Chicago eagle., 1906-03-31
tuberculosis. Cancer Combine Does as Il
P|eases in the Matter Of
Peoples Food.
Milk Fed Chickens Is a Good Name
for Immature Canned
Veal.

"Atilk. fcd chickens" would be good
name II applied to calves, canned and
sold to the public as u pure article Of
poultry.
Immature veal, bad meat, slices
from Gamers and tld.bits from dead
pork are nicely fixed up In the Trust
laboratories with chemicals that give
them "the natural flavor" and are
then canned and sold to the public as
chicken, turkey, geese, ducks and
game Of various kinds.
The Beef Trust employs an army
Of chemists whose main duty is to sup
ply the proper taste, smell and mp
pearance to the misbranded products.
No attention whatever II paid to
the effect Of this kind Of food on the
public health.
Tho representatives Of the Beef
Trust have been In Washington for
months lighting the passage Of pure
food blu which will prohibit this
frightfui fraud In the misbranding Of
food.
The following telegram from it,
Washington correspondent. Ray.
raond," was printed ON the hrst page
Of the Chicago Tribune Jan. 20. 1908:
"Ssnator McCumbcr the other day
gave to the Senate q hint ~ to the
reason for this opposition BY the
packing house people. He quoted q
report from the food commissioner Of
bis own State. North Dakota, which
hit the packers between the eyes, and
which apparently explains why they
have been opposing the pure food bill
% vigorously.
"This North Dakota commissioners
had the indelicacy to make a special
examination Of all the alleged pottcd
chicken and potted turkey he could
nnd. II was all put up In cans and
all came from outside States In orig.
innl packages, 20 1t was clearly an
article Of interstate commerce and NJ
such could be regulated only by the
federal government. This North Da-
kota commissioner went through can
after can and could not find the slight
est truce either Of chicken or turkey.
"Furthermore, It was put up by
packing establishments which have no
facilities for killing fowls and which
do not provide them. The cans. how.
ever, were labeled 'potted chicken and
'potted turkey and this thing the
pure food bill proposes to stop.
Everybody knows this potted tur'
key and chicken and the various kinds
Of soups prepared by the packing
houses are the product Of beef cattle,
hogs and sheep.
'If the pure food bill IL passed,
however, a packing house which put
M can Of desiccated pig and labeled
It 'potted turkey would be subject
to civil and criminal prosecution.
One Of the principal aims Of the pure
food bill Ii to prevent the misbrand'
Ing Of all food products. and 1t IL this
section which II arousing the strong
est opposition.
"The evidence given before the
Senate and House committees last
year all goes to show that the crime
OF adulteration and gross deceit OF
misbrauding and Misrepresentation
has become more widespread In this
country than the public generally has
any idea Of. The packers are not the
only people who deceive the pubic
by their labels. In almost every line
Of food and drink products which are
nut up under special trade marks there
is more or less deceit. Some things
are adultsrated In Q way to be harm
full Others are adulterated but arc
harmless. The pure food bill. II pas
ed and properly executed, would
stamp out the harmful adulterati0ns
entirely, but would permit the harm.
less adultera lions to 60 20 long as
there was no deception. 1t would pre-
vent the use Of colofing matter for the
express purpose Of deceiving, ana II
would put an end to the lying labels
hke those on the pottcd chicken OF tine
packing trust.
lone Of the strongest arguments re-
CeutIy bUUuAttcW Au ucsS"ss W s''~ y
food bul was by Senator McCumDer'
who pointed out that the American
people to-day, according to the best
estimates of the Department OF Agri-
culture, are paying annually about $8.'
OOO,OOO,OOO for adulterated and mis-
branded articles. This 10 about three
times the national debt OF the United
States, and this enormous sum. every
dollar Of 1t, Is contributed by people
who believe they are getting some
thing they do not receive. II the pure
food bill was passed they would spend
about the same amount Of money. OF
course. but they would get what they
are expecting to buy, and this IL the
whole object of the legislation now
pending In the House and Senate"
~0
People who eat freely Of prepared OF
canned food consume at least forty
doses Of poison day. according to thu
statement OF r. NJ. Patterson, assistant
State food commissioners Tor Illinois
xvho addroasod the National AsoOCia