216 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



April 7, 



GEORGE W. YORK, EDITOR. 



PDBI,ISHT WEEKLY BY 



118 Michigan Street, CHICAGO, ILL. 



[Entered at the Post-Office at Cbicago as Second-Class Mail Matter.] 



UNITED STATES BEE-KEEPERS' UNION 



Organized to advance the pursuit of Apiculture; to promote the in teres tB of bee- 

 tceepers ; to protect its members ; to prevent the adulteration of honey ; and 

 to prosecute the dishonest honey-commission men. 



JHemtyership Fe-e—Sl,00 f>ar Anatiin, 



Executive Committee— Pre?., (ieorge W. York; Vice-Pres., W. Z.Hutchinson; 



Secretary, Dr. A. B. Masun. Station B. Toledo, Ohio. 

 Board of Directors— E. K. Root; E. Whitcomb; B.T.Abbott; C. P. Dadant; 



W. Z. Hutchinson; Dr. C. 0. Miller. 

 General Manager and Treascrer— Eugene Secor. Forest City, Iowa. 



VOL. 38. 



APRIL 7, 1898. 



NO. 14. 



Note.— The American Bee Journal adopts the Orthography lA the following 

 Rule, recomnienoed hy the joint action ot the American Philological A'»so- 

 ciation and the Philological Society ot England:— Change "d" or "ed" final 

 to "t" when so pronounced, except when the "e" affects a preceding sound. 



The Pure Food Congress. — Last week we gave 

 a short report from Kev. E. T. Abbott, who, with Hon. 

 Eugene Secor, was a delegate to the Pare Food and Drug Con- 

 gress which met last mouth in Washington, D. C. Now we 

 have the privilege of presenting an interesting report by Mr. 

 Secor, General Manager of the United States Bee-Keepers' 

 Union. It will be read with interest, and is as follows : 



REPOET OF DELEGATE TO THE PURE FOOD CONGRESS. 



The "Pure Food and Drug Congress" which held a three- 

 days' session in Washington, beginning March 2, was a nota- 

 ble and important gathering. Notable in its personnel, 

 notable in the earnestness exhibited by its ineaibers, and nota- 

 ble in the fact that not a suspicious breath was detected on 

 any delegate during the life of the body. This fact alone 

 marks its lofty purpose and its fealty to a high ideal. Re- 

 formers need no stimulant to action except a noble aim. The 

 delegates and visitors were of such character and ability as 

 to impress one with the idea that some important object was 

 behind the motive which brought them together. 



Altho this was the first national gathering of the kind, 

 21 States and about 15 organizations were represented by 

 regularly appointed delegates. From those States whicii 

 have the best and most efficient pure food laws — notably Ohio, 

 Pennsylvania, and New York — the largest delegations were 

 present. These States, having had the most experience in 

 trying to enforce State laws against adulteration and mis- 

 branding, feel the necessity of national legislation along the 

 same lines. 



Leading chemists, celebrated physicians, and earnest 

 educators, were In attendance. Dr. H. W. Wiley, who is at 

 the head of the Division of Chemistry of the United States 

 Department of Agriculture, gave a very instructive lecture 

 before the Congress, Illustrated by samples of food products 

 most generally adulterated. Secretary Wilson was present 

 and addrest the body, as well as Congressmen. 



The object of this congress was to unite all food and drug 



interests on a uniform plan of operation before the Congress 

 of the United States. Heretofore every specialized interest 

 was pressing its own claims independent of all other interests. 

 The M. D.'s thought only of drugs, the dairymen only of but- 

 ter, the bee-keepers only of honey, etc. If all these and all 

 other organizations representing people who demand honesty 

 in the preparation, branding and marketing of all products, 

 especially those intended for human consumption, could unite 

 on a common ground, and unitedly present to the Congress of 

 the United States their combined influence in the interest of 

 the unprotected consumer, a long stride forward would be 

 accomplisht. 



