Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-05-26
FIGHT On
BILL FOR BUREAU
Of HEALTH
Owen Bill to Create Nationa.
Medical Department Stirs
Up Surprising Amount Of OPP
position.

Especial Correspondence to Morning Journal
Washington, May 24-Thc owen
bill for a department Of health has
resulted in several surprises. The
senate committee on health was sur
prised 10 find crowds IN favor of the
bill attending the hearings and the
advocates of the measure were sur
prised and puzzled that there should
be any active opposition. This oppo-
sition Is still a mystery. although for
Il long time those who have been
watching affairs In Washington have
realized that secret interests were at
work TO kin the owen bin Those
opposed To the bill are now trying TO
find ways to injurc its popularity.
The only people they could flnd
willing to como out publicly against
the bin, II IS said, are the Christian
scientists. O%steopaths ana Fcleetics.
Charles w. Miller, q member of the
iowa legislature. came all the way to
WASHINGTON to oppose the bill. He
criticised the committee Of one hum
bred and its president, Professor Iry-
ing Fisher, for campaigning for the
bill. although almost in the same
breath he is reported to have said
that a fund was being raised 10 make
a campaign against 10. Already SEN
utOr owen has received letters from
writors who had been offered money
TO write against the BIN Tho idea
was to raise the cry that u would
create 20 medical trust The latest
surprise a. the appearance OF a so
called National League for Medical
Freedom, which, according so news-
paper dispatches, is composed Of
Christian Scientists, H~omcopaths, Os-
toopaths, Eclcctics. Antivisectionists
ana others. who are opposing the
American Medical association in its
efforts to establish % department of
health"
lis president, Mr.. Flowers, is a
Christian Scientist. its vice-presldent
rs Mr.. Miller. The organization has
entered upOn a costly advertising
campaign la the newspapers of the
country and through II expresses the
fear that a department of health mav
De created at this session OF congress,
although Mr.. Miller had "a few days
before been saving that there was no
public demand for "a department.
This league and their claims, ii
seems, are not being taken seriously In
WASHINGTON ana people are asking
what is really behind a.. Every one
knows Tint the federal government
could not, it ID would, regulate the
practice OF medicine The thing
would he unconstitutional IT is also
well known that the demand for "a
health department rs not confined TO
regular" physicians or even To phys
icinns at all ln fact. It's chief Il y
port has come from social workers,
economists, labor men. the Grange
and the life insurance companies. one
of the chief movers has been the COM
mittee of one hundred on national
htrN n Ur4nRfnT.H nv tho Ar4aFtAr /.
Association for the Advancement OF
science.
Among the jokes going the rounds
Is the fact that the committee of one
hundred Wfts appointed un motion of
"a Christian Scientist Who has ever
since been working hard FOR "a n
ttonal department of health. There
are only "a small minority oi physi-
clans on the committee of one hun
drod, 1t is said. Onc of these. Dr.
Richard O. Newton of M|ontclair. y. j.,
has been "a prominent plcader for
greater llherality toward the "irrieu-
lar" practitioners. several of his
papers have aimed to show that oS-
teapathy has merits which should be
recognized ana appropriated hy the
regular" physicians. At the scnat
hearings for the owen bill homco-
paths and ~ustcopuths have favored h.
Professor Fisher. the president OF
the committee OF one hundred. i'm his
ON national vitality which has
recently received so much attention.
distinctly faVors Increased medical
freedom IL IS not likely that ne or
other champions OF popular rights
who are on the committee. such as
Judge Lindsay, John Mitchell. Prof. /
John a. Commons. Byron W. Holt,
Mrs B"allington Booth. and Miss Jane
Ian nLA.HH -A-H. LA.A 90 de- WAaa