Huntsville gazette., 1888-03-31
RAISED A BREEZE.

The Statements of VIM. G. Bartle Before
the House Committee on Agriculture on
the Questionable Practices of Lard
Makers Raises Very Perceptible
Breeze, and May Result in Damage Suits.
WASHINGTON, March 27.-The statement
mace before the House committee on ag-
riculture last week, by Wm.G .Bartle, Of st.
Louis, in the investigation into the manu-
facture of lard, has created considerable
agitation in certain pork packing centres,
and has not only flooded the committee
with counters statements, but is likely to
involve Mr.. Bartle in damage and other
slits. Mr.. Bartle was not under oath
when he made his statement, and is not,
therefore, liable for perjury, as one firm
at Kansas City announces it will hold
him.
Chairman Hatch Of the House commit
tee on agriculture yesterday received
various kilograms from pork packers and
| others relative to the testimony of Mr..
Bartle, which will be filed with the COM
mittee to-day.
j. P. Squier, of Boston, telegraphs "We
positively deny thatwe use cholera or dis
eased hogs for meats or lard. Such state
ments are false and malicious"
c. II. North & Co., of Boston, telegraph:
''If Bartle states that cholera or any dis
eased hogs are used in lard here it is un-
true. Nothing but wholesome, healthy
hogs are used, and we wish to refute this
libel on Eastern packers"
| Francis Whitaker & Sons, st. Louis,
| telegraph: "Bartle's statement that the
yards are full of cholera hogs to-day, and
that packers slaughter similar ones, is ut
terly false, and is o libel on the general
trade. His prosecution will prove this"
| Hon. Asher Caruth, of Kentucky, has
received a lie tier from various pork pack
ers from Louisville, KY, which he has
referred to Mr.. Hatch, with an indorse-
ment of the high character of the firms
signing it. 1t is signed by Hughes, Tag
gart & Co., Fred Leibs' Sons, Jarvis &
| Co., II. Fl. Nissman & Co., Burch & Nor
ris and Conrad & Siler. They refer to the
newspaper publications, and state that
| they transmit a protest signed by all the
| city packers against Bartle's testimony,
which they ask to have laid before the
committee. They say at time when our
| National legislature is trying to get for
| eign countries to rescind their unjust en-
| bargoes against American hog products it
seems malicious that this man Bartle
| should make such un-American state
| mentS.
| The protest signed by the same gentle
men is as follows: "We unanimously de-
| clare the evidence given by VIM. G. Bar
| tie before your committee as published
| here to be untrue so far as concerns US,
| the pork packers of Louisville, KY. We
| do not kill diseased hogs nor hogs sick of
| cholera. We make only absolutely pure
hogs lard, free from al adulteration
whatever, and all hogs unnaturally dead
| or accidentally killed or smothered in
| transit are separately rendered into
grease, both white and yellow, and sold as
| such on their merits to other manufactur-
| ers. We feel justified in asserting that
| such testimony as Mr.. Bartle's is invidi-
Gus, injurious and highly detrimental
| to one of Americas leading interests, es-
| pecially with reference to our trade among
| foreign nations, and that the testimony of
| a man who acknowledges himself to have
slaughtered diseased animals for human
food and did SO knowingly is unworthy OF
credit"
In an interview with correspondent of
the Omaha Herald, Congressman Laird, of
Nebraska who is a member of the COM
mittee on agriculture, said: $50 far, this
is a fight between dealers in pork and lard,
representing different sections and con-
f1icting interests. Certain packers OF pork
and renderers of lard have sought and are
promoting this investigation, to the end
that they may rather gain an advantage
than that the consumer or producer
should be protected. This has lately de-
graded the inquiry into mere mud-sling-
ing; as, for example, the testimony of one
Bartle, which was simply infamous, and
which aroused the committee, and will
arouse the country to such an ex-
tent as will permit no trifing by
packers, renderers, refners or liars with
an industry that pays eighty million dol
ars per year into the pockets of the pro-
ducers of this country from foreign con-
sumers. Let the packers, renderers and re-
fners take notice that there is nothing to
be gained by preiudiced statements aimed
as rivals in trade at the pecuniary inter-
ests Of each other. By this method they
will simply invoke legislation unfriendly
to their own personal interests. Congress
is here for justice to all, and ought not to
build up one set of tradesmen at the ex-
pense of another"