The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1905-04-21
WASHINGTON LETTER.

$3.50 ~-~--~--
of Congress to secure favorable action by
the Senate on the Pure Food bill. While
the task which the western Senator has
set himself is not an easy one, there are
some indications that he may prove sue
cessful. His invariable good humor un-
der the most trying circumstances, his
pertinacity and his ability won the respect
of his colleagues last session and will
make it easier for him to command their
attention next winter, while his own in
creased experience in the ways of the
Senate will enable him to avoid the pit
falls which usually trap the new Senator.
~
Senator Hepburn is not crank. He
is merely fond of good living and likes to
be assured that what he eats is healthfnl
and pure. Moreover, he is convinced
that hundreds of children are killed as
the result of the sale of adulterated food
products, and drugs, particularly the lat
ter. Speaking of the legislation to which
he has devoted SO much time and atten-
ton and to which he will devote his
energies next winter, the Senator said to
your correspondent, "All that is needed
to complete the chain which will render
the sale of impure and adulterated food
products. liquors and drugs impossible
and their manufacture Improbable, is
this federal pure food bill. With one ex-
ception, every State in the Union has
adopted more or less efficient pure food
bill but no State can exercise full con-
troll over the adulterated manufacturers of
another State which enters its boundaries
in the "original package" The trainers
Of the constitution saw the necessity of
comforting on the federal government full
authority to deal with commerce between
the States. That was necessary to pre-
vent one State discriminating against the
products of another, as they did in the
days of the Federation. On the other
hand, men who deprived the States of
this power were wise enough to perceive
that authority to exercise it must be
vested in some portion of the government
and they conferred on the federal govern
ment all the power necessary to protect
the people against the manufacture and
sale Of impure and adulterated products.
IL Ouiy lCmdluS III SOuki 60 ~ CANiSiSC
that power and it is as much its duty to
protect the people from this danger as it
is to protect them from dangers of foreign
aggregression or invasion. Personally I
would as soon be killed by an eneny's
bullet as by fellow citizens adulterated
drug"
Asked if drugs were really adulterated
to an extent that might prove fatal the
Senator said, 81 will tell you of an ex-
perience that came to my notice here in
Washington, last winter. A physician
prescribed for child The prescription
was filed by reputable druggist and adj
ministered. The child instead of re
spending grew worse. The physician,
who was exceptionally skillful caused an
analysis of the drug to be made and the
result showed that it was half filler"
This filler, perhaps ordinarily harmless,
at least to an adult, except in that it |
diluted the dose by half, proved an irri- |
tant to the child's stomach and the ply |
stefan assures me would eventually have |
produced such serious irritation as to rem
der the stomach incapable of retaining |
any medicine whatever The ultimate |
result would doubtless have been the |
uCdtu VI LIE iittiS pdtiSuts ~ - ptSSioCiy
such criminal procedure as that which
would remedy aud which I believe the
pure food bill would prevent"
~
The most important and farreaching
event in Washington during the past
week has been the determination of the
Panama Canal Commission to reduce the
rates on the Panama railway to figure
sufficient to cover operating expenses and
pay fair dividend which will be con-
verted into sinking fund to repay the
United States the purchase price Of the
road; and the further decision that here
after freight and passengers shall be re-
ceived without discrimination from all
steamships or sailing lines which may
land them on the isthmus and shall be
delivered to such vessels al the other end
Of the route as the shippers may direct. or
the passengers may choose. In view of
the fact that the Panama railroad is lit
tie line less than rs miles long this may
seem unimportant but the refusal of the
Commission to discriminate between
steamship and sailing lines means much.
~
Years ago. that great railway promoter,
Coils P. Huntington secured virtual con-
troll of the Panama railway and by an
agreement which created monopoly, IL
surfing to certain water lines which agreed
to maintain rates, all the traffic carried by
the Isthmus railway, prevented effectual-
ly the fair competition of water lines with
the trans-continental railways. With free
competition it is maintained by railway
men that the freight rate between New
York and San Francisco. via Panama.
will be reduced from 50 to 81 ton and
the passenger rates. including meals, from
SITS to SOS person. This will mean of
course. that the trans-co continental rail-
ways will have to reduce their rates.
not to the isthmian rates. which imply
slow transportation. but to a point
where the element of monopoly is elimi-
mated. There is already powerful lobby
in Washington which hopes to effect
some mitigation of the decision of the
Commission and thus save TO its clients,
the trans-continental roads some of the
fruits of the monopoly which they have
so LONG enioved What fhis 1ohhy ran