The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-21
FOOD BILL IS PASSED
VOTE ON HEPBURN MEASURE
 IS POI TO 68.
Opponents Not Strong Enough to Secure a Roll Call on Fnai Vote. Army Appropriations
 are Reported.

Washington, Jan 20.-The House passed the Hepburn pure food bill today on q rising vote. POI to 6S, its opponents being unable to secure a roll call. The amendment inserting the word
 'willful" with reference to persons who sell adulterated or misbranded goods and l which would have compelled the Govern ment to prove intent to violate the law | by the vendors was stricken out on q yea and nay vote.
 Several attempts were made to amend the bill, but no material changes were made.
 The bill fixes the standards of foods
 and drugs as to their purity, strength and character and what should be considered adulterations and misbranding of foods and drugs It also prohibits interstate commerce, importation and exportatlon of
 such misbranded or adulteratcd articles.
 It is proposed to enlarge the scope of the Bureau of Chemistry to include the Bureau of Foods and impose upon it the duty of performing all chemical work for the other executive departments. This bureau will be charged with the duty of inspecting food and drug products which belong to interstate or foreign com | merce.
 One section of the bill provides penalties for tke introduction of adulterated foods
 
 other section requires the Secretary of Agriculture to prescribe rules to govern the Director of the Bureau of Chemistry l and foods in examination of articles re- uuired to be violated under the law Vlo- lations of the law shall be reported by l the Secretary of Agriculture to the proper
 district attorney of the United States who is to direct the case.
 The session opened with the House in continuation of yesterdays sitting of the committee of the whole. Section 3 was amended by striking out the provisions that the certificate of the Secretary of Agriculture showing the results of an analysis in cases where 1t appears that the act had been violated, shall be ad- mitted in evidence in ali courts of the United States without further verifica- tion." The amendment was adopted only after a long legal debate.
 MT. Clark (Mo) was supported in his opposition to the provisions by members of both sides of rhe House. MT. Hepburn said it was the purpose in framing the bill to impose penalties and not to get up measure without prohibition or penalty as some dealers might desire. On motion of MT. Butler (Rep., In.), the
 bill was then ordered favorably reported to the House. As soon as the bill was reported MT Hepburn moved an amend ment eliminating the amendment adopted yesterday on motion of Mir. Stephens (Dem.. TeXas). which made 1t necessary to show "willful" intent on the part of persons in prosecuting Mir. Hepburn said that with the Stephens amendment in the bill it would be entirely inefficaGous as a law. The Hepburn amendment was agreed to by d vote of 145 to 126.
 The bill then was passed by rising
 vote of POI to 6s. the yeas and nays being refused.
 MT. Hull of Iowa, Chairman of tte Commitce on Military Affairs, reported
 the army appropriation bill and gave mo- tice that he would call 1t up tomorrow. MT. Payne. Chairman of the Ways and
 Means Committee, reported a substitute
 for the Hitchcock resolution calling on the Secreterv of the Treasury to furnish the House information regarding the num- Der of carriages furnished his Department at Government expense.
 TEe substitute Mir. Payne explained,
 called for the same information as the
 original resolution. It was agreed to- MT. Zenor CDem., Ind) was granted forty-five minutes to speak oh good roaus He maintained that the general govern ment should bean OO per cent. of the cost of construction of the public highways. At 5.30 D. m the House adjourned