The Indianapolis journal., 1903-12-07
PURE-FoOD LEGISLATION.

r Washington dispatches indicate a coming
fight over the Hepburn pure-food bill.
which passed the House at the last ses-
sion Of Congress and was favorably re-
ported to the Senate. A conference of State
pure-food representatives and of large
manufacturing interests which met I'm
Washington last month, adopted a memo
rial asking Congress to pass this bill.
which has been again introduced in both
houses at the present session.
The subject is one of Importance to the
people as well as to manufacturers and
dealers. and has received much attention
from Congress in recent years. The public
has been hearing a good deal Of late about
the law which authorizes the secretary OF
agriculture. with the aid of chemical ex-
perts. to exclude from the United States all
imported foods and beverages which are
adulterated I'm a manner or which are false
ly labeled as to their character place Of
terated and imitation wines have already
been excluded under this law. as well as
some foods. But, singularly enough, we
have no law prohibiting the sale of i'm
ported goods which may be adulterated
after their importation. and none to prevent
the aduIteration or false labelling OF goods
Of domestic manufacture. That is what the
Hepburn bill aims to do.
Some points in the case are already well
covered. Thus a law passed by the last
Congress to stop the manufacture of New
York full cream cheese In Illinois, Wis
consin and other Western States. provides:
That no person or persons company or
corporation. shall introduce into any State
or Territory OF the United States the
District OF Columbia from any other State
or Territory of the United States or the
District of Columbia, or sell In the District
| OF Columbia or in any Territory, any dairy
| or food products which shall be falsely la
beIed or branded to the State or Terri
| tory In which they are made, produced or
| grown. or cause or procure the same to be
done by others.
Very good cheese is made in the West
| but the manufacturers have no right to
label and sell 1t as New York full cream
| cheese" Congress has right to protect
the people against that sort of imposition
and ought to do 1t. The section above
| quoted applies to any dairy food prod
Il QctS mdnulbCluTcu III one STATE ana fdlSely
labeled or branded as having been made
In another State. Under IL tomatoes or any
other vegetable put up in Indiana could no,
be sold under a label indicating they were
canned in another State.
II is a curious fact that the most strin,
gent law enacted by Congress on this sub
ject is for the protection OF bottled whis
ky. Under an act Of March 81. 1887. known
as the bottiing and bond act. the United
States government affixes over the cork o.
every bottle of whisky put UP anywher,
in this country under government super
vision. a green strip stamp. which tells al
the facts about the whisky. as to age
proof. distiller. place of manufacture. etc
To get this government stamp. the whisk,
must never have been cut of the custod,
OF the government officials or the bondes
warehouses on the distillery premise
where IT was made. 1t must be at leas
four years old and free from adulteration
The green strip stamp of the goyernmen