The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-02-17
LOBBYISTS BLOCK
PURE FOOD Bill
Public at Mercy Of Adulterated
Food Manufacturers Who
Rule Senate.
BY w. w. Jermane.

BY w. w. Jermane.
Washington, Feb. 17.-For practical
ly the whole of the present session of
congress the pure-food bill, passed by
the house year ago, has been before
the senate, and, Notwithstanding its
unusual merits, the chances for it's pas
sage are slender. The opposition it is
encountering shows strikingly to what
extent the United States senate is un-
der the influence of a lobby of whisky
rectifers, manufacturers Of adulter-
ated foods and beverages and promoters
of profitable drug frauds. This lobby
seems about to accomplish it's purpose,
! jority Of the senate fayors the bill and
desires to have it brought to vote. g
The bill s chief opponents in the SEN
ate are members representing: eastern
| states, where number Of firms which
the proposed legislation would affect
unfavorably are located. These sena-
4 tors take the ground that they are rep
resenting important home interests,
which have large sums invested and are
they term discriminatory legisla-
ton. - Added to these few republican
members are few southerners who
oppose the bill on the broad ground that
it purposes to extend the jurisdiction Of
the federal government, to which, as
state 's-rights adherents, they object.
This democratic opposition might, with
proper management, be overcome. Not
so with the republican opposition, which
is standing pat, and, under the absurd
senate rules, is able to make it's oppo-
sitiOn effective.
Strongest Foes Of Bill.
| The whiskyblending interest is the
strongest single opponent Of this bill,
which would unmask all rectified and
dishonesty labeled goods and cut down
the profits Of the whisky trust. The
next strongest opponents are certain
patent-medicine men. The bill. as
amended in the senate, makes a defni-
ton OF certain drugs which are outside
the American pharmacopoeia, and the
patent-medicine men fear their goods
may be excluded from sale. Then there
are, certain manufacturers of canned
| FOODS, who seem afraid to submit their
products to. the bills test.
vor the bill, the remaining one-ffth can
prevent action, under the senate rules.
| Ihe short time that remains before ad-
Journment, and the press Of the Swayne
| helps.
But the bill will not be dropped. 1t
will be introduced in the next congress,
and an earnest effort will be made to
push it thru both houses. By that
time the public may have learned more
about the bill than it now knows, and
thus, bring some of the opposing senat-
ors to time.
Senate Is inconsistent.
| This attitude of the senate is incon-
slstent with legislation enacted several
years ago. At that time there was a
great cutlery because Of the adulterated
! and deleterious character of many i'm
ported oa food products and drinks:
law, providing rigid inspection of all
such importations, and it's operation
has been highly satisfa ctory. Treasury
and agricultural department. experts are
incoming food products and liquors are
subjected to an inspection which deter
mines whether they are fit to be taken
into the human stomach. This legisla-
tion was timely, for the reports Of the
early inspections show that thousands
importations are now we'll within the
| requirements Of the law. -.
The inconsistency Of congress lies in
the fact that it has been willing to pro-
| tect the American consumer from aduI-
terated foreign foods and liquors, while
| domestic articles.
Inception Of the Bill.
In the winter Of 1888 and 1889 the
pure-food and drug congress of the
United States held it's annual session
in Washington. Its delegates were men
of the highest standing in their respect,
| previously been directed toward the en-
actment and enforcement Of pure-food
laws in the several states. The question
came up of supplementing this state
| work by an act: of congress, and out Of
| the discussion came the draft of ma
tional purefood bill, introduced in the
fenss FIAT has Br SsSn tS Sf
basis Of all subsequent. pure-food bills
The Hepburn bill, which passed the
house in the last session, conformed
closely to the original Brosius bill.
While it was being considered in the
house, Senator McCumber Of North Da
kota, chairman of the committee on
manufactures, introduced a. pure-food
BILL also based on the. Brosius bill, but
unlike it in the definitions Of adulter-
ated foods and drugs. It makes another
departure from the Brosius bill, which
authorized the secretary Of agriculture
| to determine pure-food standards and
compel all manufacturers and others to
conform to them.
Purpose of McCumber Bill.
The McCumber bill has two prime OBJ
jects in view: To set out in the act it.
self what are impure and adulterated
foods, and to prevent interstate COM
merce in them. The McCumber bill
would unmask all adulterated articles
before permitting them to cross state
lines. The secretary Of agriculture is
not charged with any duty Of fixing
standards, but he is to investigate
charges Of adulteration and report all
| breaches Of the law to the department.
Of Justice for the action. LIZ
! When the Hepburn bill was sent to
| the senate, it was referred to the manu-
features committee, which reported the
| McCumber bill as substitute, and it
| is this substitute that certain senators
! are holding up. Letters and petitions
have come in by hundreds and thous-
ands, but the handful Of senators who
! have it in their power to keep the
bill from coming to vote, are not re-
sponsive, and the letter and petition
propaganda is largely a waste Of time.
PRAYER TRUST STIRS