The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-06-24
Fight on Benz0Qte of Soda is
Still Being Waged With Vig0r

Washington, June 24.-Although the
effort of the American Medical associa-
ton to secure legislation by congress
for the establishment of department
of public health failed at this session
the association Is undismayed and
during the recess and the next session
will work with renewed zeal. The
condemnation of benzoate of soda by
the association at Atlantic City some
time ago was denounced by the food
dopers as an unauthorized action and
since then the users of the drug in
prepared foods have been moving hea-
ven and earth to prevent the associa-
ton from going on record further
against it. At the recent sixty-f1rst
annual meeting Of the association in
St Louis, which was attended by near
ly Ave thousand doctors, the lobbyists
and representatives of the food-dopers
were present in force, as they were
at Atlantic City, and have been at the
meeting of other associations likely to
take hostile action against the pre-
sentative. They did not have the as
sistance of "Tama Jim" Wilson, Sec
rotary of agriculture who has not gone
outside his department in behalf of
benzoate since the National Gamers
association met in Atlantic City in the
spring, nor do any of the Remsen
board appear to have been in attend
ance, although President Welsh is a
member Of the Johns Hopkins faculty
Of which Prof. Remsen, chairman of
the Remsen board, is president.
The matter Of benzoate Of soda was
brought before the association by DR..
c. A. L. Reed, the well known Cincin-
natl surgeon, who as chairman Of the
committee on medical legislation, urg-
ed a campaign of education against
food-dopers. BY what DR.. Reed term
ed excessive interpretation the value
OF the pure food law has been destroy
ed as far as concerned its power to
protect the public health.
Later the question came again be-
fore the association in the form of
report from DR.. J. H. Mccormick OF
Bowling Green, KY, OF the reference
committee. He said the meeting was
packed with the lobbyists Of the food
dopers and recommended that the as
ISOLATION should welcome and wear as
a badge OF honor the Islander Of these
unholy interests and their hirelings."
The cheering which greeted the report
was too much for some Of the lobbyists
especially one who was thrown out of
the meeting Of the Pennsylvania State
Medical society in Philadelphia last
October when that society condemned
benzoate Of soda, so he left the hall
The report was unanimously adopted.
It said in part: 1--WE welsome the OPP
position of the venal classes long en-
gagged in the manufacture of adulter-
ated foods and express our sympathy
for the well meaning public who have
been miled and worked into Mysteries
by the monstrously wicked misrepre-
sensations OF corrupt and noisy band
Of conspirators and who are being used
as blind instruments to enable them to
defraud and debauch the people. The
members of this association stand for
pure food"
The reference quoted was applied to
the hostile sentiment against the de-
partment Of health bill, which was
worked up largely by those interests
who oppose the enforcement OF the
pure food law or its strict interpreta-
ton, and who fear that II the matter
Il ever placed In the hands Of men e.