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JUNE 8; 1906 - .
The Commoner.
y TylfP&ryl''-?X? - vr-r,Trjtjft-l'!W-p
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How the Beef Trtist lias Poisoned the Peoples" Food
The Beef Trust has for onco been seridnsly
disturbed. The representatives of that trust pre
tended to laugh at the expose made by Upton
Sinclair in his book "The Jungle." Mr. Sin
clair told a terrible story. President Roosevelt
sent J. B. Reynolds and Charles B. Neil to in
vestigate the conditions in Packingtown, and they
made such a report that Senator Carter, speaking
for the president, made public a statement that
if the packers continued to oppose the meat in
spection bill pending before congress the reports
of Mr. Roosevelt's commissioners would be made
public. Under existing law meat designed for
use abroad is inspected by the federal govern
ment, while meat designed for the American peo
ple is uninspected except where inspection i3
made by sta'ce or city authorities. The bill pending
before congress provides that all meat shall be
inspected under federal authority. This will re
quire a large increase of the inspection force, and
additional expense estimated to amount to
$2,000,000 per year. Representatives of the beef
trust say that this additional expense should be
borne by the government. They say that they
do nbt care about the passage of the measure pro
vided the government foo'rs the bill. Represent
atives of the stock raisers urge that the expense
of inspection be paid by the government on the
ground that if the packers are required to pay
it they will see to it that the expense really falls
upon the cattle raiBer or the consumer.
Upton Sinclair has been very active in urg
ing the publication of the report. Mr. Sinclair
says that publicity is necessary in order to bring
about reform. Some idea of the character of the
disclosures made may be obtained from a num
ber of "Trust recipes" published by a New York
newspaper: These recipes indicate how accord
ing to recent disclosures the Beef Trust has
piled up enormous profits by unloading upon the
American public rotten food stuffs:
V V w O ? O O w O1 t O w
'&
..,.. t TRUST RECIPE FOR SASAiS '
& " DRS-Sk-tHer-Bteady sources of supply
J pfi sausage meat conies from the meats
5 which bave ;been shipped to branch
j- houses,..-If sales ar,e slow it remains until
mouldy) slimy and ,unfit. to. be. sold, in. the
&. original, form and ttienjis ,sent back to the
packing-house to ' be converted into
& sausage.
& TRUST RECIPE FOR NO. 1 LARD
'&
& Hogs are more affected with cholera
$ than any other disease, but unless very
'S bad are tanked for-lard; The heads also,
, which have been condemned as tubercu-
lous, are almost, invariably tanked for
lard.
0 5 t3 t5 V v sffi V t t t t3 ffi
!oC TRUST RECIPE FOR SARDINE OIL
'&
'5 Hogs that have died from cholera or
& other causes are transformed into "un-
' rendered hogs' grease," which is used all
'o over the world for a variety of purposes.
' Some of it, under contract, goes to France
'and comes back to this country as sardine
S oil.
A
&
5 c5 3 t5 w w w v w w O 5 w
TRUST RECIPE FOR TINNED ROAST
O BEEF
'J
J
J
J
&
&
r
The poorest portion of unfit cattle. t
Cattle known as "cannere" or "downers," &
f5 if they are too weak to stand, are boiled S
' until every grain of nutriment is extract-- &
ed and the extracts used for beef extracts t
' and kindred products, while the meat, z
' which Is entirely valueless, is doctored to t
' make it look right and not offend the &
'J taste. &
'& && & jt jt 8 & & & & & & Jt
J TRUST RECIPE FOR VEAL LOAF &
& &
Carcasses of unborn calves are used o
i)8 to make veal-loaf. c
&
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
& ' &
& TRUST RECIPE FOR FRESHENING J
& HAMS &
J8 jH
putrid hams are placed on u work- &
& ing table, and a man with u foot-pump,
& which works on the principle of a gigan- tJ
& tic hypodermic needle, fills them with &
' a chemical which kills the odor. . &
& oc
& & J5 & & & & i$ j & & & &
The demand was generally made by the news
papers that the report concerning diseased meat
be made public. It Is not possible to print ex
tracts from all the newspapers, but the follow
ing sample expressions are fairly representative.
The New York American throws a number
of sidelights on the expose and calls for the
immediate publication of the report to the pres
ident The New York World says: "Enough lias
leaked out about the packers' practices to horrify
the public. Possibly the whole truth would not
be more disturbing. In any case it would clinch
the facts and dispose of misleading rumors. The
country needs to be disturbed. Half truths will
result only "in half measures."
The New York Times insists upon publicity,
saying that the revolting practices described In
Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" were not so bad
as the terrible discoveries made by Messrs. Neil
and Reynolds,-
The "New' York Tribune seems somewhat at
a, loss to understand rrhy there should be any
-Ihesitation at Washington about publishing this
report, "because," as It- says, "publicity has been
the subjecrof a rather loud cry for sometime at
Washington." The Tribune says: "The public
should be given the facts in matters of "this
magnitude. It is an Issue which deeply con
cerns every home in the land. The truth, and
the whole truth, should be told in this case, as
it has been told in other caseB intimately touch
ing the rights and welfare of American citizens.
But whether we are to have publicity or not,
we are encouraged to believe that congress, by
providing for periodical inspection of the pack
ing plants of the country, may at least protect
,the vast body of consumers" against unwholesome
conditions in these great food centers hereafter.
