Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-12-13

- n"uc Will kHOWleuge OF pre-
yalllng methods of news gathering
and publication. The Gazette has
more than once been obliged to re-
mark the absolute inaccuracy of even
news matter furnished the daily-paper-
reading public concerning the agri-
cultural industry, and as to editorial
discussions of this news" they are
either so rankly partisan or so laugh
aple ana densely ignorant that it is
a waste of time to follow them
SO much by way of introduction. or
possibly depression. The fact is that
no people on earth are so careful as
to what they put down their outlets
as the Germans. Their government is
paternal enough to enforce the strict
est laws against the sale of unwhole-
some and adulterated food products Of
every kind. We are too democratic"
on this side TO pay any attention to
the adulterators of food products who
are swindling and poisoning us fairly
at their will Germany for years
scheduled our pork because it was not
inspected for trichinae as all German
pork is before allowed on the market
we olustered about in a manner quite
IN Keeping with our reputation on the
other side and charged "discrimina-
tion," protection to German pro-
ducerS" and all such stuff. but had not
the sense institute an inspection of
our own so that we could guarantee
the whOlesOmeneSs of our products TO
people who eat pork half-raw. Final
ly, after The Gazette had preached
such inspection for years, it was in
stituted and Immediately the German
barriers against our pork fell. The
fatherland has just scheduled our cat
tie, and again the cry goes up of re-
taliatiOn against us. The weaklingS
who utter this cry do not seem to
know that if Germany had wanted to
retaliate she would have attacked our
pork and not our beef. She can injure
us by shutting out our pork, whereas
our exports of cattle and beef are
comparatively insignificant. AS a mat
ter of fact the German 'vets" have
found some disease in our cattle.
They would not dare declare it if they
had not. What this disease is we do
not know. We are certain it is not
| pleuro; it is not claimed to be. Pos
sibly it is Texas fever, as they say.
If so, they simply have yet to learn
| thoroughly the nature of this pecul-
| lar disease, for it will not harm them.
! Now comes this warning about the
zinc in dried fruit. No man. wants to
take zinc into his stomach in unknown
quantities, and the German govern
ment was doing its duty by its people
! in discovering the presence of the
| harmful mineral in the dried fruits
which we send abroad.
The remedy is that suggested by our
consul-greater care and honesty in
the preparation of our export food
products. 1t is rank folly to yell re
! taliation" and urge President Cleve-
land to use the big club in his hands
| in return. Ii pure and wholesome
products are sent abroad we shall
hear nothing of such complaints. We
have almost eternally ruined our repu-
| tation for export cheese by sending
over the abominable aXle-grease
! filled cheese and the car-wheel
i "white-oa That our seeds are
adulterated does not admit OF dispute.
On the floor Of the senate Mr.. Pad
dock made such an exposure Of the
authorizations of food-stuffS and drugs
in this country as should have startled
the nation into an eXterminating whiri-
wind Of wrath against these thieves,
but the pure-food bill still slumbers
in the committee-room- put to sleep
! by judicious lobbying.
Let us not play the fool nor be
cozened by political hacks and wire
pullers. If we will deal fairly with
our neighbors across the sea we will
! have no great complaint to make of
| them. The Gazette has time and again
! sounded the warning as to our foreign
markets. Our adulteratOrs can swim
! die us who are too careless, or indif-
ferent, or '1oyal to party" to prevent
| it, but other peoples are not so.
Fortunately for humanity some gov
ernments make the health as well as
other interests of the people their con-
Germ, and adulterated and unwhOle
some nroductS arc DrODerly under the