The Cairo bulletin., 1907-03-25
ILLINOIS DEALERS AID IN WAR
OVER LICENSE BlLL, NOW
NEARING PASSAGE.
BOTTLE MAKERS LOBBY
Rushing Measure Giving Travelling
Peddlers Right to Sell Drugs
Retailers Claim y, Win
Hurt Business.

CpTInSHeiui Ill, MarCH 1a.--NruE-
gists Of the state are Just awakening
to the fact that the bill which they do
not want to become law Is getting
along towards passage at rapid
rate. II has been passed by the sen.
ate and is making violent efforts to
yet out Of the house license commit
tee.
II |: became law IL would per-
NIT the licensing Of itiHerant drug
vendors at s75 year and retail drug
fgists In the country districts say that
IT would injure them enormously. Ii
Is being urged by several large patent
medicine firms doing an entirely itin-
Grant business. These firms have lob.
bies at Springfield or send represen.
tatiyes here when necessary. and
they have secured the aid Of the
glass manufacturers at East st. Louis
to help them get the law.
One Of these firms buys sixty ear
loads OF. bottles annually from one OF
the East St Louis concerns, and this
explains the interest which the glass
manufacturers have In the PROPOSE
ton. This same firm Is said TO have
300 wagons on regular routes through
the country.
Methods Of tire Drug peddler.
Their method of operation is de.
cided departure from ordinary pro
|cedure in selling drugs. The only re-
quest the .vender makes OF the far
lner Ii that he may be permitted Ia
leave the medicine chest with him
This chest contains remedies for Ill
|ordinary ailments, and each bottle
has cort OF high watcrv mark III
dead llne dfAwn around ii
The peddier returns In four Or Ave
|ipohths and inspects the medscInc
chest. X the contents of auy of the
Kettles has dropped heIow the ''1aaa
line the farmer becomes the ptfs
chaser of these bottles He payS fer
tiotbins until he has used a csrtsls
quantity Of II.
Retail druggists In nelghborhoods
which have been visited by these
itinerants say that their business is
injured to an unpleasant extent. At
present the Illinois law is designed 10
prohibit such trading by requiring
itinerant drug peddlers to take out a
license Of $l00 month The man
with the guitar and the gasoline lamp
who gets out on the public squares
OF small towns at night and alter.
mates. songs with sales of painkiller
does so by agreement with local au.
thorities and without the consent OF
the state.
These vaudeville drug peddlers
have been difficult 10 stop. but or
ganized drug vending in wagons has
been hurt by the activity OF the
state bord of health in prosecuting
big firms who have not found Illinois
as profitable a field as II would be.
come with less prohibitive license
law In operation
Retail Druggists Enter Fight.
Hence the effort to have the fee
reduced from $1,000 year 10 $75.
The only reason the bill Is not so far
advanced In the house as II Is In the
senate Is that Representative Pogue
is druggist and he has been fight
ing II with fair success up to date
and now the retail druggists are be.
ginning TO wake up and take a hand.
About their first move viii be To
serve notice on East ST. Louis glass
manufacturer that these big ped.
ding concerns are not the only large
purchasers of bottles.
The house last week cleaned up its
calendar II bills on first reading
sending them all 20 second reading,
and few important measures TO
third reading. in spite of the fact
that no quorum was present The re
clprocsI demurraEe bill was one OF
those advanced 10 second reading.
along with she bill Increasing the
salaries OF members Of the legislature
to $500 from $1,000. 7t
Among the bills advanced 10 third
reading were two IN the interests of
street railway employees One re
quires center aislcs in all cars. with
for motormen. The other
provides that ten hours shall consti-
tute the limit Of a days work foe
motOrmen and conductors and that a.
days work shall be done within
Twelve consecutive hours.
Six new bills were introduced. One.
by Representative Indy provides
for an appropriation Of 100000 for
the purchase Of machinery 10 install
a plant at Joliet for the manufacture
Of binder twine and requires that the
labor Of the prisoners be devoted TO
the manufacture Of tvine. rope. bags,
and farm Implements amer July I.