The Washington herald., 1912-09-29
THE PEOPLES FORUM
T. R. NOT AUTHOR
OF PURE FOOD BILL
Only Man that Refused to Make
Appointments Favoring
-... Its Passage.

Of misapprehension in regard to who
was the originator OF the present pure
food and drug law and the credit is
generally given to DR.. H W. Wiley.
where would have been willing to let
II rest, but as a Presidential candidate
of a certain Moose or Mice" party has
recently stated that the entire credit
is due to his influence I believe the
American people should have recalled
to them certain facts.
Certainly no credit is due to Theodore
Roosevelt for the Introduction or the
passage OF the pure food and drug act.
except that as President he signed
measure that was demanded from Alas
ka to Porto Rico.
Much credit IS due DR.. II. W. Wiley
for his earnest efforts to secure the
passage OF this bill and TO enforce the
laws enacted after their passage.
However. neither DR.. Wiley nor Mr..
Roosevelt had anything TO do with the
bill as first presented to the Fift!eth
Congress. which for the first time gave
control Of foods and drugs 10 the De-
partment of Agriculture.
Who first suggested a PURE food and
drug law in this country ! am unable
TO state, but I do know that dis
tlnguished New York grocer CMr. Thur
ber) was an earnest advocate Of the
matter. and that a physician from Ken
lucky was secretary OF an organization
which published reports in regard to a
bill on the subject, giving control OF
the matter TO a health board.
A member from New Jersey in the
FIft!eth Congress introduced bill pro-
v!ding a stamp tax on every article of
compound food used by man and beast.
j. p Squires, Of Boston. a millionaire
manufacturer OF pork and lard, was
anxious to have tax placed on i'm
pure or compound lard. similar to that
on oleOmargarlne.
Or. John Trimble, one OF the founders
and secretary OF the National Grange
requested me to call upon Gen. Benjamin
r Butler, which 1 did at his then resi-
dence (the present Geodetic Survey one
February morning, and the genera
thoroughly convinced me of the neces.
sity OF a pure food and drug bill Al
his suggestion I attended the hearings
in the Senate on the Butterworth com
pound lard bill: and there. not only met
the adulterators (who claimed the right
10 adulterate), but the representatives oil
and Mr.. Squires' brother-in-law, W. W
kimball. AT that time 1 was chairman
OF the legislative committee of the Vir'
gfnia State Grange, and as such repre-
sented the grange interest of our State
at the National Capital Cand was twice
thanked for my work by the Nationa
Grange).
During the various sessions OF the
Fiftieth, Fifty-first and Fifty-second Con-
- faEar
and the result in the House and Senate
was that the committees OF both branche:
OF Congress favored the law.
1t should be recollected that this work
began in the Fiftieth Congress. running
through the next two succeeding Con
crosses. and that in the Fifty-second
Congress the bill which was then faith
cred by Senator Algenon S. Paddock Of
Nebraska, chairman of the Senate Com
mittee on Agriculture, passed that body
as Senate Bill No. l. and was defeated
in the House, although unanimously re-
ported by the House committee of which
Col. William H. Hatch was chairman
in spite OF the fact that a petition circu-
lated by myself contained all but SIX
Of two-thirds Of the House asking con-
sideration. which was denied by Speaker
Crisp.
When I got all but seven names needed
quested me to give him the paper, stat
ing that Mr.. Crisp would not require the
additional names; as a matter OF course.
I gave 1t to him although I believe l
could have secured over one-half OF the
remaining members of the House,. II is
only sufficient to say that the matter
was not Permitted to be considered. ow-
ing to ths opposition, at that time,
O. the cotton oil industry. brief his
tory Of the bill is. that drew the first
bill ever offered in Congress placing the
control Of food and drugs under the De
partment of Agriculture, and the bill
vas introduced in the Fiftieth Congress
by Gen. William H. Fitzhugh Lee. son
OF Gen. r. Z. Lee, of the Eighth Nir-
ginia District
This bill was referred to the Commit
tee on Agriculture, and by them tC
a subcommittee, where certain constitu-
t,onal objections were eliminated, and
favorably reported to the House. Sena-
tor Faulkner of West Virginia introduced
It in the Senate.
From this time on the matter was con-
t,nually agitated through the oranges
both national and State, and Mr.. Squires
as earnestly advocated IL as he did the
compound lard bill
In those early days Mr.. Roosevelt was
Civil Service Commissioner. 1 think, il
Washington City, and was no more in
terested in puS. food than any ordinary
citizen, and his claim at the present time
TO being the author of the bill Is about
as true as the claim that he was author
OF the Interstate Commerce meat inspec.
ton bill The bill on this subject passed
the Fifty-first Congress when the late
Col. Funston was chairman Of the Ag'