New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-02-16
ORLEANS, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY l6
Beef and Pork Inspection.

| We give place to the following from the
| Price Current at the special request OF
| prominent members of the Chamber of Com
| merce:
A meeting of the chamber was called on
| Monday last to consider the petition of more
| than two hundred Of our most responsible
business men and firms, protesting against
| the passage of a law imposing compulsory
inspection upon all beef and pork coming
into the city for sale. This petition came
too late to arrest the passage, of the bill,
and therefore the chamber gave its endorse
ment to the protest, and adopted Il rcsolu-
luton upon the motion of Mr.. George Med.
Burke, that committee of ten be appointed
whereof the president of the chamber shall
be ex-othclo chairman, to wait on the Gov
ernor. and demonstrate on behalf of the
chamber, against his signing u bill ap-
pointing inspectors Of beef and pork, and
making the inspection thereof compulsory
under heavy penalties.
The following committee was appointed
under the foregoing resolution: Messrs.
G. Sanford. George Ned. Burke, J. Vairin,
l. n. Marks. +. DOlhOnde, A. Woods, G. f.
Slayback. +. X. Converse, +. H. Summers,
c. T. BuddecKe.
We de not know that any comment upon
this ''most atrocious bill AS it was cor
rectly termed by Mr.. S. II. Kennedy, before
the chamber-would have any effect. The
Legislature seems to have read nothing but
the appropriation clause of its bills, and the
Governor will have heard the earnest re-
monstrance of the committee, and read the
indignant language OF the petitioners yet
We cannot avoid expressing our surprise at
the total want OF sympathy between the
Legislature and the commercial interests of
its greatest taxpayer, the city of New Or
leans. Our trade is sapped and tapped by
our great rivals of the West. The ways
of commerce are everywhere open. Pro
duce may be sold at one place as we'll as
another, and vet while our merchants are
reducing their charges and prices, and
our city authorities are exhortcd to do the
same. there comes law to compel every
person who brings barrel Of beef or pork
to this city to pay dollar charges for all
act of inspection which the commodity
may not require. Evidently this is
bounty of one dollar barrel to st. Louis
and Chicago. each seeking to divert the
provision trade from this market. 1t is
imposing a charge of one dollar barrel
on any planter who buys provisions for the
culture of his crop. Why. country mem-
bers should thus impose burdens on
their constituents We can not conceive.
Why Legislature. the value of whose
appropriations must depend in great part
upon the ability OF the city taxpayers
should recklessly burden them with trade
charges that drive business away, surpasses
any honest solution. The city has been
united on no subject more than in its re-
sistance to compulsory inspection. Repeated
attempts have been made to apply it to
-four as we'll as to other articles. Our mer
chants have all opposed any system Of sales
except on merits or inspection at the option
of buyer and seller. We can only hope the
Governor will counteract this attempt to
violate the wishes Of the highest CONNER
cial authority among us, and the in
terests of many of the most respectable
and responsible of our merchants. The
suggestion of Mr.. Kennedy that the COM
mittee should, if necessary, express its
views to the members of the Legislature,
deserves consideration. The Legislature
can not certainly have reflected upon the
nnwise and illegal mode adopted OF revers-
in. the municipal policy of the city govern
ment. and giving to individuals and cor
poratons the exclusive right to administer
the most important function. The cOnse-
quences Of Il legislation almost foreign in its
apparent Indifference to our local wishes and
interests are seen in the low range of public
securities. and the universal apprehensiOns
of property holders and men OF business. 1t
may seem strange to distant readers. but
the people of Louisiana seem to dread more
the legislation OF their own representatives
than that OF the federal government. We
trust these laws of forced inspection will be
defeated