327 



" Answer. I have reason to believe that some of them do ; but we 

 have many commission houses conducted by highly respectable and 

 honourable merchants, who have expressed themselves as opposed to 

 that trade, and in favour of an appeal to Congress for the passage 

 of a law prohibiting the importation of that kind of merchandise, 

 not only as a matter of interest, but from principle ; of interest, 

 because they well know they would receive a larger amount of 

 consignments in that class of merchandise, if good and pure articles 

 were sent them, instead of the spurious and comparatively worth- 

 less. 



"Why has this base traffic been allowed to continue so long without 

 a public expose, and some attempt being made at New York to 

 arrest its passage? 



"Answer. Attempts have been made. The New York College of 

 Pharmacy have for years been engaged in the endeavour, by force 

 of reason, to put a stop to the trade in these adulterated articles ; 

 as far as facts came before them. The medical profession have 

 been awake to the vital importance of the subject; but, until some 

 eighteen months past, there has been no person in charge of that 

 branch of trade in the custom-house who had a practical knowledge 

 of drugs and medicines, and their composition, &c, from whom any 

 data could be obtained showing the extent of these frauds. 



" The Hon. Jno. C. Spencer, when Secretary of the Treasury, was 

 appealed to, to remedy the deficiency the profession felt to exist in 

 the customs. He replied most favourably ; but as the request was 

 made about the time he retired from that office, he could not carry 

 these wishes into effect. The present Secretary of the Treasury 

 was next appealed to, and promptly entertained the subject as one of 

 great importance, and did not lose sight of it until effective mea- 

 sures were taken, at his request, to fathom the depth of the evil 

 complained of." 



In tracing the progress of human society, as described in sacred 

 and profane history, we find that, from the earliest age, the duty of 

 protecting health and life has ever been acknowledged, and in pro- 

 portion as man has advanced in civilization, have governments di- 

 rected their attention to this important subject. An examination 

 into the results will show, that where this duty has been most at- 

 tended to, human suffering has been assuaged, and human life pro- 

 longed. In no form of government under Heaven's canopy is the 

 life of the citizen so important as in a free one, for, under our insti- 

 tutions, the maturity of every male citizen gives him privileges 



