, 1880-11-28
DEAD AN1MAL GREAsE IN BUTTER.

The nefariouS practice OF food-adulfera-
ton is, beyond question, In course Of rapid
expansion. It is q great abuse deserving Of
unsparing denunciation and calling urgently
for consideration at the hands OF the legt5-
lators OF every State in the Union, if not, In
deed, OF the National Congress. Food-ndul-
teration should be made crime. with severe
penalties attached to its commission. It Is
no answer to say that all adulteration Is not
poisonous, and hence not necessarily criml-
nal. The purchaser Of an article of food has
a natural right to get what he calls for, and
he should have the legal right also. Besides,
it is impossible as a rule for the purchaser
of adulterated food to determine for
himself whether or not the article
purchased contains poisonous OF an
innocuous foreign substance. lie should
not be required to subject his pur-
chase to the test OF chemical analysis.
It is not denied that poisons enter largely
into food authorizations, and 1t follows that
there is NO valid defense for those who use
innocuous substances in their adulterations.
At best the adulterant cheats, because the
foreign substance introduced Is always less
valuable than the articles atlulterated; and it
il a crime to cheat. II adulteration be al
lowed to begin there is 10 telling where it
will end. But it is quite sure to degenerate
FROM innocuous substances to poisonous sub
stances, and that very soon.
Take, for instance, the atlulteration OF but
ter with lard. It is claimed by certain mai
ufacturers Of spurious butter that they use
none but the purcst lcaf-lard, and it is not pro-
posed to dispute the truth Of this statement.
But while this may be, and doubtless is, the
fact with regard to these manufacturers, it is
alleged that there is another class ot butter
adulterants who use clarified md deodor-.
lied grease procured from rendering estab-
lishments where the carcasses Of dead ani-
mails from the Stock-Yards and from the
streets Of Chicago are utilizedl Think Of
this vile compound finding its way from the
manufactory Of the buttermaker to the shop
of the wholesaler, to the counter of the re
taller. and at last to the breakfast and dinner
table of the consumer! 1t Is admitted by
the manufacturers OF suine" or "butter-
ine," or half or two-thirds pure leaf-lard
butter, that they do not brand the COM
pound, but turn 1t over to their clients, the
wholesalers and retailers, to be used as
their interest shall dictate. They are NOR.
ally certain, however, that when it is Of
tered to consumers it is not represented as
butter composed Of two-thlrds pure leat-lard
to one-third butter. They know that it is
destined to be sold for what it is not,
and that every person who buys pound
or hundred pounds Of it will be
cheated. But this is not the worst OF it.
How do they know that side by side with
their pure leaf-lard butter" the vile prod=
uct Of the rendering establishments will
not also be exposed fur sale at one on two
cents pound less? OF course the dead ami
mai product Is a nasty, poisonous COM
pound, and the man who otteriA it. to
the public as an article Of ftbd un-
der the name Of butter, or butt6rine. OF
any other name, deserves to be sent to the
Penftentiary. And in this opinion the adul1
tEr3nta who are careful tn use none Int