Chicago eagle., 1906-03-31
How do the trust gentlemen know


Here 10 a stream Of the most terrible
Infection passing daily within a few
inches Of the nations food supply.
How do we know that sufYiclent pre-.
cautions arc taken to prevent contami.
natlon3
How do the trust gentlemen know?
They inform us that what goes on
behind the walls Of their plants 10
their own affair; that is, their busi.
ness they will manage It as they see
At. Whose affair IL It, then, II the
nation eats diseased meat, II we are
poisoned by trlchinae, II cancer In.
creases?
Other countries are not 20 dull as
we are about these things. Other
countries understand very well the
monstrous perils involved In the meth.
DDS Of this monopoly, and, therefore.
try to exclude American meats.
TO quiet their objections the United
Statcs IL supposed to keep nm inspector
upon meat intended for export and to
place upon It an official stamp certify.
] Ing TINT It is fit for food.
have here before me letters written
by former employees Of the trust assur.
Ing me that the Federal inspection is
farce. The inspectors inspect moth.
Ing, say these letters. They sit read.
Ing or smoking with their pockets full
Of tugs, which are handed out rs they
are required. One man tells me that
he used to get fifty ut 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 is no inspection Mt oil?
Why Is the Federal inspection allow.
eli 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 are the laws Uert against this
criminal OrganixntionP Why Ii a man
sent to prison for five years for forg.
Ing a fivc.tlollar check and these men
20 free for swlndllng a nation?
Why do We contribute our dollars
year after year to swell unnecessary
lioarts?
Why are wc content to have our
food prepared for us In secret under
conditions that to any sane mind Ger.
tainly 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" tho tubercu.
losis ana the cancer, put stop to prl.
vate slaughtcring. Lot all the slaugli.
tcring Of food animals he 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.
Tho cities ana towns ruin their slaugh-
ter houses under medical inspection.
But In England the people do not care
to be poisoned In their meat.
And we need not worry about the oh.
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 hss right
to saved profits that he makes by
spreading disease. We have gone too
far on the road to public sanitation to
/ turn back bcause some gentleMa"'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.
cor, smallpox and scarlet fever are
nothing. II the State can take radical
measures to stamp out cholera It can
take radical measures to stamp out
cancer, q million times worse than
cholera. II It can provide pest houses
for public safety It can provide slaugh.
ter houses for public safety. And Its
duty In the one case 10 at least a. clear
% In the other.
~
Thanks to the Beef Trust methods,
cancer numbered 1.10l victims In Chi.
cago In 1905, or O7 more than In 1904
Ian increase Of the rate per 10000 OF
population OF EOS per cent.
The increase In deaths from cancer
In Chicago In 1905 over the average
for the decade ended In 1904 was 1O.1
per cent, and over the average rate Of
the decade ended In 1854 was Sa.i per
cent!
~eA
One of the most cunning and des.
perate deeds Of the Beef Trust was
the defeat, by Beef Trust methods, Of
the attempt Of the secretary Of agrl.
culture to secure 135 additional meat
inspectors for Chicago. Tho secretary
asked for $4,000 to pay for 1875 In.
spectos to inspect meats going to Eu.
Ope-nOt meats for Americans, for
anything is good enough for US. The
; Congressional COMMITTEES. possibly un.
der Beef Trust hypnotic influence. only
J appropriated $4,000. 10 the Euro.
peans are In almost a. great danger 90
ourselves.
%6A
The pure food laws will, Of course.
be enforced against some poor little
grocer. But against the Beef Trust.