The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1888-09-14
The Farm.
Farmers, Gardners, Horticuiturists,
Dairy and Stockmen are requested to
tDrite for this Department.
Commercial Swindllng.


ing lard in Chicago bids fair to ruin
the expectation of lard and other food
products, to foreign countries. A com
mittee of Congress which was appoint
ed to investigate this subject, brought
out some startling facts. The evidence
in regard to lard before the Congress
sional investigating committee showed
that in 1886 there were produced in
Chicago 149,00O,00O pounds of lard,
received ftom other sources, 8S,000,000
pounds, aggrsgating 237,0O0,000
pounds; while there were shipped from
that city in the same year 3l0,000,000
pounds, or 70,0o0,000 pounds more
than the total amount Of lard produced
and purchased at that point, This sur.
plus Of 70 100000 pounds is made up
by the aid Of cotton-secd oil, beef stear
ipe and other articles that can be read
lily used in the adplteration Of lard.
This, it is pointed out, means loss of
81 cents on each hog sold in Chicago
during 1886, or an aggregate sum of
from sl3,000,0O0 to $15,000,00O,
which amount is equal to three times
the value of the entire cotton.s seed oil
crop. The value of the hog product is
consequently diminished by the same
amount; great loss and damage entailed
upon the honest producer and consum-
er, and the foreign market for American
meat products, which represents for
lard alcne from S30,000,OO0 to S40,-
100000, greatly imperiled.
The decline in our exports of bacon
and hams of 340,Oo0,000 pounds
about 45 per cent-and the growing
decline in the export Of lard, are very
largely due to the want of confidence
in the purity of such American pro-
ducts.
Since the recent Investigation has re-.
vealed to Europe the imposition to
which it has been subjected, Denmark
has taken the initiative by closing her
ports to all American lard, except what
is said to be "re6ued." As Denmark,
in 1887, purchased more than 16,000,-
900 pounds of American lard, the loss
to our commerce is obvious.
These food adulterations which have
their headquarters in the cities are SO
many blows at the business of agricul-
ture, as we'll as at the health of the
community. The agricultural papers
are slowly beginning to take up these
subjects of abuse and ventilate them.
On the above subject the Prairie
Farmer remarks:
"This state of affairs forcibly shows
the necessity for the enactment of a
pure food law with such provisions as
those in the bill on which Congressman
Laird has reported. In the interest of
our national reputation for honesty, in
the name of the farmers and dairymen
who suffer from the avarice of the dis
honest manufacturer, and in common
justice to the people at large, it be-
hooves Congress speedily to put in
operation law that will stamp out Of
existence those rascally manufacturers
and merchants, who are robbing the
people and disgracing the name of
America abroad"
In place of going ahead, however, to
accomplish the work to protect the
public from these bold swindlers and
robbers, the time of that body is frit-
tered away in sham, make believe
effort to keep up the wages of laboring
men There has never been such a
serio comico farce acted in this or,any
other country as the performance OF
the United States Congress these last
uine months. The whole concern has
descended to the level of set of
wrangling, tricky ward.politicians.
The passage of the bill by the Senate
to exclude the Chinese, while the treaty
with that country was under considera.
ton by the latter, was perhaps the
most disgraceful trifling with a very
grave subject of national Importance,
to be found in American history. But
while the great railroads and other cor
porations, the Wall street gamblers and
trusts are allowed to name the majority
OF the men who fill the seats on the
ficor of Congress this will ever be the
case. : Tho seven million farmers owe