HEALTH ACTIVITIES OF THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT.

COMMITTEE ON INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE, Monday, June 6, 1910. The committee was called to order at 10.15 a. m., Hon. James R. fann (chairman) presiding.

TATEMENT OF MR. FRED A. BANGS, OF CHICAGO, ILL., REPRESENTING THE NATIONAL LEAGUE FOR MEDICAL FREEDOM.

The CHAIRMAN. You may proceed, gentlemen.

Mr. BANGS. Mr. Chairman, in the order I come next to present some iews to you. And I desire to state, Mr. Chairman and gentlemen f the committee, that it is not my intention, by anything contained 1 this compilation of facts and argument, to malign or impugn any erson or persons or physicians, but it is my intention only to contend gainst the present condition of affairs, and what I think is a menacing ondition, system, or scheme.

Mr. ESCH. Whom do you represent?

Mr. BANGS. I represent the National League for Medical Freedom. In view of the rapid advance of privileges, of monopolies, and usts in the United States during the past fifty years, can we afford > consider any legislative innovations so radical in character as at involved in the legislation now pending before this committee erely in the light of the verbiage of the enacting bill?

Must we not seek to find out whether or not there is behind the roposed measures any great privilege-seeking body, and, if so, hether this body or its leading representatives have ever sought abridge the rights of the people; whether, under the guise of rotecting the people, the promoters of the proposed legislation have ught to protect themselves; whether the advocates of the measures ave made any organized or systematic movement to secure the gislation desired; whether there is in the minds of its promoters id leading advocates any settled purpose which they do not at is stage deem it prudent to incorporate in the measure; and hether, in our desire to promote the public welfare, we might be ceived by specious arguments of good intentions and thereby rmit that to become a law which is but an "entering wedge hind which the forces of monopoly or privilege may move forward? Altruistic and philanthropic motives are always in the van of, and ged by, those who are self-seeking and have interests to protect, privileges to gain. It has been so ever since government was tablished, and we find in this instance no exception to the rule. When religion was a state asset and when those who were favoring ate religion were urging their claims on those who were handling

the government reins, their interest was solely, so far as their declarations were concerned, in the benefit that might be derived from such a condition by the people, when in truth and in fact the primary interest that they were seeking to conserve was their own selfish interest, to the detriment and injury of the people.

You have listened to many arguments showing on their face the absolute unselfishness of those who are attempting to have passed one or more of the bills now pending before you for the creation of either a department of health, with a secretary at its head, and a position in the President's Cabinet, or a bureau of health in some one of the now established departments, or the enlarging of the power of such a bureau.

It shall be my endeavor to puncture this seeming altruistic and philanthropic spirit, and to show what is truly and honestly behind these measures, to wit: This selfish interest of a very small minority of what is known as the American Medical Association, an organiza tion of allopathic doctors-although I now believe they have opened their gates so as to take in homeopathic physicians and eclectics, & well, although the gate has not yet swung to any great extent in the admission of such doctors-with its office and principal place of business in the city of Chicago and State of Illinois-a national organization of such physicians. Under what was termed a reorganization of that association a few years past, a certain small minority got control of the affairs of that institution and so manipulated its by-laws and constitution as to allow them to perpetuate their rule, and thereunder made each of the different state and county organizations a part of this national organization, so that in reality this organization is composed now not only of the American Medical Association but of all the various and sundry state and county medical organizations, making it a very powerful political association.

This organization has for some years been appearing in the various States throughout the United States and having passed bills on their face relating to the public health, but in truth looking after the estab lishment of a medical trust or monopoly. For some five years or more last past they have been actively agitating and promulgating the ides of a national board of health. They now have control of many of the various state and municipal boards of health and seek to get contro of a national board of health, and this small minority of the America Medical Association is behind, fostering and endeavoring to have passed the bills now pending before this committee.

It was stated before the Senate committee upon the hearing of what is known as the Owen bill, now pending in the Senate, by Dr. Charles A. L. Reed, whose official position is chairman of the legislative conmittee of the American Medical Association, that—

The American Medical Association is an organization of the physicians of the United States; it consists of a national body, of state bodies, and of county bodies. T county is the unit of organization. Nineteen years ago that association (the nationa body) adopted a resolution in favor of such a measure as this; in other words, in fav of a department of public health, with the secretary in the Cabinet.

This same desire to have a national board of health was made man fest again when this reorganization took place, and while endeavoring to have the various state laws passed and enforced they did not forge to prepare and arrange for the passage of a law by Congress establish ing a national board of health, and to that end they organized all

the States and counties into the political organization. The evidence secured and herewith submitted clearly indicates that they managed to secure in each platform of the various political parties a plank in substance favoring the passage of such a law; caused to be organized what is known as the committee of one hundred, for the purpose of carrying on a campaign for the passage of this law.

Mr. Hiram J. Messenger, actuary of the Traveler's Insurance Company, and a prominent member of the committee of one hundred, stated before the Senate committee that:

The committee of one hundred is a committee that was appointed by the American Medical Association for the advancement of science, probably the leading scientific organization in the country. It is a committee of one hundred on national health to do all they can to see that action is taken by the National Government, by the state governments, by the municipalities, and by private organizations to care for the health of the nation.

