Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-11-25

CHICAGO DIR ESSED REEF.
Diseased Meat for Consumer.
From the Boston Cultiyator,

From the Boston Cultivator.
Interested parties have lately published COL
umns of Information concerning the intention of
certain Chicago butchers and shippers of cattle
In supplying New York. Boston, Baltimore and
Philadelphia with enormous supplies of Chicago
dressed beef In refrigerator cars. This new in
dustry was to abolish all abattOirs and slaughter
houses in the East. Brighton and Watertown
were to become deserted villages Only Chicago
dressed beef could be sold in city. town or vii
lage markets because Of its quality and cheap
ness. True, our New England people have a
natural preference for healthy beef slaughtered
under reasonable regulations BY our local
butchers, yet these great Chicago shippers were
threatening to flood our local markets with such
enormous shipments that our local supplies
would look insignificant indeed. There is
another phase of the new industry. which the
public should fully understand and which NAV
operate as check upon the consumption OF
Chicago dressed beet. We are indebted To orr
contemporary, the Chicago Tribune for the 1ol-
lowing facts:
ket are every day sending out, to be eaten by
the unsuspecting people Of Chicago thousands
OF pounds of meat little better than carbon
The revelations which have been made during
the last fortnight by the Ttitunes reporters,
who have followed the ghOulish traffic from the
incoming cattle cars through the slaughter-pens
of the stock yards to the stalls of the Jackson
street market, are enough to make vegetarans
OF the whole population.
For want of state inspection at the stock
yards, ana Tor want OF performance of duty at
the market by the city inspectors, all the
diseased dying and disabled cattle of the whole
country round about us that can be got into
Chicago before life becomes extinct are brought
here. slaughtered and eaten. The rule of the
business is that anything that is not dead before
the slaughter-hOuse knife can get to It's throat
is good enough for Chicago people to eat Cows
with feculunt sores, beeves with flesh poisoned
by the torture of broken limbs calves prema-
turely born in the slaughter-hOuse of diseased
mothers Just killed, sheep with the snufles,
cOnsumptive cattle coughing puruent matter
victims OF the swine plague. living CARTON
anything. In tact, that is not stone-dead
carrlon-passes muster as fit food. Gangrenous.
cancerous. feverish, phthisical, tuberculous
scrofulOus animals are killed and sold. and 90
into the blood of the children. men and women
OF this city.
while the board Of health and sanitary engi-
ncer and latter-day plumbers and anxious pa
rents are standing guard over soil pipes and catch
basins. the germs Of trichiniasis typhoid. con-
sumption, and scrOfula and vermicular horrors
are placed upon the family table, The stock
yards and the JacksOn-street market are centers
forthe propagation of the diseases of cattle among
human beings. Pastcur. Bastian, Tyndall and
Koch are studying out under the microscope the
secrets Of the growth OF these nfinitesmal devil
fish OF disease. while our stOck-yard scalpers aud
their confederate ghOuls, the butchers, are in
Producing into our stOmachs every species of
malignant micrObe that infests animal life
Without doubt many of the zymOtc diseases
that ravagc the city originate In contaminated
meat eaten underdone. Science has demon
strated beyond q cavil that the spores, bacteria,
tubercles microbes, germs of the diseases
OF men and animals are intercOmmunicable
There is no state law to reach this outrage
The state board Of health was able to exercise
some control over the Texas fever in 1869. but
It's power does not extend to these chronic
plaques that We have with us always avs
tenn OF state inspection that will cover the
whole traffic In meat In the city and out of II IL
an Imperative need that the legislature must
not neglect another session as they did tine last
| Nothing can be hoped for from the city authOri-
ties The best mayor, the finest police are
too busy preventing the contagion of reform
| from injecting the brOthels and gambling hells
They have no time to spare to look after the
enforcement Of ordinances that would save the
| life and health Of those who contribute only
| taxes to the support Of the force.
"Under existing regulations so long as a last
| futtering spark of life Is bright enough to be
| seen by tho Keen eye Of the scalper sharpened
| by INSCRIPTIONS greed for gold. the lame. the
blind, the sick, and the dying scum of cattle
creation may be taken from the yards, and none
| can prevent. Ali such stock should as soon "a
possible after arrival, be killed In q slaughter
house under the control Of Trustworthy CITY or
state officials, and after careful and thorough
| inspection by competent officials who NAV be
trusted to guard the health and comfort Of the
people, be disposed Of as those officials may d.
rect, and the proceeds be placed to the account
| Of the owner"