The San Francisco call., 1906-07-01

the privilege of hitting back In self
t defense, and to this end he has pub
lfshed book. 1t is called The Pack
ers, the Private Car Lines and the
People" and while Armour only pro-
fesses to speak for himself and not
for the other packers, his defense Is
really that of the packers collectively.
The natural American love of fair play
will make the public willing TO let
Armour in the ring and not only. de-
fend himself, but make. whatsoever
good hits of. telling retaliation he is
able Right or wrong Armour speaks
out In a manly way and he makes no
His work and his enterprise. is ad-
but he insists that in building up his
own great business he has greatly
benefited the whole country.
The book is a republication OF the
articles which have been running in
the Saturday Evening Post. 1t Just
so happens that the book form of the
defense comes out at the time thers
is a big agitation going on about the
cleanliness and wholesomeness of the
methods of the packing houses and the
United States Government is taking a
hand in the investigation.
Armour has a special chapter on
Cleanliness and Sanitation" In which
he makes a sweeping and emphatic
denial of the reports that the big
packing establishment is conducted in
an uncleanly way. 1t is TO be noted
that this work was written before the
Neill-Reynolds report was given out.
The opposing statements must leave
the public In a very hesitating condi-
ton. as to the real truth OF the matter.
Armour says that butchsring even at
It's best Is not a parlor business, but
that the packing house methods are
more cleanly than the procedures in
most private kitchens.
He denies what the sensational writ
ers have been saying against the pack
ers, and says that IL their char ges
were true it would be sufficient 10 con-
vert the world to vegetarianism. He
calls those writer's who have been so
vigorously attacking him "self-con-
stituted saviors of the universe cat SO
much liRe)." The thud of lick like
that could surely be heard all over the
arena In satirical mood Armour
says; I'VE are told OF hidden chambers
and mysterious cellars where name
less materials are worked up by secret
processes into food. - These
literary concoctions are served up with
a garnishment of circumstantfa1 detail
that can only be conceived by dishon-
est mind and a feverish Imagination
working together
Probably one of the best points of
his defense is that the public are
freely admitted to all parts OF the
packing establishment at all times In
order that they may see for them
selves how the food Is prepared. He
claims that the agitation is fnjuring
the. cattle industry and that IL is an
injury. te all consumers Of meat by
making them suncomfortabIy suspicious
about the wholesomeness OF their
food when really the food as prepared
by the Wholesale packing house Is far
more sure to be sanitary than that
butchered In the smaller concerns.
What he says about the benefits OF
the private car lines will be specially
interesting to- California fruit grow
ers- 1t is to be noted that this book
can be taken as the packers answer
ito the terrific attacks IN Eyerybody's
Magazine. written by Russell, and. to
Bakers papers in McClure's Magazine.
and to Upton. :Sinclair's sensational
novel. The Jungle" Elsewhere on
this page there will be found state
ment from Upton Sinclair as to the
truth of the conditions he claims to
have found and studied as the founda-
tioh of his Jungle fiction. 1t is a great
pity we cannot more readily get at
the whole truth of the matter. for
truly it can be. called of vital interest
to the public.
CHenry Altetnns Company: Philadel-
phia. sl.5e.1