The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-01-19
OWEN BILL NOT
A MEDICAL TRUST

The Journal of the American Medi-
cal Association in a recent issue prints
a summary of the Owen bill as it now
stands. A careful reading of this abb
stract shows that the bill will not do
any of the things its opponents claim
it dill do. 1t does not create a med
ical trust; it does not interfere with
the practice of any healer" in any
state, it does not compel an yone to
take any treatment of any kind 1t
will simply transfer to new depart
ment three existing bureaus and CO.
ordinate their work by bringing them
together-a simple matter. and one in
capable of doing injury to any one.
Why, then, has so much effort been
made to prevent its passage? Why
have the homepaths, the eclestics, the
osteopaths, the Christian Scientists,
the adherents of countless sects, all
been duped into believing that this bill
affects their interests? Why has the
battle-cry of sectarian oppression been
raised? Why has a great national or
ganization, claiming 100000 members,
been created to oppose it? Why is an
enormous campaign fund being raised
to defeat this bill and to defeat for
reelection every man in congress who
favors it? Surely there is no danger to
any interests in transferring the pub
from the treasury department to new
department. Certainly the division of
vital statistics is harmful to no one,
whether in the department of COM
merce and labor or in new depart
ment. 1t is not to oppose these that
speakers, press-bureaus and paid agi-
tators are working all over the coun-
try. But the bureau of chemistry of
the department of agriculture! That's
different! That is the bureau that is
headed by Dr. Wiley who enforces the
food and drugs act (when he gets a
chance). For years, through political
pull and commercial influence, by OBJ
struction and delay, the "patent-medi-
cine," proprietary-medicine and adul-
terated-food makers and sellers have
hampered Dr. Wiley in every way. The
recent investigation in Washington
proved this. AS long as DR.. Wiley is
a part of the agricultural department,
he can be annoyed and hampered. But
suppose he were transferred to a new
department which was run for the pro-
lection Of the people and not for the
J commercial interests? What wouldn't
he do to the adulterators, the lying ad-
vertisers, the manufacturers who use
} rotten and filthy material in their prod
ucts and the men who swindle and
cheat the sick? What has been done
so far wouldn't be worth mentioning
in comparison to what DR.. Wiley and
his bureau would do, if it were trans
ferred to a department where he was
not and could not be hampered by pol
itics or commercial influence. And the
men and interests whose fat profits he
has affected know this. The influences
back of this entire campaign against
the Owen bill are advertising agencies
and their patrons, the manufacturers
of patent" and proprietary medicines
and adulterated food products, who
fear the passage Of any bill that will
give DR.. Wiley more power. Not dar
: ing to fight in the open, they have per
seaded the sectarians, the faddists, the
Christian Scientists and other enthu
siasts that their rights are endangered
by a bill which authorizes nothing that
does not already exist, which does not
increase the power or authority of any
officer or employee of the government
and which will have no effect on any
individual, except to give us all purel
: food, purer streams and more knowl
edge. If by arousing sectarian sus
picion and jealousy and by deceiyins
the people, this bill can be defeated
the dishonest manufactures and adver
: tising agent will rejoice.