The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-30

sSecretafy of Agficulture James VII son is the national policeman. Besides being the learned scientist which the Jaw states the sepEstary of Asricml- ture must be. and the benevolent IarIp- CT which he appears to be- s1F. V iiso..' fn reality exercises more power ana authofhy anectlng the so.O0O.0eo peo- pleiJn .he Lnited States than any otn- er man. 5 Lest ysonneone fear this power, t may De said that It, Is ,n exerc'seo on's
 However, the fact remains that tne Secretary. of Agriculture almost abso- f,Itefy. controls sthe food. meat drink and drug supply of the country. On- der yarioEs laws be can stop Inter state ,tratic-in all food and drugs ana very fvw communities or people are untouched, by. commerce Of thls -cna,, l,, acter. He can quarantine any or all States. against diseases, of live stock, as h e recently, did in the cases or TOUT States on account of the foot ana mouth disease Of cattle. He can oo many other things Of similar cnar- acter that viii aifect directly or h. directly the whole people.
 Someone has speeuiated upon
 damage and, trouble that might De caused lf some imp of malicious mis- chief should. .persnade the Secretary of Axrfcufftre to use his enormous bower wrongfnilY. SLuckily. 1t would be recalled in such case that the head of the Agricultural Department like all other executive officers Of the Goyernment. Is under the cont.oi oi the President, while most of his de- cfsfons and other acts are subject 10 review ;by the courts. Under ordinary s1rcllrnsfanees this supervisory author | ity. Executive and judicial is not called nnon to act, and the Secretary of Agri- cultures decision is, in effect. nnal. one notable xceptton to the court re- view is the Secretary's authority over I4nkportatioiis of food, drugs, etc, which. Tt is reported, sis soon to be exercised fe excKida French absinthe.
 ma Secr2tary Of Agriculture acts as fhe guar fdia fiSof American health and lpfobabie eradicator of the national disease. 'itis1igestIon. Sin enforcing me pure food low, the meat inspection law. ana fla ws reg gulating the manufacture I;arid, sa le bf- : srenoyated butter, hlied cheese and, other adulterated products. Under these laws yihterstate commerce 1 in praettcaiiy all food, drink and drus urSoducts.T if adtflterated, unwholesome, Or niisbranded, sls prohibited. The sec lgretary of Agriculture has these proo- Isuctsi examtned and orders them Ia teifed properly, and if the manufac- | turers rSersist in disfegarding the wishes of the department, their prod iicts are fcondemned and interstate Ie8fntnefits of the same are forbidden. | Sfn1f3ar% authority also extends over Imported food products. This enor- nous power enables the Secretary OF | Agriculture practically to insure | wholesome food supply for the nation
 f1shas bower is increased by the law under which quarantine may be en- forced against live stock diseases. Tn e l Secretary of sARriculture is enabled to i;cut or the milk supply of the large cities. He foEbids interstate shipments of live stock and the by-products or l lthe same, after slaughter, as well as lhay,. straw, and anything else coming x, sconta6t with such animals. He | conipels railroads and steam boat com- l 1rsa nies Ito disinfectf their cars. He con- lifiscates and kills diseased animals, with or without the consent of their ,owhers. 2 .s e5@4s
 s.i 5iIA does other sanitary police work at home and abroad. This includes the efforts, that have been continuous for a number of years to stamp out the cattle tick in, the South and the sheep I ,scab and cattle mange in the West A I fififnber of states have been cleared I Of thesle, pests. To guard against the spread. of cattle diseases. the Secre-
 tary of Agricu1ture's agents inspect and certify. or condemn, all live stock im- Eported from abroad or exported from
 
 the work of the Agricultural Depart l'ment extends around the world.
 l-~ While ifiexorable in hls attitude to- wards food products which are. not what they should be, and in dealing lwlth diseased animals, the Secretary of ARrfculture is also sort of humane offfcer.. His agents see to 1t, for in- stance that live stock in transit within Itbe United States or en route to for eiRn countries are well supplied with
 water, suitable food. air. and, to some
 extent light Animals are not allowed I to remain, confined in railroad cars llonger than twenty-eight consecutfvV hours, except in certain cases. They are 'frsauenrly unloaded and given a
 chance to get -eXercise. and rest be-
 fore reaching the market.
 Some farmj crops are under the es-
 pecially .watchful eye of the national
 policenan Take cotton, for instance
 The Secretary of Agriculture is doing
 his best to stamp out the cotton boil
 weevHy at great expense. After. the lcrop ia. grown he prescribes standards Of the varions varieties and grades of
 cotton which are understood to pre-
 yail in, the market, although the Gov
 ernment Is without power to enforce
 It's Classification :. I.-,
 The farmer is certain to get good
 seeds of all kinds If he watches the
 Secretary of Agriculture. Here' agaln,
 Is a sample of the great police power lodged in that official. He goes into U the5 open market and purchases sam
 pies of any Or all kinds of seeds of-
 fered for sale to the farmers. These
 samples are carefully examined and
 anaiyzed, and If vegetable or flower
 seeds are found mixed and aduIterated
 with weed seed. powered peanut shells
 or. any one of the hundred or more
 impurities for which agriculturalists
 formerly paid good money. the national
 policeman publishes the facts in the
 press, together with the names of deal
 CTS from which the impure seeds were
 purchased.
 Efforts are being made by the Secre-
 tary of Agriculture to protect all
 vegetation from the ravages of the gypsy and brown-tail moths in New
 England. Quarantine regulations to