Senator Owen stated, when he introduced his bill in the Senate, that he did so "in accordance with the earnest and repeated desire of the American Medical Association," and stated that nine years ago (four years before the organization of the Committee of One Hundred) he had the importance of the matter called to his attention by an article by Maj. William O. Owen, printed in the Journal of the American Medical Association, October 26, 1901, and further stated "that the principle of this bill has the cordial approval and support of the officers of the American Medical Association."

In a letter to Senator Owen, speaking of the Owen bill in the Senate, the counterpart of which is the Creager bill now pending before this committee, Charles A. L. Reed, chairman of the legislative committee of the American Medical Association, said in part:

As chairman of the American Medical Association, in that capacity I have the honor at the same time to request, first, that you avail yourself of an early opportunity and in your own way to lay before the Senate the facts which I shall present; and, second, that you arrange at an early date for a hearing on your bill, the vital principle of which is so distinctly in consonance with the interest of the people as represented by and through the medical profession.

This is shown by the fact that the American Medical Association, through its legisative conference, attended by delegates from 36 States and from the army and navy ind the Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service, held at Chicago, March 2, 1910, n harmony with the repeated action of the association for nineteen years, adopted he report of its committee on federal and state regulation of public health suggesting hat a bill be passed that will give recognition to the health interests of the country n the title of a department and that within that department there be organized an efficient bureau of health to consist of all present public national health agencies. The following letters tell the whole story:

MOUNT AYR, Iowa, May 25, 1908. DEAR DOCTOR: As chairman of the committee on national legislation for the physiians of Iowa, I am interested in the nomination of such men for Congress as will give he physicians of Iowa a square deal. I write you, therefore, at this time in behalf of Hon. for the office of Congressman.

I wish to call your attention to one thing, viz, that doctors have not had proper ecognition in the past from your Congressman, nor can we hope for anything from im in the future. I think the time has come, and has long passed, when the United States should have a doctor in the Cabinet in charge of the national health department, position to be created in the near future, I hope.

As long as I can recollect the doings and conduct of your Congressman, he has gnored all appeals for national recognition. I am strongly of the opinion that if Mr. of your district were elected to Congress he would listen to the petitions of loctors and would act. Is it not our duty to send such men to Congress?

Yours, very truly,

S. BAILEY.

AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, 535 Dearborn Avenue, Chicago, May 10, 1910.

DEAR DOCTOR: A proposition to establish a department of health, with a Secretary in the Cabinet of the President, is now pending in Congress (Owen bill, S. 6019) The congressional elections are to occur within a few months. It is therefore of the highest importance, if justified by public sentiment in your county, that you at once take the necessary steps

(1) To secure as delegates from your county to your congressional nominating conventions of all parties men who are in favor of establishing a national department of health with a Secretary in the Cabinet and, through them, to secure the adoption of a plank in their respective platforms in favor of such a measure;

(2) To secure, if possible, a definite promise from each candidate for Congress to support such a measure, if elected. In the absence of such promise, to secure either an expression of the attitude of the candidate on the question or his refusal to make such an expression. The position of all candidates, whatever it may be, should be made known to the electors before the nominations are made;

(3) To secure the adoption of a plank in favor of a department of public health in the platform of each political convention, whether county, district, or state.

You are urgently requested to take up this question at once with all candidate especially with present Members of Congress who are candidates for reelection, and to keep this office informed of everything that you do in this connection.

The prospect for advanced national health legislation was never so promising 28 now, and definite results will be realized if we stand insistently as the protectors of the people on this great question.

Very respectfully,

FREDERICK R. GREEN, Secretary, Committee on Medical Legislation.

Many of the men who have appeared before you and who appeared before the Senate committee, favoring this legislation, and who are members of the committee of one hundred have, I believe, been deceived and are now being deceived, even as the desire is to deceive by this assumed altruistic and philanthropic spirit the members of this committee and of Congress. The question naturally arises, What is this American Medical Association?

Dr. G. Frank Lydston, professor of genito-urinary surgery in the medical department, State University of Illinois, Chicago, a member of the American Medical Association, who is now and for some time has been fighting this small majority, having charge of the affairs of the American Medical Association, says:

It requires no great power of discernment to see what will happen if the press despotism of the A. M. A. goes on unchecked. As to the outcome: Medical position under the United States Government-controlled by the machine. Medical appeti ments under the State-controlled by the machine. Medical officers in city o county-dispensed by the machine. Number and organization of medical colle and personnel of medical faculties dictated by the machine. Journals which shal be published and organizations which we may join--controlled by the machi Local and state health boards-controlled by the machine. "Thinks" which ve shall think-controlled by the machine. Whether the machine will ever prescri the habiliments we shall wear, deponent saith not, but the rank and file will eve be like Alice in Wonderland, complaining of "cake yesterday and cake to-morrow, b none to-day."

What do we find on the credit side of the ledger? A tyrannical political machine. a large circulation for a journal monopoly and a business of a half million dollars a year in which we are "stockholders" only to the extent of bearing the financial burdes for we have no voice. Have we not sold our birthright for a mess of pottage?

Mr. STAFFORD. What do you refer to in what you have just read, to the profits of a half million dollars?

Mr. BANGS. The organization which carries on the business, the journal, and it makes money. It is an organization for proft Whether it is organized under the law which permits of organization for profit, or not, I do not know.