Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1906-03-24


Here IL stream Of the most terrible
infection passing daily within a few
inches of the nations food supply.
How do we know that sufficient pre-.
cautions are taken to prevent contami.
nation2
How do the trust gentlemen know?
They inform us that what goes on
behind the walls Of their plants ID
their own affair; that Is, their bust.
ness; they will manage 1t rs they see
At Whose affair Is 1t, then. II the
nation eats diseased ment, II we are
poisoned by trichinac. II cancer In
creases?
Other countries are not 30 dull as
we are about these things. Other
countries understand very well the
monstrous perils involved In the meth
ods Of this monopoly. and. therefore.
try to exclude American meats,
To quiet their objections the United
States Is supposed to keep IN inspector
upon meat intended for export and to
place upon It an official stamp certify.
! Ing thnt 1t In fit for food.
have here before me letters written
by former employees Of the trust assur.
Ing me that the Federal Inspection 10
a farce. The inspectors inspect moth.
Ing, say these letters. They sit read.
Ing or smoking with their pockets full
Of tngs, which are handed out AZ they
are required. One man tells me that
he used to get fifty Mt time. reach.
ing his hand Into the inspectors
pocket.
II, then, these are the methods In
regard to export beef, about which
there Is nominal inspection, what do
YOU suppose are the methods about
meat for domestic consumption. on
which there II no inspection ut all?
Why Is the Federal inspection allow.
ell to be Indifferent? Well. why Is ev.
erything about this subject no rotten?
Why was the Beef Trust allowed to 60
on year after year violating the law
and no attempt made to prevent It?
Why arc the laws iiprt against this
criminal organization? Why II man
sent to prison for five years for f6rg-
ing a fve-dollar check and these men
20 free for swlndling nation?
Why do We contribute our dollars
year after year to swell unnecessary
boards?
Why are we content to have our
food prepared for us In secret under
conditions that to any snne mind Ger.
tninly suggest fraud and treachery?
We are not obliged to have these
things II we do not want them. The
remedies are simple enough.
Az to the "lumpy Jaw" the tubercu-
losls and the cancer, put stop to pri-
vate slaughtcring. Let all the slaugh-
terIng Of food animals be done by the
State In the light Of day, without any
OF this dark lantern business, on equal
terms for all. There arN very few
. private slaughter houses In England.
Tho cities and towns run their slaugh.
, ter houses under medical inspection.
But In England the people do not care
. to he poisoned In their meat.
. And we need not worry about the OBJ
. lection that publicly owned slaughter
/. houses are an invasion Of the private
! rights OF business. When 1t comes to
life aud death there are no private
, rights of business. No man has right
TO saved profits that he makes by
| spreading disease. We have gone too
! fur on the road to public sanitation to
, turn back bcause some gentlemau's =
profits are threatened. The State will
! not allow you to 20 around with small.
. pox or to conceal scarlet fever In your
house, although each may be strictly
, your own affair. Compared with can.
Ger, smallpox and scarlet fever are
: nothing. II the State can take radical
t measures to stamp out cholera It can
Y take radical measures to stamp out
J cancer, u million times worse than
. cholera. II 1t can provide pest houses
0 for public safety 1t can provide slaugh-
2 ter houses for public safety. And its
' duty In the one case IL Mt least as clear
: as In the other.
: I061A
Thanks to the Beef Trust methods,
1 cancer numbered 1,181 victims In Chi.
0 cago in 1905, or O. more than In 1901
An increase of the rate per 10000 of
; population Of 2.93 per cent.
r The increase In deaths from cancer
In Chicago In 1905 over the average
I for the decade ended In 1904 was TO- I
, per cent, and over the average rate OF
y the decade ended In 1884 was 34.1 pei
Z cent!
~e~
r One of the most cunning and des
,. perate deeds of the Beef Trust was
!. the defeat, by Reef Trust methods, OF
u the attempt Of the secretary Of agri
:. culture to secure 1876 additional meat
. inspectors for Chicago. The secretary
q asked for $4,000 to pay for 1876 In
% spectors to Inspect meats going to Eu
J. rOpe-not meats for Americans, fol
n anything Ia good enough for us. Ths
!. Congressional Committee, possibly un
10 der Beef Trust hypnotic influence, only
e appropriated $4,000. 30 the Euro
T. peans are In almost as great danger al
d ourselves.
%6A
~ The pure food laws will, Of course
be. enforced against some poor littl
grocer. But against the Beef Trust
= never!