New-York tribune., 1906-06-21
ACTION FOR PURE FOOD.


Those members of the House of Representa-
tves who have been looking after the interests
of the fabricators of fraudulent food products
and the makers of patent medicines more zeal
ously than they have looked after the interests
of the consumers are now In g rush TO pass some
sort of Pure Food bill. Having delayed for
months the action on the bill as ii came from the
Senate and then robbed it by amendments of
some of its effectiveness, they would probably
even now have left it to die if they had not
begun TO hear frori their constituents in no
uncertain tones Letters began to pour in on
obstructionists which recalled TO their minds
the fact that they would be obliged TO face those
constituents In few months and that the
voters who did not want to be poisoned outnum-
bered and were nearer home than the dispensers
of disguised cocaine, alcohol and opium More
over. the popular demonstration which was so
effective in preventing the emasculaton Of the
Meat Inspection bill was generally impressive.
The subjects of the two measures are too closely
allied for the sentiment aroused by one not to be
effective with respect to the otner. Accordingly
the obstructionists have practically advertised
their surrender. and the debate is opened pre-
paratorv to the passage of a Pure Food bill by
the House.
1t is always SAFE however, to watch obstruc
tionists when they surrender. They have way
of giving the people what they want in form,
with much of the substance lacking. Under the
SPUR of necessity they will sacrifice their manu-
featuring friends to save themselves, but they
will go no further than is absolutely necessary,
and if they put in a few saving clauses here
and there to protect the sacred property right of
selling minced pork as minced chicken, logwood
as wine and opium as harmless remedy con-
tanning no narcotics" they may be trusted to
do so.
The House bill as il stands is distinctly weaker
than that which passed the Senate. The House
is frequently spoken of more representative
of popular interests than the Senate. but con-
cerning this whole question of food it seems to
have less independence. In spite of the superb
Ority of the Senate bill, however, DR.. Wiley
chief of the Bureau OF Chemistry in the Depart
ment of Agriculture, whose analyses and reports
have thrown much light on food adultera
tiOn declares that good results can be achieved
under the House measure. 1t is far from per-
feet but it is an important step toward what
advocates of pure food have for fifteen years
been demanding. Perhaps it might seem salts
factory if it did not so clearly mark a deliberate
purpose to emasculate better bill and leave
some loopholes for fraud. DR.. Wiley gives
warning however, that while the bill as 1t
stands may answer its purpose the adoption Of
some threatened amendments would make it al
most useless
Il dangerous amendment is that which would
exempt patent medicine manufacturers from the
necessity OF printing on the package a state
ment of the amount of alcohol contained in a
medicine when not more than the quantity or
proportion prescribed by the United States
'pharmacopgia or the national formulary Is
used" Even more dangerous Is an amendment
providing that the quantity or proportion of
opium or morphine need not be stated when
the contents of the package contain not more
than two grains of opium or One-quarter of a
grain of morphine TO the fluid ounce or If
solid preparation, TO the avoirdupois ounce"
1t would be perfectly easy for manufacturers of
preparations containing more than this allow
ance of opium TO change their formulas, dilute
their medicine, increase their doses and give
the same amount of opium as before without
publishing the fact that they used the drug at
all. Moreover, the harm done by both alcoholic
and narcotic preparations is due not so much to
the amount of dangerous drugs contained in
them as to the habits which are unwittingly cul-
uVated by their use The person who would not
knowingly take alcohol or cocaine or morphine
is defrauded into using them in minute quanti-
Ties until larger doses become a necessity to
him
The plea of the manufacturers of these goods
Tor secrecy Ike that of Gamers against being
forced TO confess their formaldehyde and sail
cylic acid, and for the right to put up packages
containing less than they seem to, amounts to
nothing but demand for liberty to deceive and
de1raud. No Congressman can afford to tell his
constituents that he wants them to be thus de-
frauded.