The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-02-25
HOUSE WILL PROBABLY
PASS Pure FOOD 10 BILL
Measure Which Passed Senate Is
Likely to Go Thru the
Lower House.
BY w. w. Jermane.

ion Of pure food advocates in congress
that there will be some sortfof legisla-
tion before adjournment. The great
trouble heretofore has been to secure |
the passage of a bill thru the senate.
Twice the house has passed a. pure food |
bill, once during the ffty-seventh con-
gress and once during the fifty-elghth |
congress. Both times the senate refused
to concur. Its passage of bill at this
time makes legislation almost certain.
Both the bills which passed the house /
were radical in character. They were
fathered by Representative Hepburn of
Iowa, chairman Of the committee on
interstate and foreign commerce. They
went to extremes in providing safe
guards, and it is doubtful if even a
respectable minority in the senate could
have been mustered in support of them.
The bill which has passed the senate is
moderate in tone. It's friends believe
that it goes as far as it is safe to go
at this time, and yet that it provides
adequate safeguards.
Course in the House.
This senate bill will now 60 to the
! house, by which 1t will be referred to
the Hepburn committee. In the light of
that committee Is radical attitude in the
ffty-seventh and the fifty ighth con,
crosses, 1t will be interesting to watch
its course now. The house probably
knows that the senate would not be
willing to accept the radical bills passed
thru the house in previous years, and
SO it is safe guess that the Hepburn
committee will report bill more mod
crate than these were. 1t will probably
report bill of it's own, which the house
will pass, and then the question Of
character of the new law will be left
to the conferrees Of the two houses.
!, The radical feature Of the old house
established fixed standards of purity
for foods subject to adulteration, and
directed the secretary Of agriculture to
1 formulate them and to see to the gen
eral enforcement Of the law. This
provision, it is asserted by the CON
servatives, is entirely too severe. Sci
it's discoveries to justify setting up
provision would have clothed the sec
rotary Of agriculture with tremendous
authority, and in the exercise Of it
| GueT0 WUulQ U1 uU uCduo VI huOWIuS
that he was always dealing out even
handed justice.
The bill which has passed the senate
does not set up these purity standards.
In their place it makes broad def
nitions Of what shall be considered as
purity. The department. Of agriculture
cretionary power, but it does not have
e,,1 hot how boI
4 Iunder the old Hepburn bills -
@I2 The author of the senate bill Is Sen.
:. ator McCumber Of North Dakota, who
& has been fighting for a pure food Law
II for five successive sessions Of congress
a pure food bill when he was chairman Of
ID the committee on manufactures, {
). craftsmanship now held by Senator Hey
burn Of Idaho, who has been in charge
of pure food legislation this session.
Special Interests.
II Great difficulty has been experienced
in the senate in bringing the pure foo
bill to vote. The special interests tina
were in opposition were always abl
| so to marshal their forces as to proven
action. Sometimes these special inter
ests had friendly senators on the vari
GUS committees which have charge O.
senate legislation-the steering com
mittee or the committee on committees
sometimes they had them on the foo
| of the senate, where they were pre-
pared to obstruct and delay This ses
sion, however, the management Of Sen
ators Hepburn and McCumber has beel
Of character to get the bill to a vot
on final passage, and it went thru wit
only four votes in opposition. Senator
who were most conspicuous in opposi
ton, and to whose efforts the long de
lay in reaching roll call has been due
| quickly voted "aye' when it came t.
! getting out in the open and going 0.
| record.
II The most insistent opposition to tn
pure food bill has come from the blend
ers of WHISTLES. The manufacturers o
coloring matter used in preserves, jel
lies, buffers, jams and other table PREF
arations, also opposed the bill, as di
), the manufacturers Of those commoditie
who used this coloring matter. Oppos
tion also came from the manufactures
Of butchers supplies-meatine, bu
meat -four, formaldyhide, and all th
various deodorizers and preservative
used in doctoring" fresh meats.
IA The combined strength Of this oppt
sition was great, as this long wait G
five years, before the senate would COZ
sent to roll call on the bill suggest
II The real name ~ Gahrie11e IA,