The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-01-30
CEN. MILES is
CHALLENGED.
Chicago Packers Ask the Gen
eral to Come
Or Send a Man to Look For
Chemicals.
THEY OFFER 100000
THEY OFFER 100000
To Public Charities if AnyDrugs
Can Be Found.
A Man is Named Who May Have
EmbaImed the Beef.

NnICdSO, Jan. 0U--SWllI ~ e@AAN
Libby, Mcneil & Libby, contractors
who supplied the army in Cuba and
Porto Rico with dressed and canned
been, have offered to donate 100000 to
public charities if any commission sent
by General Nelson A. Miles to investi-
gate their plants should find that chem
acals had been used for the preservation
of their products. The proposition went
further than that. Such a sum would
be given if it should be found that for
dressed beef anything beyond clean wa
ter and cold air was used For canned
beef the challenge was as broad
The invitation to General Miles was
given through Major Fred A. Smith,
chief commissary of the department of
major general He was requested to
come personally, or, if that was impos-
sible, to send a commission of unbiased
men, The firms offered to throw their
plants open to the fullest inspection
The investigation was to be from the
time the live cattle are driven from the
stock yards, where they pass the gov
ernment inspection, into the private
yards of the firms. 1t would follow them
through all the process by which the
animals are converted into dressed beef
From the cooling rooms to the refrig-
orator cars, and thence to the place of
unloading the investigation would 60
1t is to be as complete and thorough as
General Miles might direct.
Major Smith sent forward the invita-
tion to General Miles, but no reply has
yet been received to it,
TALKS FOR ARMOUR & co.
So far as Armour & Co. are concerned
in the discussion their representative
declares the innuendoes are without
basis. Philip D. Armour was ill at his
home, but Arthur Meeker, representing
the firm. had this to say:
The charges made by implication
against Armour & Co. are without foun-
dation. The reputation not only of our
firm h1If h9 of ha ipd in
Chicago and America has been attack
ed anonymously and by innuendo- Ar
mour & Co simply took measures such
as any business house would take to
protect their good name and prevent
their standing from damage The meth
DDS employed were legitimate Should
these biased allegations reach a point
which calls for specific and detailed
answer, such answer will be made It
will then be shown that nothing has
been done, said, or written which in the
least savors of underhand Methods
SWIFTS LAWYER EXPLAINS
A. H. Veeder, the legal representative
and spokesman of Swift & Co. and Lib
by, MCNEIL & Libby, advanced the
offer of 100000 mentioned above and
declared that it was not made in any
spirit Of buncOmbe. They had asked
General Miles to come or send COM
mission with the view of getting at the
facts. Nor was it intended as a slap
at the general. Certain points had been
disputed, and the easiest way was to
to him, the money part would be with
drawn. 1t was added only as an evi-
dence of good faith. It meant what it
said.
Swift & Co., who had the dressed
beef contract, deny that large sums
have been made out of it. On the con-
trary, they say, their losses have been
considerable on account of the early
closing of the war, leaving them with
refrigerator plants in Cuba and ship
fittings on hand with little use for them
fl1a 49,,
Chicago beef now being sent broadcast
Mr. Veeder entered a sweeping denial.
He denied that chemicals of any kind
were used in the preparation of the
meats furnished the army by his firms
under the contracts with the govern
snent-
DISTINCTION OF HOUSES.
First of all,'' he said, Il want to
stra1Shten out some of the rnisstato-
ments and confusing claims that have
been made since this controversy began.
SWIft & Co. are a corporation engaged
in the dressed beef business. They can
no meat. Libby, Mcneil &, Libby. on
the other hand, are a corporation en-
gagged IN canning meats, and had the
contract for that business with the
government. Individual stockholders in
SWIFT & Co. are also stockholders in
Libby, MCNEIL & Libby. The two must
be Kept distinct, although closely con-
nected.
Neither company Mr.. veeder con-
t1nued, had a house at Locust Point.
near Baltimore, and hence could NOT
nave supplied old meat to the army. I
have not learned yet what concern has
a house at Locust Point. 1t might be
well to find out.
Now for Swift & Co. We were the
lowest bidders for the Cuban and Porto
Rican contracts. In filling those con-
tracts we got the best cattle. for fhe
market was bare at that time of any
thing else even had we wished to furn-
ash poor beef We shipped right ont of
our stock and sent the same kind of beef
to the army as we We're furnishing TO
local and foreign customers. 1t was the
best to be had.
An inventor named Powell of Brook
1yn came to Mr.. Swift with a patent
process for preserving meat for the tro-
pics Mr.. Swift would not touch it Then
Powell. with the persistence of invent
orS, went to Tampa, bought some cattle
and tried his invention on their meat
The beef was hung up at Tampa and
was then sent to Cuba 1 believe what
there was left of it was displayed at
Santiago. That is all the embalmed
beef know about
EXPLAINS PACKERS MEETING
What about the reported meeting of
packers at your office on Tuesday Ia ST
when 1t was said plans to fight threat
ened revelations were laid?'' was asked
Ihere was no such meeting held
Ihefe was, however, a meeting here on
Iuesoay OF the St. Louis Stock Yards
company, of which I am director. Mr.
Swift and Edward Morris are also di-
rectors. Mr.. Pratt. who was said to he
here do not know. We are also d.