36 
E. SALMON. 
rectify these evils ? Does he mean to insinuate as one would be 
likely to infer from his language, that this poor meat was dis¬ 
eased and unwholesome meat, which had been condemned on 
the Federal inspection and turned loose at the local markets ? 
If so, the statement may be dismissed as incorrect and unworthy 
of consideration. Does he wish us to understand that the meat 
was simply lacking in quality, and not produced from diseased 
animals ? If so, he was unfortunate in his selection of language, 
and the remark has no bearing on the question of meat inspec¬ 
tion. Does he refer to meat prepared in abattoirs where ani¬ 
mals are killed exclusively for the local trade and where there 
is of course no Federal inspection ? If so, he was nevertheless 
unfortunate in his language and the remark has no bearing on 
the subject under discussion. 
The facts are that Chicago has an excellent system of Fed¬ 
eral inspection. This inspection includes all cattle and hogs 
slaughtered in abattoirs which do an interstate business, and 
all meat condemned in these houses is destroyed as a food pro¬ 
duct. This inspection is intended to protect the consumer from 
the meat of diseased animals or of those which are not in a 
proper condition to produce wholesome food. It does not 
guarantee that the meat is from either young or fat animals. 
The people of Chicago can obtain inspected meat by demanding 
it from the retailers ; but the United States Government can 
never go into the slaughter houses which kill exclusively for the 
local trade and there enforce its inspection. It requires but a 
slight acquaintance with our form of government to understand 
that inspection of a local trade coines under the reserved police 
powers of the States, and that it is unconstitutional for the Fed¬ 
eral Government to attempt such inspection until the articles 
have entered the channels of interstate or foreign commerce. 
If, therefore, Dr. Schwarzkopf hopes for a more extended Fed¬ 
eral inspection in Chicago than now exists, in order that he may 
not be offended by so much “poor meat” in the butcher shops, 
his hope will not be shared by patriotic American citizens who 
love and reverence our form of government, and who are not in 
