The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-12-19
Products from Philippines Can
be Brought in rs Per Cent
Less Than DingIey Rates
PURE FOOD BILL MADE
A CONTINUING ORDER
Acanson of Georgia Opposes the Bill
On the Grounds That States
Are Able to Deal With
the Situation.

washington, December 1S.-The house
today passed the bill to reduce the duties
on the products of the Philippine Islands
coming into the United States from 70
per cent of the Dingley rates (the present
duties) to 25 per cent of those rates
The discussion of the bill was accom-
panied by considerable maneuvering on
the democratic side to secure test votes
on various amendments designed to lower
the tariff barrier still further, and re-
cord vote was forced on motion to re-
commit with instructions to report
bill providing for absolute free trade
with the exception of Mr.. Mccall (re-
publican of Massachusetts, who voted
with the democrats.
The discussion of the pure food bill
has been made a continuing order, until
finally disposed Of Mr.. Tompkins of
Ohio and Mr.. Adamson of Georgia opened
the debate respectively for and against
the bill. Mr.. Gardner of Massachusetts,
opposed the BILL The Mccall resolution,
calling on the state department for the
correspondence in the Venezuelan em-
broglio, was adopted at the beginning OF
the session.
Pure Food Bill.
When the house took up the consider
alton of the bill to prevent the adultera-
ton mis-branding and imitation of foods,
beverages, cand1es, -drugYr~U41d condi-
ments in the District of Columbia and the
territories, known as the pure food bill,
it was arranged that Mr.. Hepburn should
control the time for debate for the meas
ure and Mr.. Adamson of Georgia against
It, Mr.. Tompkins, Ohio. who reported the
bill, said it was the embodiment of the
views not only of the majority of the
members of the committee, but of a vast
majority of all persons and associations
that have fought to prevent fraud and
injury In the sale Of food products and
drugs that come within the interstate
commerce.
The bill, he said, did not prohibit the
manufacture or sale Of any food product,
not deleterious, however adulterated, nor
prohibit the sale of adulterated drugs,
but it does provide that all adulterated
foods and drugs shall be placed on the
market under their true names and in
such manner as to advise the purchaser
what he is getting He referred to the
revelations before the committee, where
it was shown that fraud and deception
was practiced in foods not suspected of
being other than genuine by the general
public,
Adamson Opposes 1t.
Mr.. Adamson opposed the bill, taking
the ground that the states could deal
adequately with the situation. He said
he believed thoroughly in the protection
of the public against fraud, but he did
not believe in imposing the task on the
federal government. No one could con-
tend, he said, that a state could punish
common cheats and swindlers If they de-
ceived in that they sold one thing and
delivered another.
Mr.. Gardner of Massachusetts opposed
the bill. He declared that it would in
terfere materially with many legitimate
industries. Boracic acid, he said, was
used in the preservation of Goldfish and
under the terms of the bill, probably
would be regarded as deleterious to health
by the government chemists. He said he
would offer an amendment to meet this
objection to the bill. In conclusion he
said there was great deal of humbug
about the outcry against adulterated
foods. If we ate adulterated food, he
said, we did not want to know it any
more than we wanted to know the un-
healthful conditions with which we were
sometimes surrounded.
He said he believed the anti-spitting
and other so-called health regulations
and ordinances were over done. Without
action on the bill, the house at 4:35 ad-
journed.