The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-03-29
WASHINGTON NEMS.
Investigating the manuGacsure or lard
-Omeexs seeking Promotion.


VIM. G Bartte, of st. Louis, testified
that he had been in the pork packing
business for forty-five years, and had
also been engaged in shipping cattle to
the east. He had recently been in
Kansas City and examined the stock
yards and packing houses there. At
Jacob Dold s. Sons, he had found
them Strengthening ds great n many dis,
suffering from what was known
as cholera. One of the firm
told him that but little white grease
was made now, and also that his fore
man had recently bought 1900 smOth-
cred hogs, which were put into the
tanks, and went into prime steam lard.
Witness said that he regarded the at
tack on the manufacturers or refined
lard as unjust and unwarranted. He
thought that the investigation ought to
begin at the root of the matter and
show from what truck the refner
was compelled to make his refined lard,
owing to the prevalence of disease
among the hogs at the stock yards. He
could, as a pork packer and expert
enced farmer, verify all the statements
he had heard about the manufacture of
prime steam lard. He had only gone
out of the business because he could
not pursue his business any longer and
deal honestly. The tricks of the trade
had become so corrupt during the
past few years, that even in order
trade with the south he could not co M
pete with the small dealers of his own
city. On cross examination, the wit
ness stated that when ne was in BUSH
ness he necessarily packed cholera
hogs because they were mixed with
other hogs. 1t was very difficult for d
man purchasing 1000 or 8, 900 hogs TO de-
tect the cholera hogs. The stock
yards were flied with cholera
hogs into hams, ETC., knowing them to
be diseased, just as every other packer
did. Everything that affected a hog
was called cholera. The meat of the
cholera hog was not poisonous. If the
meat of cattle suffering from Texas
fever was poisonous, half the people in
st. Louis would have been dead long
ago. One of the crying evils
of the time was shipping of
diseased hogs and pregnant sows
TO market by the farmers. He hail
tried to stop this and had been instru-
mental in framing bill for introduce
ton into the Missouri legislature, i'm
posing a penalty upon any farmer
shipping that character of swine. The
dill was not introduced because
Chicago would not ask for a similar
law, and If Chicago would not
join with st. Louis upon the
question the current of trade would
be turned to Chicago and st. Louis
would be given the cold shoulder. He
was in favor of law which would pre-
vent packer from using cholera hogs.
He stated that the suggestion that he
should come here, came originally from
Mr.. Burnett, of Fairbanks & Co., whom
he had met accidentally, and to whom
he had said that there was more faith
in prime steam lard than
in anything else, and that
anything the refiner could do to it
would not purify it.
In response to question from Mr.
Wilson, the witness, declared that the
man immortalized himself who would
frame the legislature a bill which
would prevent the rehners and packers
ufacture of food products. In
reply to question the wit
ness stated that out of a
carload of sixty animals the number of
bOarS, stays and pregnant soWS would
sometimes be none, but at times would
run from five to fifty.
The chairman said that while
that might be true of the st.
Louis meat. it was not true of the
out of hundred in that section would
spoil nice lot of hogs
by putting a boar or a stag
among them. He did not believe
that the shipments from Hannibal
would average one such an animal in
hundred hogs.
The chairman-"Did you while you
were picking hogs in st. Louis with a
large southern trade use cholera hogs
and put them into the food pro-
~ did, and so does every other
Replying to Mr.. Cromwell, wit
ness said he knew of no reason
why an inspector should be appointed
to inspect refined lard, if the cotton
seed oil and the sternine used were
pure. The refined lard was much bet
ter than the steam lard from which it
was made.
In response to Mr.. Laird witness said
he did not think that the farmer had
any guilty knowledge of the use to
which his diseased hogs were put.
Adjourned.
PROMOTION OF ARMY OFFICERS.
WASHINGTON, March 24.-The bill
reported to the house to-day to provide
for the promotion of army officers be-
low the rank of brigadier-general after
twenty years continuous service in Ona
grade, was presented by the military
committee in lieu of several specific
bills providing for promotions in the
subsistence, paymaster and medical
departments, and in the line of the
army. One of these bills, that relaE-
ing to the subsistence department,
al hWT hEa
day or two ago. Under the
general bill reported to-day which the
committee hope will quiet the long ex-
isting jealousies between the line and
staff. the subsistence department
will be stronger by lieutenant-colJn mel
and three majors than it now is, and
one major and four captains will be
p omoted at once. The senate bill.
however. still further increased
this allowance by one colonel and
three lieutenant colonies. Every eff
fort was made to get the house com
mittee to accept the senate bill, but al
yesterdays meeting this WAS refusr d
and the original and general bill in
| sisted upon. In the report accOmpa-
nying the bill, the committee SAYS il
believes that general law embracing
| the provisions expected to be covered
| by the special bills, would result il
increasing the efficiency Of the army by
removing the inequalities existing il
certain branches Of the service. AS al
instance OF the unjust operation of TIT
present law the committee points Il
the case Of Captain Cushing, of thu
subsistence department, who in 1855
ranked many of the lieutenant colon
els and all but eleven O
the majors now in tn
service outside of the subsistence de
partment. He has been a captain
nearly twenty-six years and has seel
more than 200 officers who were hi
Junior in rank and service, promote
to be majors. Quotations are mad
from Lieutenant General Sheridan
letter, wherein he says, the promo
ton of men who have stoo
in one grade for SO. man
years would benefit the serviC
and Secretary Endicott's letter askin
: speedy and favorable consideration fl
the matter. The committee say.
There are In service to-day 12S Off
ers below the rank of colonel. who hay
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