Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-12-31
WILEY DEFENDS LAW
Chief of Chemistry Bureau Points Out
Good Accomplished by Pure Food
and Drugs Act.

| and Drugs Act.
Baltimore, Dec. 31.-Dr. III. d. Wiley,
chief of the bureau of chemistry of the
agricultural department, WAS one of the
principal speakers at the symposium
on public health held in connection
| with the convention of scientists. DR..
Wiley defended the pure food laws.
He spoke in part as follows:
First must be mentioned the effect
which the food and drugs act has had
upon the ethics of trade. 1t is the
universal consensus of opinion of all
high grade manufacturers and mer-
chants in food and drug products that
the morality Of the trade has been dis
tinctly improved. When low grade or
debased articles have to be named and
specified and authorizations excluded
there is no longer the necessity which
existed before of really high grade
manufacturers STOPPING to the debase-
ment of their food products to meet
competition. In other words, the sue
cess of business now does not depend
upon meeting low grade competition.
but high grade competition, and thus
the merit and excellence of the pro-
duce other things being equal, will set
the pace for success of the business.
The second good which has been
accomplished by the food and drugs acs
is the judicial determination in many
cases Of the principles involved in the
law itself Judge Smith Mcpherson, of
the United States district court wes-
tern district of Missouri, Kansas City,
in decision which he rendered Oh
the food and drugs act, stated: This
statute is to protect consumers, and
not producers. 1t Is a most beneti-
cent and righteous statute. and within
the powers of congress to legislate
concerning, and should be enforced
Here we have the judicial statement
showing the substantially of the act
and it's beneticent purpose and the
purpose for which it should be en-
forced The consumer in all cases is
the party to be protected, but in pro-
tecting the consumer the rights of the
manufacturers are also protected.
1.-THE third good which has been
accomplished by the law is the i'm
provement in the quality of the food
and drug supplies. This has been APP
parent in both fonf and drugs. Cold
storage rooas are no longer sold. or
at least not SC. extensively as fresh
products, and greater care is exercised
in the sanitary preparation of foods
than ever before, so that the foods
which the people of this country are
eating today are more wholesome, and
consequently more palatable and more
nutritious than ever before. The i'm
provement in the quality Of drugs is
not less marked A rigid inspection
of imported drugs keeps out of the
country all that are not up to the
pharmaceutical standard, and the care
full control, altho not complete, of in
terstate commerce tends to produce
the same effect on drugs passing from
state to state. The making and sale
of deleterious patent medicines has
been greatly restricted. especially i'm
those productions which relate to the
introduction Of habit-forming drugs
into patent medicines and of alcohol.
The statement on the labels of these
products respecting the presence of
these bodies has served to warn a
their use and thus restricted their sale.
While perhaps there is much left to
be desired in this direction the pro-
gress which has been made is most
encouraging, and the good which has
been accomplished already is pro-
nounced
FINALLY, the general attitude of the
public has been strengthened respect
ing this law so that it has the sup
port of a more unified and enthusiastic
public opinion. Add to this the almost
unanimous support of the courts in all
cases which have come before them
and we see that, the food and drugs act
has been firmly established and will
continue the good work in which so
much has already been accomplished"
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