The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-08-05
MEAT men ANGRY.
Don't Like Being Victim f0s
Yellow journalism.
Morning Paper Makes Effort to
Injure Business.
DENIALS ARE MADE.
Charge That Meat Preservative
Is Used Denounced.
Story Branded as a Saffron Hued
DENIALS ARE MADE.
Story Branded as Saffron Hued
Fake.


Now if the editor of the Capital or
the reporter who wrote that article
can prove their statements, let them
put up or shut up
This is the defiance which Food In
Spector FarnSWorth hands out to the
morning paper in reply to its yellow.
sensational story about "embalmed'
meat. If the story was printed for
the purpose of slandering the retail
meat dealers of the city, injuring their
trade and giving a yellow fake for
out of town newspapers to dilate upon,
it has doubtless accomplished its
purpose.
Food Inspector Farnsworth says he
considers the article libelous, but that
he will take no action until he has
chance to talk to Mayor Bergund-
thai when the latter returns from st.
Louis.
worth today, will hurt the meat trade
in Topeka. I believe that is what it
was intended to do. 1t was stirred up
by a butcher who has lost his trade.
and a certain party on the board of
health who has a personal grievance
against me for some reason. If there
is single man in Topeka who uses
personalities, my guess is that it is
bottom of this. He is backed up by
this doctor, who is always trying to
advertise himself. =
Il inspect the meat markets very FREE
L
visit once. twice or three times a week.
The smaller ones and the suburban
stores also visit frequently. The Cap
ital reporter told me the names of two
stores which he claimed were using pre-
servatives. have inspected these stores
frequently. They are among the best
we have in town. They do not use
personalities, and both of them win
make affidavit to this fact if neces-
sary.
''Borax, salt and saltpeter are not in
cluded by the Capital in its charge. 1t
admits that these substances may be
used without any injury. I defy any
body to find meat preserved with any
thing else. Every piece of ham or
smoked meat that has been made for
the past 20 years contains borax salt
or saltpeter. 1t is one of the ingredi-
ents of the meat necessary to the cur
ing process. If borax, salt and salt
peter are to be classed as injurious pre-
servatives, then We will have to pro-
hibit the sale of all cured meats
Charles Wolff, of the Wolff Packing
company. said this morning. 81 do not
l do not believe that the retailers are
using personalities. BOrax is used in
every packing house in the country to
a great extent. 1t is not injurious. 1t
is used to dust over the meat Hams,
after being picked are packed in borax
for short time. The English govern
ment, which is very particular about its
meat, absolutely requires that all meat
borax.
There is nothing which will re-
store tainted meat. 1t always has
the bad taste.'
William Green, who has one of the
finest meat markets in the city. and
who is also a member of the city
council, says:
practically all the meat which we
get from the packing house has been
busted over with borax. 1t absorbs
the moisture which would otherwise
collect on the outside of the meat and
hasten discoloration. Every butcher
uses boraX or some substitute. We
dust it over our cutting blocks to
keep the blocks and the meat in good
condition. l do not believe there is
any general use of any injurious pre-
servative in Topeka. 1t is not neces-
sary. Any butcher who understands
his business can tell just about what
his trade is going to run, and he can
be careful not to get too much meat
on hand. In the wholesale fish bust
ness it is different, and I don't doubt
that men who wholesale fish use pre-
servatives and lots of them. Fish
spoil much more quickly than other
meat"
D. j. Dickinson, now in charge Of the
Shawnee grocery. said this morning.:
LAS far as the Shawnee grocery is
concerned I want to deny this story in
the morning paper We buy our meat
every day from the Charles Wolff Pack
ing company. and do not keep a large
stock OH hand. I have been in the
meat business in this city for II years,
and L do not believe that the practice
of preserving meat is common in the
city"
Fred Buechner, a leading North To-
peka butcher. says: People don't need
to use preservatives nowadays. They
can get meat quickly and easily right
from the packing houses, and if they
know how to order, it is very easy to
keep from getting too much on hand.
We kill most of our own meat, and find
preservatives entirely unnecessary. I
don't consider most of these preserva-
tives injurious, anyway. Food Inspec-
tor Farnsworth inSpects our shop two
or three times every month
A B. Mullin, for many years a
butcher in Topeka. and a former
partner of ]. A. Davis, says: This
sounds very much like some other
things that man Davis says. It is
about the same sort of talk as paint
ing all the telephone poles white, as
he was going to do once This man is
sore because he can't do enough bust
ness. 1 think the only place pre-
servatives are used. even occasionally.
is in hamburg steak Hamburg IL
kept ground up, turns dark coIored,
but with some of the preservatiVe in
it, stays red. The only way to man
age this is to grind it up as needed
1 think there is mighty little pre-
sentative of any kind used in To-
peka."
c. w. Myers. one of the meat mar
ket men, says: "Preservatives are
not being used to any extent in the
city. The story came from this man
Davis, believe, who is sore because |
the meat dealers won't buy fish from
him. The story is circulated to injure |
the meat business here, and seems to |
be Davis way of getting even. Pre-
servatfves are sold by all butcher
supply houses, but most dealers do not
need any preservative. even il it didn't
cost any thing
George c. Beach, smother nnrEh-