The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-05-23
BEEF TRUST METHODS.

J.. Ogden Armour, OF Chicago, head
of the great packing house OF Armour
s. Co., was given the use OF the col
umus of the Saturday Evening Post,
of Philadelphia, to defend his busi-
ness methods, particularly his private
car lines, from attacks made upon
them in some of the magazines. He
made the most Of the opportunity to
place the priv ate car line business in
q favorable ligh, and wound up his
literary task with a sweeping defense
of the manne in which his packing
business in conducted and the quality
of its products. 1t was really adver-
Using of the choicest kind, and the
fact that it was free did not rouse any
scruples in the breast of Mr.. Armour
as to the manner 10 which be used the
privilege of addressing the public
through an influential periodical.
After reading it nj could eat fresh
meat with solid pleasure, secure In the
knowledge that the work OF butchering
and preparing the beef for market had
been performed with scientific skill
and the greatest care as to cleanli-
ness.
Unfortunately Mr.. Armour is not
permitted to hold his pleasing picture
before the public ir peace, Gays the
Rochester Chronicle. Upton Sinclair.
author of 1.-THE JUNGLE writes an
article in Everybody's magazine for
May called "The Condemned Meat
Industry" in which he charges Mr..
Armour with stating falsehoods In
his defense of the beef trust. Not
satisfied with that, he has written a
letter to the newspapers in which he
challenges Mr.. Armour to sue him for
libel. He says hat his magazine ar
ticle charges Mr.. Armour with send.
ing out and selling millions of pounds
of diseased, tainted. and adulterated
meat products. He says MIR. Armour
is guilty Of selling for human food
the carcass of cattle and swine which
have been condemned for tuberculosis,
actinomycosis aud gangrene: of pre-
serving spoiled hams with boric and
.salicylic acid, aud the embalming and
adulteration of sausage.
Having made all these charges, Mr..
Sinclair asks why he has not been
sued for libel, and says that ii what
he states Ia false he ought to be sent
to prison. One reason why MIR. SIN
clair's article has produced less of
sensation than he seems to have ex
pected is that certain magazines, es'
pecially Every bouy's,! have been en-
gagged in making shocking revelations
so exclusively for some time past. aud
appealing to the indignation of the
public so Professionally, that it Is nc
longer easy for the public to become
indignant about anything. There i:
not. the slightest doubt that If thu
things Mr.. Sinclair says had beer
published in q reputable magazine
few years ago they would have at
tracted general attention. There
such u thing rs q surfeit OF sensa
lions, however, and it the people fai
to respond to his indictment Of tn
beef trust it may be- because thei
faded sensibilities refuse to perform
their Office.
The beef trust is probably Us cor
daily disliked as any industry In tn
country, with the possible exceptio
OF the Standard Oil company. II it
selling diseased beef and cows udder
for canned meat, and cutting up an
shipping dead cattle as fresh meat tn
people in general would only regar
it Us confirming their suspicious. III
Immunity BATH seems to be quit
enicacious in the federal courts, b,
it has failed to raise the packing con
panies much higher in public esteeI
than they were before hat means
publication was invented.