Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-06-08
Packers Find President Has i;
Big Club In Reserve In
Their Case
SEQUEL TO NELL REPORT
Action Of the Packers in Demanding a
Hearing Opens Up the Subject for
the Other Side-The EmbaIming of
Meat Likely to Be Given an Airing
In Congress.

IIlllltc Ou CT tlit1Np wa
| hearings on the meat inspection ques-
! ton.
The Beveridge amendment came up
| In the senate without any hearings
having been had and there vas no dis
cussion of it's provisions on the floor.
The senate in this instance acted like
the house habitually does. 1t picked up
the Bever1se amendment and tackej
il to a great appropriation hill without
giving it the slightest consideration.
Mr.. Proctor. chairman of the senate
committee on agriculture, said few
days ago, in speaking of the senate's
action, that he did not oppose the bill
In the senate because 1t then seemed
too late to do so. but he permitted l.
to go thru. so far as his vote was con-
cerned, assuming that it would he TAX
en- up in conference and there adjusted.
Will Be Drastic Laws.
The hearings before the house COM
mittee present the first official word
congress has had on the subject aside
from the message of the president and
it's accompanying report. The testi-
mony thus far has been entirely ex
parte, altho official and. In the interest
of fair play, the country Will probably
be willing to have both sides heard be-
fore legislation Is enacted
There will be legislation and 1t will
be drastic In character. In fact, now
there can be anything else the pubic
cannot see but at the same time Car
play will consent that the hearing b.
fore the house committee be had and
made a part of the records on con-
gress. Nobody will be harmed, and
after the law has been passed. the
packers cannot say that they have not
had day in court
Cannon Not Foe.
Obviously the purpose of these Lead
ers of the house committee in ordering
the hearings was to make sentiment, il
possible, for the packers, but this time
they will be disappointed. 1t is not
true that Speaker Cannon Is standing
in the way OF prompt acton by the
house or is leaning toward the packers
| am authorized to say that the atti
tude of the speaker is one Of absolute
neutrality and impartiaity. He has as
sured the president that any report
coming from the Wadsworth commit
tee on agriculture will receive the SER
ious attention of the house. regardless
Of its character, and that he will not
use the power of his high office to in
fiuence the committee or congress in
either direction. Whatever the house
wants to do in the meat inspection
case he will consent to.
The inspiration that the speaker was
friendly to the packers no doubt grsw
out of the fact that he has not taken
Off his coat and gone to work in favor
of the Beveridge amendment.
Have Another Bomb.
Messrs. Neill and Reynolds. the pres
idents special investigators, are hard
at work on another section Of their re-
port which is to be sent to congress
provided there is disposition on the
part of either house to depart from the
spirit of the Beverage amendment
This supplemental report deals with
the use Of chemicals, dyes, etc, In the
preservation and coloring of meats, and
it promises to be more sensational than
the first one, for it will deal with the
use of poisons and authorizations of
various kinds, and present the conclu-
sion that these have been used in such
quantities as to be an actual menace
to human life.
The first report dealt exclusively
with the question of sanitary condi-
tons in the stockyards, the question Of
the use of poisons being scarcely men,
toned. This supplemental report will
bring the poison business to the front
of the stage with an array of convince
ing data.
Used Secret Service Men.
1T is not the wish of the president to
submit this report unless compelled to
do SO. He is having it prepared, how
ever, so that it may be used If the
packing house influence in either house
seems strong enough to prevent salts
factory legislation.
No disclosures have been made re-
garding the means the president has
used to secure the evidence upon which
the second report will be based. 1t is
believed, however, that he has made
free use of the secret service bureau,
and that agents of that bureau have
been for more than a month at work
in Chicago. Enough evidence is al
ready at hand it is said, to justify the
report and it is still coming in.
Recalls Sinclair Challenge.
Just prior to the announcement that
the president had sent Messrs. Neil
and Reynolds to Chicago for purposes
of investigation, Upton Sinclair. whose
writings have started this entire agita-
ton, issued thru the columns of certain
New York papers an open challenge to
Mr.. Armour, calling upon him to inst-
tute criminal proceedings against him
(Sinclair) if the statements made by
him were untrue. In this letter Sim
clair sums up the effect of the state
ments made by him in his book and
articles as follows. l repeat
them because they indicate the direc-
ton which the supplemental report
from Neill and Reynolds will take He
says:
What they prove is that he himself
of his own free will ard personal
is occupied in sending out,
selling and causing TO be eaten by the
people of America millions of pounds
of diseased, tainted. preserved, dyed
week he lives.
Putrid Meat Enbalrned.
The selling for human food of the
carcasses of cattle and swine which
have been condemned for tuberculosis,
actinomycosls and gangrene. the con-
verting of such carcasses into sausage
md lard. the preserving of spoiled |
mans with boric and salicylic acid. The |