The Saint Paul globe., 1899-01-01
Gen. lilies and the "Embalmed"
Beef Problem.

A. Miles before the commission 1nVeS-
tigatlng the conduct Of the war is
likely to prove valuable in more ways
than one. Gen. Miles did not mince
words when he referred to the quality
of the so-called fresh beef which had
been sent to the army in Cuba and
Porto Rico. He gave to 1t the charac-
terization of ''embalmed' meat; and, if
all is true that has since been declared.
his characterization was based upon
knowledge of what he asserted. Some
100000 pounds of what was understood
to be refrigerator beef was shipped
to our armies in the Cuban campaign,
and, in the process of cooking and
serving 1t, the meat proved exceeding
ly unwholesome, and for the alleged
reason that it had been subjected to a
chemical treatment designed to insure
its preservation in the climates in
which it was to be consumed.
The word "embalmed," as delivered
by Gen. Miles, was suggestive of hu-
man mortality, and it's association
with food supplies was somewhat re-
pulsive to the imagination. And yet.
after all, he seems to have fastened
upon the exact word. If it shall prove
to be correct surmise that this beef
was subjected to a chemical treat
ment by the injection Of deleterious
fluids, our rapidly growing export trade
in connection with this product is
likely to suffer in a material degree.
European countries have been absorb
Ing our dressed beef supplies to a re-
markable degree within the past few
years. The testimony of Gen. Miles
has already been forwarded, in the
process OF news collection and trans
mission, to every port abroad. =
Our exports last year Of dressed beef
amounted to approximately 275, ,000. 900
pounds, of the value of $2S, coo 900, and
this volume did not reach that of the
previous year, which amounted to
more than 290,000O0O pounds. A large
proportion Of this entered the markets
Of Great Britain. The washington
correspondent Of the Chicago Record
declares, in his dispatches to that pa
per, after giving the figures above
quoted, that Gen. Miles has furnished
the English people with better argu-
ments than any heretofore offered
meat product into those markets.
simultaneously with the reflection
cast upon the quality of our dressed
meat products comes an assault upon
the canned beef. which large produo-
ers in this country have been ship
ping to different parts of the world in
enormous quantities. A firm of the
largest producers in this line in Chi
cago has already advanced a defense
against all insinuations as to the puri
ty of their supplies.
In view of the Importance of the
commercial side of this question Gen.
Miles is being assailed by the entire
commissary bureau of the war DEPART
ment; and in this the strength of the
assault upon him, the origin Of which
may be not unjustifably attributed to
the secretary of war himself, is likely to
accumulate, especially in view of the
Immense interests involved. But if
after competent analysis, 1t shall be
proved that any producer of dressed
meats countenances the treatment of
the output of his establishment to anv
such chemical application as that in
dicated by Gen. Miles, the sooner the
fact is exposed the better it win be
for the industry involved. And if. by
bringing out the truth, the purity of
the product shall be insured for the
future, Gen. Miles will render his coun-
try as great a service as would be DOS
sible were he to appear at the head
OF a victorious army of territorial con-
quest
1t is said that the agricultural de-
partment at Washington is quite stir
red up over the exposure, and well 1t
may be. The inspection of meat prod
ucts belongs to that department, and.
II inefficiency on the part of inspectors
has resulted in failure to detect any
trickery in the treatment of fresh
meats, it is time that an overhauling
OF the system should take place. The
agricultural community, in every sec
ton of the United States, and espe-
cially the live stock industry, will be
particularly interested in the inves-
tigation that must take place