Amador ledger., 1906-06-15
Washington
Letter.
(From Our Regular Correspondent.


amendment to the agricultural appro-
priation bill has been up in the
house. Everyone who eats meat and
good many who do not know by this
time that the Beveridge amendment
is the proposed legislation which let
loose such a storm when it was sug-
gested to place government inspectors
IN all of the packing and Interstate
slaughter honses owing to the dis
graceful filth and unsanitary con-
ditions recently discovered in Chic
ago. The most deplorable state of
affairs was discovered through per
sonal commission sent out by the
president. The Beveridge amendment
in consequence was put as a rider on
the agricultural appropriation bill.
The president threatened to publish
the whole report that had been made
to him if there was any attempt 10
block the legislation, but the story
got out and the papers of the country
commenced to print columns about
the matter so that the packers, feeling
that almost the worst had been done
already, have tried their best to block
the bill in the house.
The excuses for holding up this
nationally important piece of legisla-
tion are manifold. 1t is hard to say
how many of them come from the
| friends of the measure and how many
from the enemies in disguise. Tho
packers have not had the nerve to
fight the legislation openly, but have
tried to make the cattle producers
fight their battle, by assuring them
that If the cost of the inspection is
saddled on the packers, they will take
it out of the price of cattle. AL
though the aggregate cost of tile in
spection would be something like 81,
600, 600 it would amount to only about
five cents pei head of cattle slaughter
ed so that 1t is plain to see that the
desire to shift the cost of the in
spection is only cloak to the killing
of the bill altogether. If this in
spection were paid for by an annual
appropriation, the inspecting force
would be fixed quantity. After just
so many inspectors had been assigned
to duty, there would be no more
available. This is what the meat
trusts wants. A certain number of
inspectors are necessary for their in
terests, as they cannot sell meat
abroad unless it bears the official
stamp of this government. But If
anyone could have. the government
inspection who was willing to pay for
it, the force of inspectors would be a
flexible quantity. All of the inde-
pendents who are now kept out of the
export meat business by the trusts,
would be able to break in and there
would be enough inspectors to thor
oughly safeguard the interests of the
public in all sections of the packing
houses and prevent the lawbreak ing
that according to all accounts, the
trust has engaged in for years. The
legislation in question is in a very
perilous state, and it is doubtful il
the bill will finally get through con.
gress without material notifications
likly to impair its usefulness and
leave just the loophole that the meat
trust wants through which to escape
any inconvenience or diminution OF
its profits.
One of the most surprising and
shocking events that has happened in
public life recently was the suicide
this week of representative "Bertie'
Adams of Philadelphia. Mr. Adams
was best known throughout the
country as the famous author of the
whipping post bill so crushingly de-
feated some weeks ago. Now what
ever may be ones personal convic
tions on the subject of the whipping
post as punishment for crime of any
|
ing, for which it was to be the punish
ment is worthy of almost any penalty
that can be devised tor it. The bill
had the serious endorsement of 6
great many serious minded people,
and the president in his impulsivt
fashion, had given it his hearty sup.
port and said that it was a good thing
and ought to be showed along. But
for some reason or other, the house
did not take kindly to it, possibly
because more men vote than women
and the bill was laughed out of court
Mr. Adams felt this very keenly,
though it is not supposed that it hao
much bearing on his suicide. But Sc
sensitive was he about it that one
risked the loss of his friendship evel
after who mentioned the whipping
post in his presence.
The real cause of his death was ex
planned by him in note to speaker
Cannon. lie had become involved
financially, and while he was generally
regarded as a rich man, he was il
reality on the rocks in money matters
He was a great society mali, a well
known club man, a regent of the
Smithsonian Institution, and his
death was not only great surprise tc
everyone, but will be a cause oi
genuine rerget. There we're plenty
of people abundantly able to helr
him and who would have helped him