Competition in business is now so intense that the honest 

 manufacturer or dealer in food products or medicines has no 

 show in the market of the country. Adulteration, misbrand- 

 ing, and imitations, are carried on to such an extent and pro- 

 duced with such skill, and are prest upon the public with 

 such persistency and adroitness that the conscientious manu- 

 facturer of food or drug preparations cannot compete and 

 prosper. Therefore, in the promotion of the pure-food idea 

 we have not only the consumer with us, but also all dealers 

 and manufacturers who would prefer honesty to fraud if they 

 can be protected in their business. 



State laws alone are insufficient. Decisions of the United 

 States Supreme Court touching the interstate feature of our 

 commerce renders it necessary to reinforce State laws by 

 national enactment. 



The aim of this convention was to agree on a Bill to pre- 

 sent to Congress. The Brosius Pure Food Bill, which had 

 already been introduced in the House, was taken up and care- 

 fully considered by a committee of 25, representing every 

 food and drug interest. Mr. Abbott was placed on this com- 

 mittee. He and I flrst went over the Bill very carefully, 

 keeping in mind the industry which we represented, and 

 when it had been considered in committee I noticed it was re- 

 ported back endorsing the suggestions made. 



Thus the Bill ran the gauntlet of every interest repre- 

 sented in the convention. When reported back it was taken 

 up section by section in committee of the whole, and almost 

 unanimously endorst. It will therefore go through Congress 

 with the united influence of nearly all the Pure Food organi- 

 zations : all manufacturers of foods, medicines and condi- 

 ments who are honest ; all dealers who would rather sell a 

 pure preparation than an adulterated one, and nf! consumers 

 for it goes without saying, that the great mass of people want 

 honest dealing— they want to pay for what they buy, and not 

 pay a high price for a cheap article. 



I said that heretofore there has been a great diversity of 

 opinion regarding the ideal pure-food law. Some wanted 

 imitation butters prohibited. Some wanted glucose tnxt out of 

 competition. Some thought that all combinations and mix- 

 tures should be outlawed. But the sober, second thought of 

 all the interests brought together at this convention was to 

 allow the greatest freedom to manufacturer and consumer 

 consistent with honesty. 



If the people prefer glucose to extracted honey, let them 

 buy it; but they have a right to know what they get, and 

 ought not to pay for the former when they get the latter. The 

 bottler has no right to label pure glucose, or any package 

 containing any portion of it, "Pure White Clover Honey." 

 This is what they are doing now, and this is what the pro- 

 ducer of honey has to compete against. 



Now let every bee-keeper write a personal letter to his 

 Representative and Senator, asking them in the interest of fair- 

 ness to every honest industry to vote and urge the early con- 

 sideration and adoption of the Brosius Bill, H. R. No. S-i-tl. 

 Something like the following might do. In writing to your 

 representative in Congress, if nothing better can be said : 



To THE Hon. , 



Washington, D. C. 



Dear Sir .—As one of your constituents who is interested in the 

 subject of food adulteration, and anxious that all preparations of 

 food and drugs shall be put on the marliet for exactly what tbey 

 are. I %vrite to ask your support and influence for the Brosius Pure 

 Food Bill, H. R. No. .5441, now before Congress, which I under- 

 stand to be in the interest ot honest branding of all preparations 

 consumed by man. 



I represent an industry which is suffering from the unjust and 

 dishonest competition ot a cheap and inferior adulterant, but I 

 ask your support of tliis Bill because I believe it will protect all 

 honest producers and dealers, and discourage fraud and deceit in 

 the preparation of everything intended lor human food, and will 

 aid in the enforcement of State laws enacted in the interest of 

 pure food. Respectfully yours, 



, Bee-Keeper. 



I have only to add that the delegates of the United States 

 Bee-Keepers' Union received full recognition at the conven- 

 tion, being placed on the most important committees, and 



