Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-11-24
Cupidity of Commerce
Blamed for Conditions
by Federal Expert.
LAW BRINGS RESULTS
Honest Dealers Can Now Con-
duct Business Without AduI-
teratorS' Competition.

vi
Philadelphia, Pa. Nov. 24.-'The ef-
fects of the pure food and drugs act
have been most saiutary," declared
DR.. Harvey w. Wiley, chief chemist OF
the department of agriculture. princi-
Eal advocate of that measure. in an
address before the American Academy
of Political and Social Science here
last night.
Not only has it inspired n new code
Of ethics in the trade cf pure foods"
continued DT. Wiley. but II has made
it possible for honest dealers to con-
duct business without the ruinous
competition of adulterators and debas-
ers."
INTERESTS CoMBTNE.
The theme of DR.. Wiley's address
was the pure food and drugs act which
he strived for many years to have en-
acted by congress. He told of how the
special interests" got together and
blocked the enactment of the bill,
which sometimes passed one house Of
congress only to be killed in the other.
Friends of the legislOt,on, he declared,
had waited for the education of pub
lie opinion which would emphasize so
strongly the necessity for it's passage
that even its opponents could no longer
Cbstruct.
This great fight" be said, went on
for more than "A quarter Of a century
before the passage of the act of June
80, 1906"
DR.. Wiley epitomizod the result that
the pure food and .dEnGs. act vtaH. had on
the business world. The unethical
spirit Of commerce I'm foods and drugs,
ne asserted, had been wholly reform
ed and the character OF foods and drugs
offered for consumption had been i'm
mensely improved.
ETHICS WILL CONTROL.
"These effects have extended not
only to foods and drugs" he averred.
but to correlated business interests,
and now the people are crying for en-
actmeut of pure food laws for all
forms Of merchandise. The hope Is
not idle that ere mary years all forms
of business will be controlled by the
and drugs act"
Dr. Wiley opened his address with
the assertion that the primary cause
of the pure food law was the cupidity
of commerce.
THE keen competition of trade" he
said, led men to debase the wares
which they hoped to Eell at the price
of the genuine article If they did not
debase the genuine Article, they made
an imitation OF IT. witch they offered
under the name Of the genuine article.
If they did neither. they misrepresent-
ed the qualities of the article, ascrib-
ing to it virtues Of all kinds which II
did not possess"
PTHLIC CONSCIENCE Scared.
The conscience Of ne people," he
declared, was scared as with a hot
iron. and these practices were body
conducted By men who would have
cpurncd any imputat'on OF dishonesty
or crooked dealing, and yet every one
Of them was getting money under
false pretenses and vas ag much a
thief as if he had gore upon the high
way In the good olr fashioned Robin
Hood manner Thesc men then were
the evils to be corrected. The Gght
for pure food was a naht against the
communism Of greed Ill the interests
stood together
POWERFUL OBHY
They felt that if one was sacrificed
al might 20. Hence every movement
hat was made 70 ct, rect this condi-
ton Of affairs BY legislation was met
ry he united and thoroughly controlled
lobby representing tho interests Of ev-
~ description which Hcrc thriving on
he sale Of adulteratei and mlsbrauded
foods and drugs. Thee interests did
not fight in the open except on rare
occasions. They trieG e conceal their
IDENTITY and their purpose, and usually
appeared as friends Of pure food and
irugs legislation, and thus urged Ger
ain amendments or yrcbiagc which II
adopted, would have let ont the offend.
,rs. one and all
II they could not succeed in this.
hey brought substitute bills with
how Of honesty and yet fun OF flaws
ayorabIe 10 corrupt practices. They
never for moment ceased their ac-
i've opposition, and 20 the legislator
who did not look urGeT the surface.
.neir arguments scemed somewhat
plausible and were for many years Of
Tective.
"A bill is pending fcI pure food
aw for paint" said Dr. Wiley "a con
,ludiHg. and 50 lt e;tonds from one
calm Of commerce to another"