Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-02-22
Senate Passes Amended
Hayburn Pure Food Bill.
House Takes Up the Army
Appropriation Bill.
Hull Urges Army and Navy Preparedness for
Future Trouble in Orient.

Washington, Feb. 21.-Aftcr -
years of more or less serious consid-
Grafton of the subject, the Senate to-
day passed pure food bill by the
decisive vote of 63 to 4. The vote was
taken after day devoted almost eX-
clusively to debate of desultory
character on the measure. Several ef-
forts were made to amend the bill and
the committee accepted a number Ut
suggestions but only those thus ac-
cepted were incorporated in the bill as
passed.
The bill makes it Il misdcmeanor to
manufacture or sell adulteratcd or
misbranded foods, drugs, medicines or
liquor in the District of Columbia the
territories and the insular possessions
of the United States and also prohibits
the shipment of such goods from one
state to another or to a foreign coun-
try. 1t also prohibits the receipts of
such goods. Punishment by fine of
$500 or by Imprisonment for one year
or both, is prescribed. In the case of
corporations, officials in charge are
made responsible.
The treasury department and the
departments OF agriculture and of
commerce and labor are required to
agree upon regulations for the collcc-
ton and examination of the articles
covered by the bill, but no specific
provision is made for investigation ex-
cept by the department of agriculture.
The Investigations by that department
are placed in the hands of the chief of
the bureau of chemistry. and if he finds
that the law has been violated the sec
retary of agriculture is requested to
report the facts to the United States
district attorney. who i'll turn is re-
quested to institute proceedings III the
federal courts
The bill also defines foods. drugs
medicines and liquors ana also defines
the standards for them. There is an
exemption for dealers who furnish
guarantees against adulteration and
miSbranding
senator Smoot received another en-
dorsement today. 1t came from War
ren. who presented a voluminuuS pc
titlon from women in Wyoming, pray
ing Tor the expulsion Of Smoot from
the Senate. He said that he had been
requested to accompany the presenta-
tion OF the petition with some remarks
of his own. He added:
Tie subject of the petition is be-
lore The proper committee and | hone
to be guided by the report of the COM
niltlcc when made. If | should express
my opinion before the report is made
L should be inclined to indorsc what
was said on the subject a few days
since by the senator from California
PcrkinS)"
Upon the conclusion of the routine
business at 12.o0 p. NJ. the Senate went
into executive session OH motion of
Morgan.
When the doors were re-opened the
pure food bill was taken up and the re-
mhinder of the day until O'Clock was
devoted to debate on the various
amendments offered to the bill.
In the course of the discussion, Till
man expressed tie opinion that the
bill was crudely drawn and should be
rccommittcd to the committee on agri-
culture. He thought the bill should fix
standards and not leave it to Dr. WILEY
of the bureau Of chemistry to do 50.
Heyhurn replied that no absolute
standards would be fixed because the
states have different standards.
Bailey took the position that the reg
ulation of food, drugs. etc, belonged
to the states and that federal statutes
Should not be resortcd to for that pur-
pose. He said we needed better prose-
cutting attorneys rather than more
government bureaus. Begin as you are
dong in this bill and you will soon
have department as powerful as the
post office department." he said, and
added:
Il doubt if any despotism in the
world vests in one individual as much
power as we give to the postmaster
general, who can close any mans bus
iress by an edict from which he has
10 appeal"
He declared that the American gov
ernment was rapidly becoming a bu-
reaucracy.
McCumber replied that the shipment
provision of the bill was strictly in accord
with the power of Congress to regulate
interstate commerce and declared that the
fact that the bill incidentally protected
the people of state does not initiate
against it's validity.
At 5 P. M. the Senate began voting on
the various amendments. The important
adopted were the following:
Providing that no official notice of
finding against any articles shall be given
until after the announcement Of the final
Judgment of the court before which the
case is heard; providing that when in
the preparation of food products for ship
ment they are preserved by an external
application applied in such manner that
the preservative is necessarily removed
mechanically or by maceration in water
or otherwise. the provisions of the act
(Continued on Page Two.l