68 
Pharmacy  Legislation. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pliarm. 
I    February.  1901. 
conducting  their  business  in  an  immoral  or  improper  manner,  are 
opposed  to  any  measures  which  might  possibly  interfere  with 
them. 
(2)  The  opposition,  or  what  amounts  to  such,  of  those  pharma- 
cists who  insist  upon  extreme  or  radical  provisions  which,  if  inserted 
in  the  measure,  would  most  likely  secure  its  defeat  before  the 
assembly,  or,  if  it  should  chance  to  be  enacted,  would  endanger  it 
in  the  courts  because  of  its  interference  with  constitutional  pro- 
visions. The  overcoming  of  this  species  of  opposition,  for  such  it 
is  in  effect,  is  especially  difficult  from  the  fact  that  it  comes  from 
those  who  claim  to  be  friends  of  the  pharmacy  law  and  therefore 
entitled  to  especial  consideration. 
(3)  The  third  obstacle  is  found  in  the  great  mass  of  druggists 
who  are  poorly  informed  as  to  the  nature  of  the  legislation  which 
should  be  sought,  or  are  indifferent  to  the  whole  subjects  These, 
when  asked,  generally  profess  to  be  in  favor  of  pharmacy  legisla- 
tion, but  limit  their  efforts  in  this  respect  to  criticising  the  measures 
prepared  by  others,  and  count  themselves  liberal  supporters  of  a 
bill  if  they  do  not  openly  oppose  it. 
Thus  it  appears  that  those  who  advocate  the  reform  of  the  phar- 
macy laws  must  first  overcome  the  opposition  of  those  members  of 
their  own  profession  who  are  totally  opposed  to  such  legislation, 
must  defeat  the  mischievous  efforts  of  those  who  are  in  favor  of 
radical  and  impractical  provisions,  must  be  able  to  carry  with  them 
the  dead  weight  of  the  great  number  who  are  entirely  indifferent, 
and  then  must  still  have  left,  sufficient  energy  to  beat  down  the 
opposition  from  the  extra-pharmaceutical  forces  which  are  naturally 
expected  to  array  themselves  against  such  reforms. 
A  PLAN  OF  CAMPAIGN  FOR  THE  ENACTMENT  OF  A  PHARMACY  LAW. 
It  has  been  the  writer's  fortune,  or  misfortune,  to  have  been  en- 
gaged in  advocating  or  opposing  pharmacy  legislation  at  every 
session  of  the  legislature  of  his  own  State  for  the  past  eight  or  ten 
years.  This  experience  has  convinced  him  that  failure  to  procure 
the  enactment  of  desirable  pharmacy  laws  generally  results  from  a 
lack  of  experience  on  the  part  of  the  persons  who  are  delegated  to 
look  after  the  interests  of  the  measure,  or  from  a  neglect  to  set 
about  the  work  in  the  thoroughgoing  and  systematic  manner  which 
is  indispensable  to  the  successful  passage  of  a  bill  through  the 
