The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-07-18
rHrLApELPHrA, ALSO.

 city having a Packingtown, or about which a jungle book might be writ ten, for Philadelphia is in the same bad list We have overlooked the facts in the Philadelphia papers, but The Columbus Enquirer-Sun gives this resume of the matter:
 As a result of an aceidental discov- cry, ten tons of badly decayed-de- soribed as ''putrid"--meat and poultry that would otherwise have been sold as food, were removed from a storage warehouse in Philadelphia and car a component part of guano.
 This declaration. just made in Phil adelphia newspapers. was startling city. and Is of such a character as 10 attract the attention of all consumers of packing house prodacts. of deeayed fish accidentally discov- cred the bad meats, stored In the Philadeiphia cold storage warehouse. The inspectors demanded the me. meats meats from market. But the warehouse pro- meats and referred the inspectors cd food @ qssc proaaets Ay The SseS owners @ not noti- isa if they hey surrendered fps the meats they they would do so at their own financial risk.
 And here is where publicity got in it's work,
 The Philadelphia health cfiicials were about to take the legal steps which would have resulted in the pub- lication in the newspapers of the names of the dealers, and the latter voluntarily surrendered their putrid fertilizer. factory rather than to the tables of consumers, via a chemical hospital and repair shop.
 It Is such discoveries and discios- ures as this that has caused something akin to panic among the users of all kinds of canned foods. One case of this kind causes the public to look with suspicion on all canned goods. and this injury is done to honest packers. At the same time, such disclosures are ample Justification for pure food legis- lation and for rigid inspection of pack lng-house goods Such inspection, so far from injuring the honest packer will benefit him in every case by show ing that he Is not violator of decen- cy and honesty. and will thus make his goods more desirable. Honest packers and canners ought to rejoice at any law or regulation that will pro- teet them against dishonest competi- tion. and those who are not honest should be forced to reform or go out of business.
 And this Philadelphia case Illus trates. as nothing else could, the val ue of newspaper publicity. As long as dishonest men can violate all the requirements of decency and endanger public life and health without expos ure they will continue to do so. They will carry on their nefarious busi- ness without a twinge of conscience as long as they can work in the dark, but threat to turn the light on them and their practices creates a panic against which they are powerless. In our Judgment all the laws that can cacy towards putting a stop to the dirty practices of some of the pack CTS as the newspapers can do If they go rightly about it. Let the reputa- ble and influential journals in all the cities where the packing business is carried on employ competent men to Investigate and ascertain the true methods that are pursued. Then let these facts be printed just as they are, nothing extenuate nor set down aught in malice;" no sensationalism, and no attempt to prejudice or injure any honest industry, and we are persuaded that such cases as that reported from Philadelphia will be rare In future. A business of that kind cannot stand against the light that can be turned on if by A good newsnapAr