Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1908-02-15

that furntSn IL Win tOOu. luey ure
dealing In the kind Of public utili.
ties" that mean life or death. In OBJ
tanning this knowledge. the public ex.
Isscts to be enlightened from the re-
PORTS Of state Pure Food Commission
ers and the columns Of the presA
This 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 ear.
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. and 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 oblige the pack.
ers. has added fuel to the fire. and
next year will Gee the country ablaze
upon the subject.
The pure food department Of Illinois.
like the health department Of Chicago.
has rested supine. while other states.
like Michigan. North Dakota. Pennsyl.
vania and Kentucky have taken great
pains to protect their citizens.
And the packers appreciate the ef.
forts Of these states to protect the
health Of the men, women and children
residing In them by promising not to
send adulterated food into these com.
monwealths.
We have not heard Of their saying
anything about sending unfit food into
the states where the authorities are
not % honest.
According to all accounts. much bo-
racic acid and supplies. as we'll ms
many dyes. are used BY packers. and 1t
II against these preservatives 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 direc-
ton In past years.
We do not know whether bOric acid
and supplies are used by the big Chi.
cagO packers now or not. rs city In.
spectors have been withdrawn from
the large houses.
Showing the effect Of borlc acid and
Of the borates. the following Is repro.
duced from pages II and II. Of Part
2, Of the Fifteenth Annual Report OF
r. +. Ladd, food commissioner Of North
Dakota:
"s the use Of borax and
boric acid interfcres with the abb
sOrptiOn Of food and causes the excre-
ton Of an abnormally large amount OF
nitrogen. lie believes II IL demon
strated that large doses OF bcric acid
reduces the body weight and that the
excretion Of these substances from the
body In no slow that their accumulation
In the body Is probable. Borax and
boric acid cause dluresls. which may
produce damage Of the kidneys; they
may cause skin disturbances; they
may produce diarrhGa they interfere
with the abnormal absorption OF food
and they may produce vomiting. The
conclusion - that the use !" oo!,.
compounds ID 1000 snou'o oe 'o'o'a'
Gen."
On page ~ Of the same part OF the
same report. the North Dakota food
commissioners has this to say about the
use Of sodium sulphites IN meats:
"Our own studies with sausages and
hamburger steak indicate that from
O.2O to go per cent Of supplies are
employed In these meats. AZ to the
harmfulness Of these products a recent
article by DIR. Harrington, Of Harry
ard Medical College, entitled Sodium
Suipbite; a Dangerous Food Preserva'
tive gives the results OF his investi.
cations and from this we quote the
following:
".It Ia classed as q food preserya.
tive. but Its antiseptic properties are
comma ratiyely feeble. 1t Is used more
esnecially ON account OF its effect on
the aupearance of the food to which II
ia aaded its preseryatlye influence be.
inc decidedly a minor consideration. II
con,ers unon minced meat Ichopped
,,,o., an ah,orm,llv brilliant red col.