The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1910-05-27
PRETTY FIGHT
ON BILL FOR Blu
REAU OF HEALTH
Owen Bill to Create Nation
al Medical Department
Stirs UP Surprising
Amount of Opposition.

bill for a department of health has re-
suited in several surprises. The sen.
ate committee on health was surprised
to find crowds in favor OF the bill at.
tending the hearings and the advocates
of the measure wcr" rprised and puz.
zlcd that there should be active oppo.
sition. This opposition is still mys.
terry, although for a long time those
who have been watching affairs in
Washington have realized that secret
interests were AT work to kill the Owen
bill. Those opposed to the bill are
now trying to find ways to injure its po.
pularity.
The only people they could find will
ing to come ont publicly against the bill
il IL said, are the Christian Scientists.
Ostcopaths and Electics.
Charles W. Miller, member of the
Iowa legislature, came all the way 10
Washington to oppose the bill. lie
criticised the committee of one hun
dred and its president, Professor Irv.
ing Fisher, for campaigning for the bill.
Although almost in the same breath he
is reported to have said that fund was
being raised to make campaign against
it. Already Senator Owen has receiv.
ed letters from writers who have been
offered money "to write against the
bill - The idea was to raise the cry
that it would create "medical trust. -
The latest surprise is the appearance
of so.called National League for
Medical Freedom which, according
to newspaper dispatches, il composed
of Christian Scientists, Homeopaths, Os-
teopaths, Electics, Antivivisectionist
and others, who are opposing the Amer.
lean Medical association in its efforts
to establish department of health. -
Its president, Mr.. Flowers, is n Christ.
ian Scientist, its Vice. President is Mr..
Miller The organization has entered
upon a costly advertising campaign in
the newspapers of the country and
through it expresses fear that de.
partment Of health may be created at
this session of congress, although Mr..
| Miller had few days before been say.
ing that there was no public demand
for department
This league and their claims, IL seems,
are not being taken seriously in Wash.
ington and the people are asking what
is really behind it. Every one knows
that the federal government could not,
If it would, regulate the practice of
medicine. The thing would be unconsti.
tutional. II is also well known that
the demand for health department is
not confined to Irregular physicians
or even to physicians at all In fact,
its chief support has come from social
workers, economists, labor men, the
Grange and life insurance companies.
One of the three chief movers has been
the committee of one hundred on ma.
tional health, appointed by the Ameri.
can Association for the ADV ancement
of Science.
Among the jokes going the rounds
is the fact that the committee of one
hundred was appointed on motion of
n Christian scientist who has ever since
been working hard for n national de,
partment Of public health. There are
only a small majority of physicians on
the committee of one hundred. il is said
One of these. DR.. Richard c. Newton Of
Montclair, ~ j., has been prominent
pleader for greater liberality toward
the 'irregular" practitioners. Several
of his papers have aimed to show that
ostcopathy has merits which should be
recognized and appropriated by the
regular" physicians. Al the senate
hearings for the Owen bill homeopaths
and ostcopaths have favored it.
Professor Fisher, the president Of
the committee of one hundred, in his
report on national vitality which has
recently received 70 much attention,
distinctly favors increased medical
freedom. II il not likely that he or
other champions Of popular rights who
are on the committee, such as Judge
Lindsay, John Mitchell, Prof. John X.
Commons, Byron w. Holt, Mrs. Balling.
ton Booth, and Miss Jane Adams, would
seek even IL II were possible, by fed.