Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1907-12-14

The public has a right to know all
about the doings Of the corporations
that furnish 1t with food. They are
dealing In the kind of public utili.
ties that mean life or death. In OBJ
tanning this knowledge. the public ex.
poets to be enlightened from the re-
ports of state Pure Food Commission.
ers and the columns of the press.
Next year is the presidential year.
and on every stump the packers and
their records will be held up to the
public eye and given to the public car.
The failure Of the government In Its
attack on the Beef Trust because the
packers turned states evidence on
themselves and were granted an i'm.
munity bath In consequence. has not
been forgotten by the people. ana the
great rise In the price Of meat has
tested the patience Of the voters to the
limit.
The withdrawal Of the City Of Chi.
cago inspectors from the big packing
houses. presumably TO obligc the pack
ers. has added fuel to the fire. and
next year will see the country ablnzc
upon the subject.
The pure food department Of Illinois
like the health department Of Chicago
has rested supinc. while other states
like Michigan. North Dakota. Pcnnsyl
vania and Kentucky have taken grca,
pains to protect their citizens.
And the packers appreciate the cf.
forts Of these states to protect the
health of the men. women and children
residing In them by promising not ia
send adultcratcd food into these com.
monwealths.
We have not heard Of their saying
anything about sending UNIT food into
the states where the authorities arc
not 80 honest.
According TO nil accounts. much bo.
raclc acid and sulphltcs. as well ns
many dyes. are used by packers, and II
is against these prcservatlvcs that
many states having honest officials
have taken action.
The records Of the North Dakota
and Kentucky Pure Food departments
show what has been done In this dlrec
ton In past years.
We do not know whether boric acid
and supplies are used by the big Chi
cagO packers now or not. as city In
spectOrs have been withdrawn from
the large houses.
Showing tho effect Of borlc acid and
Of the boratcs, the following Is repro
duccd from pages II and II, Of Part
2, Of the Fifteenth Annual Report Oi
4. =. Ladd, food commissioner Of North
Dakota:
:" the use OF borax and
boric acid interferes with the ab
sorptlon Of food and causes the cxcre
tion Of I'm abnormnlly large amount OF
nitrogen. lie believes 1t IL demon
stratei that large doses Of bcric acid
reduces the body weight and that the
excrctlon Of these substances from the
body In no slow that their accumulation
In tho body Ii probable. BOrax and
boric acld cause diuresls, which may
produce damage Of the kidneys; they
may cause skin disturbances; they
may produce diarrhGa; they Interfere
with tho abnormal absorption OF food
and they may produce vomiting. The
conclusion Ia that the use Of bOril
compOunds In food should be forbid
den"
| On nape 10 Of the same part of tho
somc rcport. tho North Dakota food
commissioners has this to say about tlll
use OF sodium sulphltcs In meats:
.O,r o,y, s,,5,os with sousoocs md
,.n,n"..o, s,.o,, ,,d,coto Tint from
n on ., n oo nos cont ~ s,,,n,,,tos mr..
.,,.u.a 4, ,h.so ,,oots A. to IN,
h.wnc,,,noss =, these nroducts n reccn
..,,o,. n,, nr J,rrin,ton NJ Harry
49,, N,.I,.,, Co,,ooo entitled .sodIvu
S,,,,,,,o. non,oro,,s EooJ prosorvo
.,.r, - a.. ro.,,,,s q, h,s ,nyos,I
-, au, ,,.w ,,Ls vo n,o,o IN.
,",,au',,,a,
"It Is c,osscd as n food preserya
five hut Its ontIseptIc propertlcs ar,
comporotiyely feeble II Is used NOR,
esnecInlIy ON account of its effect O,
,hc onpenroncc of the food TO which 1
IL added It's preseryatlyc influence be