The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-06-09
REYNOLDS WOULD
MODIFY NOTHING
Willing 10 Stand By Testimony
Of Dr. NeiII
CRUMPACKER HAS NEW IDEA
Doubts Power Of Congress to Regulate
Inspection Before Product Has
Been Made Subject of Inter
state Commerce.
CRUMPACKER HAS NEW IDEA

Washington. June S.-James b. Rey-
nolds. the eo-author with Mr. Nein on the
beef investigation was on the stand to-
day by the House committee on agricu-
ture, in continuation of its beef inspection
hearings.
Mr.. Reynolds was asked his previous
experience to qualify him to make the
meat report.
Il have no official position now he
replied and then stated that he had had
eight years experience in university set
tlement work in New York. had been two
years secretary to the Mayor of New
York and in the past few years had been
travelling His profession was that of a
lawyer.
Twelve years ago he had incidentally
visited the stock yards in Chicago and
had also visited the stock yards in Ber-
lin.
In the latter place he said the work
was done under city regulations He was
impressed by the absence of wood and
the constant cleaning going on. They
were even cleaning the cars which
brought In the stock. There was no can
/
superiority in actual killing over Chicago.
Nothing to Modify.
As to Mr.. Neils testimony there was
nothing in 1t he wished to modify. In
particular he wished to substantiate Mr..
Neill regarding the shovelling of pieces
of meat from the floor of the Nelson
Norris Co. He saw the operation. At
this point Chairman Wadsworth made
J pvy "a
his reasons for questioning Mr. Neil yes
| terday and said he should feel free to
question the present witness.
Il may be called Il friend OF the pack
ers," he said. II am a friend of the
packers and a friend of all other Amer
lean Industries. | don't believe in feath-
ering our own American nest. we are
here as members of the agricultural COM
mittee of the House of Representatives
to promote American agriculture not to
inIure nor to cast aspersion on II.
Cost Millions of Dollars.
This report has cost the agricultural
! interests of this country millions and mil
lions of dollars and If our foreign de-
! mand decreases In the next week as 1t
/ has I'm the past two weeks the value OF
A American live stock will decrease any,
! where from 30 to so per cent 100 pounds.
But for the publication of this report
continued Mr. Wadsworth' the foreign
demand would have gone as 1t had in the
past. There absolutely no complaint.
.'Now / claim as an individual member
of this committee the right to find out
from these gentlemen and | don't mean
In any offensive way to find out whether
these statements are from personal oD-
servation as they claim they are, or
whether they are made on assumption.
Continuing, he said the question he
asked Mr. Neill yesterday regarding that
unfortunate hog had shown conclusively
that he did not know whether the hoB
was afterward cleaned or not
At this point Representative Lamb OF
Virginia wanted to know If the chairman
was summoning up the testimony.
NO sir" replied Mr.. Wadsworth. i
am talking of what | was criticised for
Yesterday because l propose to ask Mr..
| REYNOLDS the same questions. In my own
judgment | was perfectly 1ustlheu IN
asking these questions" Then addressing
himself to Mr.. Reynolds he put the ques-
ton:
| ..Do YOU know whether that hog was
sent to be canned salted uneleaned7'
az do not" was the reply.
"Don't YOU think that statement In your
Ietter of transmittal which says that the
| matters set forth In the report were
| founded on fact. was not quite true?'
~ do not, sir. no; think the statement
is perfectly true . ~,
can? Explain It. anyway, If you please.
| do not want TO embarrass you or ex-
anime you as a pettifogger.'
The reply to this was reteration OF
The circumstances that the hog fell and
was made filthy. picked up and placed
with the others
crumpacker Doubts Power of Congress
AT the afternoon hearing, Representa-
| tive Crumpacker of Indiana, over a bar
rlcade of law books, discussed the legal
! questions In all their phases. but SAID
| the question before Congress was whether
1t has authority to take control OF pro-
duct intended for interstate commerce. lie
| said the intention of the packer was OF
| no consequence even II he admits ne is
manufacturing for Interstate commerce.
The produce cannot be interfered with
by the federal authorities until 1t Is actu-
ally offered for Interstate transportation.
His deductions, after reading numerous
| opinions were that the federal govern
ment can have nothing to do with the
manufacture of a commodity "as Con-
gress is limited to commerce and COM
merce succeeds manufacture
Until a commodity enters the channels
| of commerce. he said, Congress can ex-
| ercise no supervision whatever. Several
members of the committee asked why the
| packers had not objected to the inspec-
| ton in the last fourteen years.
Because" said Mr.. Crumpacker, the
law was made for the packers They
wanted 1t, and perhaps the country want
ed II, but they could obey such portions
as they wanted to and ignore the bal
ance."
| .sWhen the states have established
thorough inspection service of packing
| houses and canneries within their houn-
daries for the protection of their own peo-
pie" said he "the question will have been
solved, for them the whole people VIII
have been protected"
Puts Them Out Of Business.
| Taking up tire Beveridge amendment.
Mr.. Crumpacler said 1t would put out or
! business all butchers of Indiana. Iowa.
Michigan and Wisconsin who sell their
| product to commission merchants OF Chi-
| cago. for the government could not give
them inspection. He said this would he
true of states surrounding any OF the
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