The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-09-17
Telephone No. &C.
THE FALL FISHING EVIL.

THE FALL flo f1lNtT II ILL.,
The Merchants Review of New York
City. says:
THE COMMERCIAL Edition of the Asto-
rlan, OF Astoria, oregon, ecfoing the
opinions OF all true friends of the Col
unlbil River salmon industry, says;
",rhe prlctlce Of putting up fall salm-
on on the Columbia River is one that
should never be allowed to continue.
Both common honesty and se,f-interest
ought to deter the cannerymen from
packing It, and, besides, 1t Is time that
public opinion made Its influence felt
In such a way as to put a stop to a
course tlllt can be looked at in no other
light than most harmful to the industry,
and therefore harmful to the interests
OF the city and the state at large"
The Review then goes on to quote at
considerable length the balance OF our
remarks on this subject, and in con-
clusion says:
I'VE are with you Mr.. Astorian. in
your pthiseworthy crusade, and we be-
neve we speak within the mark in say
ing that all the grocers are opposed to
fall flshing."
The following journals, among the most
influential trade papers on the continent,
are quoting from the Astorian's columns
and supporting its position on the fall
fishing question every week:
"sT. LOUIS GROCER" st. Louis.
''NEw ENGLAND GROCER" Boston.
THE TRADE" Baltimore.
"sT. PAUL TRADE JOURNAL" st.
Paul.
AMERICAN GROCER" New York.
The st. Louis Interstate Grocer says:
"The Oregon Historian, which has jump
ed to the front during the past year as
the special champion OF the Columbia
River fishing industry, in It's last issue.
says that the fall fish, that is to say the
salmon caught in and peculiar to the
Columbia River In the fall, from the
first OF September along till the end OF
the year. Is not a fit article TO present
to the public In the guise Of food. 1t
is very nearly tasteess-perhaps 1t would
be better IL Il were all tasteess-and
its color Is neither healthy nor attract
i've. In short, 1t is a p!ayed-ous, and
very badly disiigured imitation OF the
Columbia River spring salmon, and to
put such an article into cans sent out
from this river is an outrage. The only
way for the Historian to effect any gen.
uine reform would be to publish the
names OF the packers. mddlemen, brok-
ems or otherwise, who put up fall salmon.
Publish the name of the man with the
labels under which he sends out these
goods and It Will soon stop the fraud"
with reference to this last quotation
we dislre to say that the Interstate must
not imagine that the duty II points out
to US hats not been cleariy apparent to
the Astorlan from the beginning. But
in view OF the fact that publication OF
names would injure and probably kill the
business of many packers, we have re-
Trained from making this exposure up to
the present time, more especially because
we know that among the men engaged
IN this work are some who, in the spring
season, put up excellent and pure fish,
No faiI-mindod man who has followed
this controversy will say thai we have
failed to point out the evils Of fall fish,
ing or given Insufficient warming In
view OF the attention the subject Is now
receiving In the trade journals and by
the public Mt large, and the direct de-
mand made upon us for specific lnfor-
nation concerning those who are engage
ing In this illegltlmate work. there is
but one consistent course to pursue. In
the next issue OF the Commercial Asto-
rAln, therefore, published on the Esd OF
the present month, win appear the name
OF every canner engaged in fall packing
at that date, the brands he packs, the
methods he employs. and the kind OF
fish he dares TO throw onto the markets
OF America under the Kulse OF food
We hope that, by next Monday, this
warning or threat at Is immaterlal to
ras In what light they look upon 10 win
be needed by these packers. who will
thus save us from the performance OF an
unpleasant duty.
During the last few days representa-
tves OF the Astorlan have, visited the |
eannerles where fan fish are being pack
ed, and have been sickened and lisgusted
with what they have seen. Fully half
of the material put into the cans would
rot be offered by any humane man to
his dog. This is the plain and absolute
truth. The outside skin OF the ish is
pink. green. black and all the colors
Of the rainbow. The fesh Is dirty. fiab-
BY white. throwing Off an offensive odor
a soon as It Is touched by the knife,
and not having enough consistency or
llrmness to be cut without tearing apart.
The salmon has either just spawned ana
is on the point OF death from exhaustion.
or It Is just about to spawn and the
body. battered and bruised, is full of
r1pened ovae. Before putting this dis
enstlng material into cans the butchers
have to skin. scrape. scrub, and wash It.
and carefully throw out the most decay
cd parts.
what can we say In the face OF a
state Of Affairs like this? How can we
i,cps 20 make tl.s oanass } men see The Ia ,
tai effects Of their fall lshing operations. a