Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1906-01-27

such as would allow tire meat Of
'lunpy jaw" cattle to bc sent out ns
food.
suppose that VIC take of the matter
the most charitable view possible.
suppose we assume that the trust gen.
tlemen are most scrupulous about al
the ways I'm which they make money.
suppose we forget about the soldiers
poisoned by embalmed beef. the games
Of gouge ana robbery practiccd by the
trust refrigerator ear lines. the manlp.
uiatiOn of a thousand markets for
profits. the tribute levied by this COM
bination upon all households In the
country. Let us forget that they are
law.breakers and money.mad and as.
sumo tint not one of them would
touch cent Of questionable profits.
Still this question starcs us In the
face: How do we know what becomes
Of the "lumpy jaw" cattle!
How do the trust gentlemen know?
Their employees are employed to
make much money for the trust gcn-
tlemcn. How do we know the ways
In which the money Is made?
How do the trust gentlemen know :?
Here Is Il stream of the most terrible
infection passing daily within u few
inches Of the nations food supply.
How do We know that sufficient pre-.
cautions are taken to prevent cOntaml-
nation?
How do the trust gentlemen know?
They inform us that what gees on
behind the walls Of their plants Is
their own affair: that is. their b,,si-
ness; they will manage 1t rs they see
fit. Whose affair Is 1t, then, IL the
nation eats diseased meat, II we nrc
poisoned by trlchinnc. II cancer In.
crcnscs?
Other countries nrc not 80 dull rs
We nrc about these things. Other
countries understand very well the
monstrous pcrlls involved In the meth
DDS Of this monopoly, and. therefore.
try to exclude American meats.
TO quiet their objections the United
States Is supposed to keep IN insp >:tor
upon meat intended for export and to
place upon 1t an official stamp certify
Ing that It II tit for food.
hive here before me letters written
by former employees Of the trust nssur-
Ing mo that the Federal inspection IL
Il farce. The inspectors Inspect moth
Ing, say these letters. They sit read
Ing or smoking with their pockets full
of tags, which are handed out ~ they
arc required. One man tells me TINT
hc used to get fifty ut Il 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
ed to be Indifferent? Well. why IL ev'
erything about this subject 80 rotten!
Why was the Bcef Trust allowed to 20
on year after year violating the law
ana no attempt made to prevent 1t!
Why are tho laws inert against this
criminal organization? Why II Il man
sent to prison for five years for fOrg-
Ing a hve.dOllar check and these men
70 free for swindling nation?
WHY do We contribute our dollars
year aftcr year to swell unnecessary
lOnrtls?
Why are We content to have our
food prepared for us In secret under
conditions that to any sane mind GER
tainly suggest fraud and treacl,ery?
We are not obliged to have these
things II we do not want them. The
remedies are simple enough.
As to the ''lumpy Jaw" the tubercu.
losis and the cancer. put stop to pri-
vate slaughterlng. Let all the slaugli-
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 are very few
private slaughter houses In England
The cities and towns run their slaugll'
ter houses under medical inspection.
Hut 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 it comes to
life and 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
far on the road to public sanitation 10
turn back bcause some gentleman' =
profits are threatened. The State will
not allow you to go 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 AMI scarlet fever are
nothing. If the State can take radical
measures to stamp out cholera II can
take radical measures to stamp out
cancer, a million times worse than
cholera. II 1t can provide pest houses
for public safety II can provide slaugh-
ter houses for public safety. And Its
duty In the one case IL at least us clear
as In the other.
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