Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-01-20


The subject Of pure food legislation
received some attention in the United
States senate Thursday, Senator Nc
Cumber of North Dakota making n
speech in support of the pending bill.
This measure, which passed the house
in the last congress, has undergone some
slight changes, though in all essential re-
spects the same as when considered by
the fifty-eigth congress. 1t makes unlaw-
full the manufacture of forbidden or pro-
scribed articles, prescribing fine and
Imprisonment against the manufacturer
Of such articles. 1t provides against the
introduction of forbidden articles from
one state or territory or district or insu-
lar possession into another jurisdiction.
In the case of any violation of these
provisions by any corporation the fines
and penalties imposed therefor may be
enforced against the officers of such cor
poration personally responsible for such
violation. and any violation of any of the
provisions of the act by any corporation
shall be deemed to be the act of the
officer of such corporation directly re-
sponsible therefor, and such officer may
be punished for such violation as though
such violation was the personal act of
such officer. The intention of this is to
obviate the possibility of escape by the
officers of a corporation under plea
hot thoxy hot 1x-oq
being done on the credit of or on the re-
sponsibility of the corporation.
The bill provides that the secretary Of
the treasury, the secretary of agricul-
ture and the secretary of commerce and
labor shall make uniform rules and reg
ulations for the collection and examina-
ton of specimens of foods, drugs, medi-
cines and liquors manufactured or Of
fered for sale in the District of Columbia,
or in any other district, territory, or insu-
lar possession of the United States. The
cooperation of these departments is
deemed necessary from consideration
of the application of those several de-
partments TO the subject matter of the
bill. Another new feature of the meas
ure is the separation of liquors from
foods. In explanation of this Senator
Hepburn, chairman of the committee on
manufactures, which has had the bill
under consideration, said: Liquor is
not a food necessary for the mainte-
nance or sustenance of the human
frame. If anything. it is a luxury. But
however much difference of opinion
there may be ON that subject, it was
eminently unfair to that great portion
of the people who do not believe that
liquor is necessity, to classify liquors
with foods in determining great ques-
ton of this kind"
There appears to be very good pros
pect Of the bill becoming a law. OF
| course there is opposition to it. The
| manufacturers of adulterated foods,
drugs and liquors have their representa-
tives in Washington, who are working
| industriously to either defeat the meas
| ure or have it so amended as to deprive
| 1t of much of its strength. The honest
| manufacturer has nothing whatever to
fear from the proposed legislation and
those who oppose it virtually admit that
the goods they put on the market are
| not what they are represented to be. A
national pure food law is necessary to
protect the public against that which is
impure and dangerous to health and it is
astonishing that there should be among
the representatives of the people in con-
gress any opposition to such legislation.