No. 4.] FOOD ADULTERATION. 177 



send to this country for cured meat, such as we use here, — 

 onl}' we have no borax in our cured meat, as far as I know. 

 The great packers do not put it in ; after it leaves the pack- 

 ers, I don't know what happens to it. So when England 

 orders a car load or boat load of meat, she orders it to be 

 packed in borax, spread on the outside of the meat, because 

 it preserves it. And when they order butter from Austra- 

 lia, they order it preserved with borax, because it will come 

 to them sweet, and not rancid. These belong to special 

 cases, and not to the regular cases of every day. No one 

 should put borax in food unless the consumer himself orders 

 it put in. 



I believe in the largest personal liberty. I don't want 

 anybody to dictate to me what I shall eat or drink, or what 

 kind of clothing I shall wear, or what political party I shall 

 belong to, or what creed I shall adopt ; those are things I 

 want to decide for myself. The Apostle said, "Let no man 

 judge you as to meat or drink." That is your business ; not 

 his. Let him eat what he Avants to, and you do the same. 



But it is the duty of the public to prevent a man being 

 poisoned against his knowledge and will. That is where 

 the function of the law comes in, — not as a prohibition, 

 but as a protection of the people. We have here to-da}^ 

 about two hundred people — I wish there were more — in 

 this audience, and if any two want borax in their food, they 

 may stand up ; but the other one hundred and ninety-eight 

 don't want it. Now, is it fair that we should all eat borax 

 without our knowing it, in order that two should have it if 

 they want it? It doesn't seem to me that is right. Let 

 them prepare their own food in their own way. I sa}^ when 

 the consumer wants his food with borax, — not poison, be- 

 cause borax is not a poison in any sense of the word, and 

 the young men whom we had were not really a "poison 

 squad," although they were known as that in the public 

 press, — if he wants borax in his food, let him have it for 

 his own special benefit, but don't treat the rest of it in the 

 same way ; keep it out, for it isn't necessary in this country. 



Now, about codfish I can't s})eak ; it is a delicate subject, 

 — pretty close to the place from which it comes ; but I will 



