74 
Pharmacy  Legislation. 
{Am,  Jour.  Pharm. 
I    February,  1901. 
"  Committee  on  Medical  Colleges  and  Associations,"  to  which  com- 
mittee all  bills  in  any  way  affecting  the  practice  of  medicine,  dentis- 
try or  pharmacy  are  usually  referred.  If  this  committee  reports 
unanimously,  or  by  a  good  majority,  in  favor  of  a  pharmacy  bill,  it, 
is  properly  regarded  as  a  very  favorable  beginning,  while  if  it  reports 
adversely,  the  bill  has  a  very  small  chance  of  ever  appearing  on  the 
statute  books. 
This  fact  is  argument  enough  for  the  conciliation  of  the  medical 
members  of  the  general  assembly,  and  of  their  professional  brethren 
outside,  and  is  also  a  good  reason  why  those  visionary  members  ot 
the  pharmaceutical  craft  who  are  always  anxious  to  insert  in  the 
pharmacy  law  some  clause  to  prevent  the  dispensing  of  medicines 
by  physicians,  except  in  emergency,  and  to  leave  the  druggist  the 
judge  of  the  emergency,  should  be  promptly  headed  off.  When  a 
bill  of  this  character  makes  its  appearance  in  the  committee  room  it 
very  properly  goes  into  the  bottom  drawer  of  the  chairman's  desk 
and  stays  there  until  the  end  of  the  session,  or  if  it  gets  back  from 
the  committee  room,  is  usually  in  such  a  mutilated  condition  that 
its  framers  have  to  look  the  second  time  to  recognize  it. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  the  pharmacy  bill  leaves  the  business  of  the 
physician  strictly  alone,  the  medical  committee  is  usually  inclined 
to  be  friendly,  and  this  friendliness  can  frequently  be  increased  by 
promising  the  support  of  the  pharmaceutical  interest  to  any  medical 
bills  which  may  be  pending. 
THE  USE  OF  MONEY  IN  THE  LEGISLATURE. 
According  to  popular  repute  a  liberal  use  of  money  among  the 
members  of  the  general  assembly  is  almost  indispensable  to  success 
with  any  measure;  but  this  is  certainly  a  base  and  unjust  slander 
upon  a  very  honorable  class  of  men.  There  is  not  a  general  assem- 
bly in  the  United  States  the  majority  of  whose  members  are  not 
trustworthy,  patriotic  citizens,  earnestly  desirous  of  enacting  such 
measures  as  will  be  of  benefit  to  the  State.  If  they  sometimes  fail 
it  is  because  they  have  misjudged  the  character  of  a  measure  and 
not  because  of  corrupt  principles.  Doubtless  there  are  members  in 
every  legislature  who  are  ready  to  solicit  and  accept  bribes  for  their 
votes  and  influence,  but  such  men  are  in  the  minority. 
In  the  writer's  opinion,  the  corrupt  use  of  money  in  the  legisla- 
ture is  not  only  wholly  unnecessary,  but  harmful.    The  men  who  will 
