Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1869-04-24
HOW NOT TO DO IT.

While we are lasoring to get authority to
subscribe some millions of dollars for railroad
enterprises in order to secure a better and
cheaper food-suppiy, would il not be well that
we should avail ourselves Of present opportu-
mites to improve that supply On the contra
~, oy the stupid laws upon our statute books,
or by the stupid construction of them by some
municipal Dogberrys We are absolutely driv-
ing away those who would help us-fning
Them, confiscatIng the articles they bring here,
and making ourselves asses generally. Not
long ago some farmers belonging 10
Middletown, Maryland, brought 10 our mar .
ket some slaughtered calves, and sold them to
the butchers These butchers were small deal.
ers-new beginners-who instead Of buying
from the large butchers, who have had the mo-
nopoly heretofore, found it to their advantage
to purchase from these Middletown farmers.
The large butchers therefor caused the arrest
Of the farmers on the ground that they were vi.
olating the law by selling meats Eot of their
own raising The MIddletown men were
fined, their meat confiscated, and they left the
city almost pennies and in great dudgeon
over the manner in which they had been
robbed.
Quite certainly they will never bring any
more produce to this market, but viii! take
their supplies to Baltimore, where there are NO
suen absurd regulations in force TO drive away
food We have examined our statutes care
fully TO see where the auth GRITTY is Obtained by
which these Middletown men Were so infa-
mously plundered, and suppose il must be
from some strained construction Of the follow.
ing provision:
alt shall not be lawful for any person or
persons TO sell or offer for sale fresh meat of
any kind IN either Of the markets In this CITY
except az the stalls or stands known Is butch.
en- stalls or stands: Prorided, however, That
u xIa mr. Of
permitted to offer meat of their own raisin1 in
quantity not less than one quarter of an entire
carcass: And prorided. also, That any person
may offer hogs for sale in quantity not less than
an entire carcass; and for each and every in
fraction Of any Of the provisions OF this sec
ton the persons so offending shall forfeit the
meat so offered for sale, and pay q fine of not
less thar fve nor more than ten dollars; the
meat SO forfeited shall be con veyed to the Aims
House for the use Of the poor"
The preservation of such a relic of the dark
ages as this upon our statute books Is about N
keeping with the lease OF life given to the
absurd old usury law that cramps business en-.
terprise here Since il was enacted, the whole
practice Of obtaining market supplies has beer
changed In olden time the farmer, the gard.
ner, and the grazier attended market in person,
q very awkward, time-wasting arrangement
al best Now they attend to their home avo-
cations, and another class, who make il their
business, purchase OF them and supply the
markets.. This division of labor works well on
all SIDES and 1t is quite certain that the old
system will never again come into
vogue. This being the case let rs by
all means wipe from our statutes any
absurd provision requiring that every calf
brought here fo- sale shall be liable to coufis.
cation, unless accompanied by a satisfactory
pedigree that its entire bossy hood, from birth
70 veal was spent in the ownership of
the individual bringing IL to market,
III viii be seen that the Middletown men did
not propose to retail their meats, to sell less
IMAM In carcass, or to sell to others than the
butchers The whole extent Of their off.udine
was that the meat was not OF their own rais,ng
and that its sale here interfered with the whole
saieing monopoly Of the large dealers, bsue.
fitting the community thereby