There is an intimation that the suppression of
information now in the hands of the government
may be promised in order to silence the protests
made against the Beveridge amendment. This,
we believe, is improbable. Promises of this
character, in such circumstances, are . not hon
orable. The government should not engage in
barter and bargain with offenders against the
law. If the welfare of the American people has
been outraged, the government should expose,
and penalize in other ways, those guilty of the
offense. The truth should not be suppressed;
the guilty should not be spared. The government
Is strong, and we very earnestly hope it is decent
' enough in every department, to provide for ade
quate inspection of these plants without making
disreputable concessions to those who have of
fended and outraged the rights of the American
people." '
The Wall Street Journal prints over its edi
torial on this subject the headline "Murder." The
Journal's editorial follows: "Talk about 'tainted
money,' there Is no tainted .money that smells
so rank as money made by the sale of tainted
meat Nothing in the way of muck rake dis
closures, nothing in the insurance scandals, the
Standard Oil rebates, or the railroad graft, is
so hideous a3 the facts which it is reported a
special commission of the government has ob
tained, regarding the packing and sale of dis
eased meat by the Beef Truat. Insurance frauds.
Standard Oil secret rates, and railroad graft and
discriminations, are simply forms of theft. The
sale of diseased meat is nothing less than whole
sale murder. The Beveridge bill providing for
rigid government inspection must, of course, bo
passed. But is this all that the public is en
titled to? The president, while eager for the
passage of the Beveridge bill in order to prevent
the continuance of the horrible conditions which
have been disclosed, would seem to hesitate about
having the facts which have come to him spread
upon the public records. Np wonder that ho
hosltatos if they are as bad as the unofficial state
ments indicate. But the legislation must bo ac
companied by the report upon which it is based.
Nothing, will sorvo better jo correct this torrific
evil which affects the health and lives of mil
lions of people than publicity, however disgust
ing and terrifying the facts may bo. Tho o'ffond
ing packers are entitled to no mercy. Mako them
pay the cost of tho government Inspection."
The Chicago Tribune touches the' caso rather
diplomatically, but warms up to the subject wufll
clently to say: "The mischief has been already
done. Public confidence in the sanitary arrange
ments of Packingtown has been undermined by
unofficial publicity. The public is distrustful,
but not wholly convinced that only facts have
been told. Apparently the best thing for all con
cerned is that the truth shall be made known,
and if actual evils shall bo found to exist that
adequato measures bo taken to remedy thorn."
The Sidux City Journal says: "In these cir
cumstances It is clear that all trustworthy in
formation on the subject should be given out.
We want full knowledge of the actual conditions
first, and after that, if It is seen that there are
evils to be corrected, effective remedies should
be provided. Every one recognizes that tremend
ous interests are involved and every one should
recognize also that it Is futile to play the ostrich
act." '
Tho St. Louis Globe-Democrat says: "Pub
licity of the widest possible scope regarding these
meat revelations is demanded for several rea
sons. TJie:people want to know tho facts, and
they want fa. know them straight. They do aot
want to get'tiiem through the medium of sensa
tional novels ox partisan tracts or pamphlets, or
through the written, or verbal statements of any
irresponsible .or re'Qcless persons."
The MilwaukeeSentlnel says; VAs.th'e Chi
cago Tribune's stalf. correspondent ummwlz
the caisePresldent Roqsayejt & uMir'thflrtport- ,
'
,V- MUiiUuV7l 1Ulji4,,
nousc .coMjutions. ac iTtfnnrrxrm-pajtfMa
of the Beveridge bill for .stringent government
regulation through inspection of, the 'Industry.
Congress51 is told and the packers aro told that
unless the legislation is enacted and consented
to promptly there will bo an 'expose.' But Is
not the public entitled to this 'expose' In any
case to learn on tho authority of tho govern
ment just how much or how little of truth there
is in the hideous charges made by Upton Sinclair
and by the more temperate' but generally accusa
tory articles by specialist writers on Packing
town conditions in a recent issue of World's
Work? The country is greatly roused over thia
matter. It Is stated that the packers want the
report suppressed because they dread the pub
licity. But that Is hardly credible. The sup
pression of tho report, by breeding all sorts of
horrible and exaggerated Inferences as to Its
contents, would bo worse for the packers than
publication. People would naturally Jump at
the conclusion that tho government investigation
-even more than bore out the catalogue of hor
rors in Sinclair's revolting book. Imagination,
spurred by Sinclair's Zolaesque tale of moral and
physical putrefaction, would' play freely on a re
port seemingly too shocking to be published. If
the packers aro wise, and are sincere in their
protestations that charges afloat against them
are sensational and ill-founded, they should de
mand publication not leave the public to infer
tho worst from suppression with their concur
rence. There is reason to believe that this gov
ernment report, while showing the need of strict
er inspection, indicates that Packingtown con
ditions are" far better than Sinclair painted them.
But the- truth I3 wanted, and the people have" a
right to be shown,"
"IN ITS WORST FORM"
According to the Wall Street Journal, "there
are 104 capitalists in New York, the number of
whose directorships aggregates 2,857. This Is
an average of more than twenty-seven for each
man. Not one in the list holds less than ten direc
torships, while thirty-three hold over thirty, tho
highest number for any one man being 106. This
is the record for 1906."
The Journal declares that this represents
"dummy directorship in its most dangerous
form."
31
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