The Cairo bulletin., 1911-10-21
BAN TO BE PLACED ON
PHOSPHORUS MATCHES

a horrible manner to make phcs-
phorus matches for you?'
How many unfortunates have
died to light your cigar?"
30 you begrudge paying for
harmless matches that are fired
quite as easily as phosphorus
matches cents more a year,
Shall not those matchmakers who
have no conjunction about the mis-
ery and death which phosphorus
matches cause, in their making and
in their homes of consumers never
the less be brought to halt abrupt-
lly?"
did you lnow that every box Of
phosphorus matches in the millions
Of homes throughout the United
States contains poison to kill rs
non? That means poison to the
nation
There are the cheerful sort of
questions which will be put to each
members Of Congress this winter be-
cause the phosphorus killing goes on,
the scourge of 'phossy jay" among
match factory workers grows greater
month by month, Some OF the manu-
lecturers OF matches who refuse to
cease making the phosphorus kind
will declare that some monopoly
will benefit by law such as every |
other nation but Uncle Sam has adj |
opted and enforced Swedish |
matches with the deadly white phos- |
phorus tips still are imported into
the United States but Sweden long
ago forbade their sale in Sweden
Since the bill to prohibit phos-
phorrs matches in the United States
was introduced by Congressman
John ] Esch, December 10, 1910.
hundreds have been added to the roll
Of dead, manned, dying and distress
ed who curse the double tipped match
which is made of white phosphorus.
There have been scores of such
miner news items as this
Eating the heads of is matches,
Horace Greene Warner, two-year-
old son of Mr.. and Mrs. c, w.
Warner. died Thursday of phos-
phorus poisoning
Every box of 500 phosphorus
nat hes contains enough poison to
ill Is grown men. But every baby
yets them
Here is another
Mary Wilson aged twenty-one,
ull OF the Joy if life, worked in a
match factory She married Henry
Welsh, continuing to work in the
factory Two months later she was
attacked by "phossy jaw" Three
serious operations and medical treat
ment during eight long years have
allied to cure her "The doctors say
perhaps they may cure me by cutt-
ng out my jaw, but | am young yet,
and how would it look? | would
,ather be dead she mumbed She
has boy six years old, a girl of
four and baby of two.
Those are examples of what phos-
chorus matches cost When the
match trust OF the United States
'ancelled patents covering processes
or making phosphorus matches tina.
are harmless it was supposed that the
Independent manufacturers would
seize that easy means to
cease making poisonous matches.
But the American Association of
Labor Legislation investigated and
has reported that an Act of Congress
will be required to stop their traffic
in poison. That is what the Esch
Jill III. r. S0022l is for.
In its report to the Ways and
Means Committee of the House the
Association declared:
white phosphorus is most nox-
GUS poison. AS used in match com
position it jeopardizes in various
ways human health and life az In
connection with its manufacture,
and (2) in connection with its use
in hte hands of the consumer.
Being readily volatile in the or
binary temperature OF the air white
phosphorus emits blush white
fume which affects the health of
those who labor in match factories
n three different ways 1) Byl
euaing anemia GU by causing
he bones Of the body to become brit
10 and unable to withstand slight ex-
ernal violence without breaking;
CD by causing phosphorus necrosis
81 the upper and lower iawbones
Ancmia and brittleness of bones are |
frequently effects of chronic phso-
phorus poisoning The daily breath !
ing of air laden with phosphorus |
fumes and continual contract with |