Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-14
HEPBURN FOOD BILL
IF IT PASSES AGRICULTURAL DE-
PARTMENT WILL EXECUTE IT.

Things are framed up In Congress for a
hard fight Of the food manufacturers
against the Hepburn pure food bill. which
Is fathered by the Agricultural Department
and which the officials there, including the
Secretary and DR.. Wiley. think Is good
measure Otlcially the department is say
ing nothing. In the face of the bitter at
tack on him by VIM. Bal1inger and ]. A.
Warrington yesterday. DR.. Wiley went out
of town to deliver lecture, but, will be
back before the hearings on the bill are
finished and the vote. which has been fixed
for the 21st. is taken.
The Department of Agriculture thinks 1t
has the pure food measure about right. and
there is not much fear expressed over the
ultimate passage of the bill. The manufac-
turers who use adulterants and preserva-
tives are naturally against 1t. and some OF
the witnesses before the committee yes
terday declared that If the bill were passed
and the use OF benzoate of soda as a pre-
sentative were put under the ban. 1t would
kill the pickle and catsup business in this
country. The Secretary of Agriculture was
asked for an expression of opinion or the
controversy but said that not only had ne
not followed 1t very closely, but that it was
not up to him to make any comments on
measure pending before Congress. The only
thing he would say was that whatever law
was passed IL the department had anything
to do with the administration of 1t, he
would try to see that 1t was enforced as
fairly and with as little friction as pos
Sible.
Expansion Of Power.
There has been decided expansion Of the
powers of the department in recent years,
and 1t may be pointed out that under the
operation of the present law, the powers
of the department have been considerably
extended and they have SO far worked
without any particular trouble.
The law against the importation of fla
gravity adulterated and misbranded food
,stuffs was passed. and has entirely stopped
the importation of this class OF material,
and not one of the cases has ever been
carried into the courts-a form Of redress
that naturally would have been resorted
to by the importers had they thought they
had any chance of disproving the conten-
ton of the department. 1t Is believed that
the same course will be followed If the
new food law goes into effect. The courts
are always open to the relief of a COM
plainant and If the department goes too
far with the proposed law there is ready
check on dt.
One of the witnesses before the commit
tee yesterday went so far as to say that
cstsups and pickles could not be kept for
forty-eight hours without the aid of ben
zoate of soda or some similar preventative.
One of the officials questioned today said
that he did not think his grandmother
knew what benzoate of soda was, but that
he had eaten good many gallons Of pick
los and catsup that she had prepared, and
1t was his belief that similar preparations
had been made in the family ever since
any one had had grandmother, so he
Gid not see why the manufacturers could
rot take somebody's grandmother into their
confidence and get her receipt If they had
a mind to-