The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-01-29


Nature and the laboratory d" hoI "
ana while General Eagan may say tna1
General Miles lies I'm every halr OF ms
head and pore of his skim TO say hoei,'.e
of living in the bath-tgD, as the WHY
paragraphcr remarks, yet Wheh
Government chemist Mr.. tiarke ~
SURGEON Dalv's beef tea. made from ti'
army contract beef. and reports ~ ~,
McKinley's willing whlte-"a7ne
that he has found In that beer Tea no'i,
boracic and salicylic acid, that - ui' I,
and conclusive. General Miles Is Vlhul-
Gated. General Eagan is condemned 'ne
great packing industries are exposed ana
the War investigating Commission -
fortunately silenced.
Following on the heels Of the beef tea
incident. the New York Herald has sell Oh
foot an Independent line Of Investigation
and discovers that while the great pack
ing Industries may send men before the
war Commission 10 make oath that they
have never Injected any emnalmlns
fluids I'm the beef. yet the Herald eN-
mains how easily they could avoid their
consciences. and explains that instead OF
injecting embalming fluids in the beer, lt
l. the custom to rub the dry acids upon
the outside Of the beef; and this. m the
opinion of the Herald is Just what the
packing companies did. There. are three
large companies, viz The Pacific Coast
Borax Co. with offices i'm San Francisco,
Chicago and New York; b. Heller CO..
! of Chicago. and W. Zinser & Co. am or
whom make IL their business 10 advertise
these very cehmicals for the preserva-
ton of meats. and they do large and
| thriving business I'm the same. one OF
| these companies issues a twenty-pa2e
pamphlet explaining tho different ways
| In use these acids the first Of which is
to rub the meat with the dry saicylic
acid II also adds certain cautions
whereby the health Of people might be
injured IN using the meat, II put up ih
certain kinds of tins. This government
chemist. Clarke selected by the lnves-
tigating Commission, even after he had
found these hurtful acids on lhe meat,
assured the commission that these acids
were "tasteless and very nearly harm
less Now. all any one has 10 do Is 20
stem into any corner drug store and ask
them 10 let him have taste Of salisylic
acid. and he will find that " is both un-
pleasant and sckenmg And yet this
STUPID chemist must make one vain.
straw-catchng endeavor to save tho adj
ministration from public shame and con-
domination Some Of the most incompe-
tent impractical. theoretical men on
earth are to be found among these life
time government ofiice-hoIders.
They say the packing industries are
sending powerful men 70 Washington.
that their pocket nerve has been won
derfuly rasped. that they intend 90 furnish
the venom and Tie brains 10 tight AL
gers and Eagan's battle for them, 10
say nothing of defending themselves.
They knew IN mind long tutOred Ike
Mckinleys 10 protect American INDUS
tries" that the injury OF this great in-
dusiry will be strongly resented by our
prOtectionlst President. There is WHY
fellow from out In the State Of Washing
ton. known among his Congressional cole
leagues as Jim Ham Lewis lie contrl-
buted the other day 20 this beef scandal
one Of the wittiest epigrams OF the year
said he: "Who viii dare assert lhat tne
industry Or dead hogs is superior no tne
industry OF I've American soldiers Ana
yet there are men IN this country VINO
think that a n American soldier is created
FOR nothing but laying the basis Of i0r-
tune. built mp on contracts 10 supply his
wants. They have no feeling of patro-
tism. Of pride in country or Of the much
exploited glory of the flag behind which
! Mckinley and Alger would now gladly
hide. With cold. calm. selfish eye they
weigh and consider. calculate and ESTE
mate just how much they can work the
government for, either through its urgent
necessities. or through the strong per-
sonal influence Of friends and relatives
who are in office in Washington Does
not every man who has sense enough %
go about the world know that when a
man has the giving out Of a contract
these days. that these birds OF prey that
gather where the carcass is are sure
to hunt some friend. some former busI-
ness associate. some political prop or
support. or some relative OF this man 20
work on him through such influences
for the purpose Of comprising their ends?
Has not that gotten to be the way
4, things are done here IN America? And
We have no doubt that not only the beef
scandal growing out Of the army con-
tract for soldiers food is nefarious
piece Of business. but we have no doubt
that there are plenty Of other contracts
which If the politicians at Washington
were thoroughly probed. and the light
turned on would be revealed with equal
~ scandalous consequences. What has
become Of that embryonic scandal about
the price paid for the sunken collier.
Merrimac2 What has become of the great
coal contract affair which seems 10 have
been so effectually hushed up2 and the
contracts for plain old. black powder.
when the smOkeless article could have
been secured? Also the contract Tor HOT
woollen uniforms that could nor be used
and FOR tents and various other sundrv
things too numerous 20 mention all OF
which have been Warkad th-o...h -.