The San Francisco call., 1906-07-06
THE AGE OF EMBALMED MEATS.

Ptomaine poisoning, after eating canned corn
beef hash, put large percentage OF the members
OF the Sixtv-seventh Company OF the Coast Artl-
ery stationed the Preside, on the sick list last
Tuesday On Wednesday the reassuring discovery
was made in Chicago that chickens offered for sale
in that city had been in cold storage for twelve
wears Last week the lower house of Congress
refused TO concur with the Senate in requiring
that there appear on the labels of all canned and
stored meats the date of their preparation. The
reluctant Senate finally came around to the views
cf the lower house and no dates go on the labels
Here is one case where the well-known power OF
the Senate over the other branch OF Congress
proved ineffective. But the humbling of the Senate
BY the popular body would better have been done
less to the disadvantage of the public.
1t NAV be paternalsm in its rankest form for
Congress to say to the people that they shall not
eat beef preserved in embanling fluids or chickens
that have been kept in cold storage for twelve
wears. or even the meat OF diseased animals. But,
leaving this feature to local Boards of Health,
paternalism cannot be read into an honest label
law and that is about all that the demand for pure
food legislation comes to. Advocates of the pure
food measures that have from time TO time been
introduced into Congress hold that consumers are
entitled to know what they are eating and would
have the materials contained in prepared foods
plainly printed on the label, with the date of its
There is nothing unreasonable in this If man
wants 10 eat chickens that died with free silver in
1906 the Board OF Health OF his community per-
mitting. he is entitled to do But he is equally
entitled to know that the chickens have been dead
ten wears. There should be some way too for the
Board OF Health to get the same information. A
label on the chicken giving the date that it was
placed in cold storage will surely work injury to
the consumer or to the dealer whose stock is Of
more recent killing.
Canned meats preserved in embalming fluids Of
various degrees Of strength may be perfectly whole
some, but that is for the consumer to judge. He
Is entitled to have the names of the several fluids
appear on the label. Age, too, may improve such
meats. But it is just well to let the man who
Is going to eat it Judge OF that. Some may have a
prejudice, however unreasonable, against eating
meats that have been kept in tins for more than
ten years. But as they pay for what they eat it is
their right to have their trifiing prejudices con
sidered
Most assuredly they entitled to be protected
against false labelling The Government is taking
steps to prevent the false use OF the terms "ster-
ling" and coin" in stamping jewelry and other
articles made of gold silver. Such action is
sonable, for scamps should not be permitted to
impose upon the people brass for gold. If people
want to wear brass jewery it is their privilege to
do So but it is plain stealing sell it to them for
gold 1t is even more important that they be de
Ceved as to the whoesomeness of the food they eat
The word pure" the meat should at least
be as-cOsely guarded sterling" on the fork with
which its contents are eaten.