Alexander ]. Wedderburn corre-
spending secretary of the National Pure
Food Congress- concluded the hearings on
the subject by an argument in favor of the
| of the people of the country were in favor
of the Hepburn bill.
He went on to give history OF the bill
presented by Col. Hepburn in the House
| and by Senator Hansbrough in the Senate
| This bill was first introduced in the House
| by Gen. w. H. f. Lee OF Virginia and In
| the Senate by Senator Faulkner in the Fiji
| tieth Congress. 1t passed the Senate In The
| Fifty-second Congress. The bill has been
| reported from seven committees Of the
| House and eight of the Senate, and has
| been indorsed by all kinds Of organizations
| in every state and territory in the United
States. including the National and State
| Oranges. the National Alliance. the National
| Board of Trade, the National Confectoners
| the National Brewers, the National Liquor
| Dealers, the American Pharma ceutical So
| ciety, the National Wholesale Druggists the
Association of Official Agricultural Chemists
| and many others, including thirty-five ma
| tiOnal and over one hundred state and mu-
| nicipal organizations, and by three of the
| four Secretaries Of Agriculture, including
| the present one.
He argued that there was no question as
| to the fact that adulteration existed, botn
| harmful and fraudulent. the one a crime
! against health the other a crime against
l the pocket.
| Estimating the weekly consumption of
| food, drugs and drinks to only be 50 for
each of the I5OO0OO0 of people, and esti
! mating the injurious adult teration to be
| only per cent of the consumption, the cost
| to the country for poisonous adulteration
! every year was $156, 900 OOO and estimating
the fraudulent adulterations or misbrand-
| tngs at only 10 per cent, the loss from this
1 source was $1,17o, ,000, 600. This, he thought,
! was below rather than above the mark, al
| though part of this sum was realized by the
| manufacturer and part by the producer
| Of the products used
He opposed the Corliss bill on the ground
| less Office and bureau. 1t took the power
| from the Secretary o. Agriculture and
! created an autocrat who had power to kin
any industry or individual, firm, or to
| allow any one Of these to go free of in
spection or restriction at the will of the
| commissioner, who had unlimited power to
| make or kill any one he chose.
| On the other hand the Hepburn bill pro-
| vides for proper branding, proper restric-
tions, under the control of a cabinet officer,
| who was empowered to call to his assist
| nent men In the country. composed of ply
| sicians of the army, the navy, the marine
hospital service and two others selected
by the President, and five to be selected
by the Secretary of Agriculture from the
| scientific and business interests Of the coun-
| try. All persons interested in fixing
standard would be permitted to appear be-
fore this board. and if not satisfied with it's
| decisions could appeal first to the secretary
| and then to the courts, which under this
| bill were the final resort. The bill created
no useless office it placed the work where
| 1t rightfully belonged in the bureau where
| 1t had been conducted for years. with salts
| fact1On ana success. IL QenneS dQulteraIlOn
along the lines of the English and other
| European laws, and also practically the
same as the great states Of the country
After concluding the hearings on the pure
| food question today the House committee
| on commerce decided by a vote of to 2 TO
make a favorable report on the Hepburn
pure food BILL Those who voted for the
| bill In committee were Messrs. Hepburn,
Richardson of Alabama. Tompkins Wanger,
| Fletcher, Ryan and Lowering.
| Mr. Mann and Mr.. Adamson voted against
the measure.
Provisions of the Bill.
The Hepburn bill prohibits the introduc-
ton into any state from another state or
the shipment abroad of any article of food
or drugs which is adulterated or mis-
branded. The Agricultural Department is
given supervision over the analyzing, etc, to
determine questions Of adulteration and Is
| to have the assistance Of board Of food
| experts, chosen from the army and navy
medical service, the marine hospital SER
| vice and from scientists In chemistry, hy
| giene, commerce and manufactures The
| bill also gives specific definitions Of adul-
terations as applicable to certain foods and
fenses against the various provisions, the
| confiscation of adulterated goods in certain
cases and the administrative detail for
| rying out the measure.
| The committee took no vote on the Cor
lfss and Mann bills, which have been urged
| as alternatives for the Hepburn bill. The
| vote the latter measure was to i, Mr..
| Adamson (Ga.) casting the negative vote.
|