The times., 1899-06-19
Porter on Honest Packing.

the archipelago.
Porter on Honest PnclSing.
Mr.. Robert p. Porter is in the country
again and loaded TO the guards with infor-
nation picked up in the course of his
European travels. Among other things, it
appears that he has given some attention
to the delicate question of American meat
in Germany, and his remarks on the sub
ject are interesting. of course it is
topic which we should expect Mr. Porter
TO handle in a gingorly rather than
gingerous manner. on account of his pleas
ant relations with Mr.. Mckinley and the
Administration. We must say, to his
credit, that for one handicapped as he is,
he is much more frank in expressing Lis
opinion and offering his advice to the
American embalming interest, than his
ago.
The essential doctrine of the Wilsonian
school of economists is, that the only way
to rehabflitate our boracic beef and timed
pulp trade with Europe is for Government
and people to Join hands and hearts and
unitedly to lie down the truth of the
packing infamies exposed in connection
with the army beef scandals. In that
course alone, they believe, will be found
success in convincing Germany and other
Continental States that our packers are
high minded and honorable traders, who
would no more think of canning a COW
dead of tuberculosis, than they would ven
.,,ra -,a call tba Government u ebinioad of
spoiled timed meat of ancient vintage.
which had been fostering in the Liverpool
docks for several years.
Mr.. Porter does not seem to belong to
this school He says the true remedy for
our uncomfortable position in the marts of
the Continent is absolute integrity in the.
killing, packing and putting up of our
sion of our products before they are ship
ped abroad" If what the former Census
Superintendent suggests were practicable
no doubt American meats might rapidly
gain firm foothold abroad; but. rnder
present, and presently unalterable condi-
tions. his ideas are too Utopian to talk
about. The leopard is as likely to change
the men who sickened and poisoned the
Army in the Spanish war are TO change
their vile and criminal methods. To look
to them for absolute integrity in the kill
ing packing. and putting up OF their pro-
ducts. is quite as impossible as it would
be to feel confidence in the rigidress of
supervision" by the authorities burdened
with that duty.
1t is charged. generally believed by the
country and not disproved, that prior
TO the war, whenever an inspector diseov-
cred packers buying and using diseased
cattle, or animals that had died in transit,
and reported the facts, he was promptly
dismissed from the service. or, at least,
transferred to some distant place where
his pernicious activity would not endanger
that noble commerce which is the foster
child of one of our great political agencies
of administration. So intense, indeed, has
been the desire in that quarter to avoid
the very appearance of evil that all reports
of the description named are missing from
the files of the office, although the people
who made them have testified under oath
to their formal and proper submission.
1t must be admitted that such things are
naturally incidental to the political sys-
TEN under which Supervision is exer-
cissd. The manufacturers of diseased COW
preparations are a power in the land, as
has been sufficiently shown in their infiu-
ence upon the Alger Relief Commission and
the Army Beef Inquest, and their ability
to make and unmake aspirants for even
Cabinet positions is not at all negligible
quantity. 1t is not surprising, therefore,
that the embarrassing questions OF super
vision" and inspection should be largely
within their own control. They pay liber-
ally for their privileges and immunities in
campaign contributions. and we know what
a vested interest that gives in the formula
tion of rules and the selection OF agents to
enforce" them.
Mr. Porter thinks that the loss Of the
meat trade in Europe, due to the recent
exposures, will amount to from twenty to
twenty-five million dollars annually If
this can be shown 10 fall solely upon the
miscreants who fed carrion to our troops
in the field we have only 10 express our
bitter regret that it is not greater The
last man of these poisoners ought TO have
been hanged; but they still live, pack,
pickle and are as unrepentant as Satan.
They have not reformed their methods.
Thsy yet stock dressed beef with boracic
acid, as Pennsylvania jury found the
other day. and as anyone with the most
elementary knowledge Of chemistry may
learn for himself from meat on sale in
most of our Washington markets. And
this also proves that the ''strictest super
vision" recommended by Mr.. Porter is not
now enforced, even after. as he puts it,
our people have learned a practical les
son. namely that honesty is the best pol
icy!"
New Plan of Defence.
A new weapon has been found for the
American Army, and, according to the