Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-02-16
pRATTLEBoRo, FRIDAY, FEB 10, 19ot
DIR. Wiley's Worst.

DIR. II. W. Wiley, chief of the chem
istrv bureau of the department OF agri-
cnlture. who has been agitating the
country for some time with reports OF
his various discoveries and experiments
along the line of food and drink ad.
alterations. recently delivered himself
of what ought to be, and probably is,
the worst he will have to tell us upon
this subject. He says that millions OF
infants are being sacrificed to the vari-
Gus connections known as pain-klllers
and soothing syrups and to impure milk
He asserts that thousand and one pos
sibilities may combine in the milk we
have left at our homes and in con-
densed milk, to make what nature IN
tended for food the most virile poison
that chemistry can produce.
DR.. Wiley has made a special study
of food and drink authorizations and is
said by some-possibly not unpreJu-
diced persons-to be an extremist on
the subject. He is in earnest, however,
and declares that his investigations
have shown him that the foods we
daily consume are so fraught with
harmful germ life that he has become
almost afraid to go to the table.
Many of the states have passed and
are enforcing laws which work well in
mitigation of this great evil, but the
urgent need of national cooperation IS
apparent. For many years pure food
measures. in one form or another, have
been before the national senate, but
that astute and dexterous body, while
protesting cordial approval of these
measures, has effectually checked every
attempt at actual legislation.
The Hepburn bill, the pending pure
food measure, has been before the SEN
ate for at least four years and has
twice been passed with great MAORI
ties by the house. An attempt was
made Jan. 81 by Senator Hepburn to
have it taken up Feb. 7 for consider
alton and final vote, but Senator Teller,
awho declared that he was not opposed
to the bill, defeated the attempt ON the
ground that other matters before the
senate would be displaced by such an
order. Mr.. Hepburn, however, succeed
ed, Tuesday, in obtaining unanimous
consent to take vote on the bill next
Wednesday.
The Hepburn bill is designed to sup
plement the efforts of the states to
eradicate evils arising from adulterat-
ed and misbranded goods, hitting at
the manufacturers themselves 1t pro-
yides for federal control of foods,
drugs and liquors for the purpose OF as
surfing their purity, jurisdiction to be
taken when these articles become arti-
cles of interstate or foreign com
merce; and a penalty of maximum
fine of $500 and one years imprison-
ment is provided for violators OF the
regulations set forth. 1t is made I'M
lawful to sell, manufacture, or intro
duce into the United States or insular
possessions, from foreign country, any
adulterated or misbranded foods, drugs,
medicines or liquors, or those contain
ing deleterious substances; but no deal
er can be convicted under the bill If he
show a signed guarantee, from the
party PRESIDENT Of the United States)
selling him the article, to the effect
that the latter is not adulterated or
misbranded within the meaning of the
act. The bill provides ways of detect
ing and Furnishing offenders under It's
provisions, and defines what shall con-
stitute misbranding and adulterating in
the articles designated.
4 In view of the disclosures which have
been made concerning the injury which
is being done both to public health and
morals. and to the fact that public SEN
timent strongly favors such a law as
is embodied in the Hepburn measure, it
seems almost incredible that the senate
should much longer delay helpful ac-
ton upon the bill. The fact that no rea-
sonable criticism or objection is brought
but that obstructionist tactics are en-
ployed against the measure, shows
plainly enough that selfish interests
rather than the public welfare are die
tating the course of pure food legisla-
ton in the senate. Whether federal
control of these matters may be wisely
taken, might be disputed question in
the senate; but there can be only con-
demnation of an opposition OF petty
procrastination in the interest of those
who prey upon public health, life and
morality
This condemnation will not be likely
to moderate with the reading and con-
sideration of DR.. Wiley's findings con-
corning the medicine and milk furnish
ed our infants.