Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1906-06-08

meat ut to be eaten.*
WASHINGTON, D. c., June +
President Roosevelt today sent to Con-
gress a message and report on the condi-
tons III the Chicago stock yards.
The report is by the special commits
sioners named by the President to in
vetigate the charges that the conditions
in the stock yards were a danger to
public health. The report says that an
absence of cleanliness was found every
where in the handling of meat being pre-
pared 1Gf the various meat food products.
Congress is asked to pass laws to pro-
tect the public.
The Presidents Message.
Ihe Presidents message was as fol-
lows:
Ihe Senate and House of Representatives:
transmit herewith the report of James
Bronson Reynolds and Commissioner
charles L. Neill, the special committee
whom | appointed to investigate into the
conditions i'll the stock yards OF Chicago and
report thereon TO me. This report IS OF a
preliminary nature. l submit it to YOU now
because It shows the urgent need OF lnlne-
date action by the Congress in the direc-
ton of providing a drastic and thorough
going inspection by the federal government
of All stock yards and packing houses and
of their products far as the latter enter
into interstate or foreign commerce.
Conditions Are Revolving.
The conditions Shown by even this short
inspection TO exist i'll the Chicago stock
yards are revolving. 1t is imperatively
necessary IL the interest of decency that
they should be radically changed. Under
the existing law it is wholly impossible to
secure satisfactory results.
Defects in the Law.
When my attention was first directed to
this matter an investigation made
der the bureau of animal industry OF the
department of agriculture. When the pre-
ilinlnary statements of this investigation
were brought to my attention they showed
such defects that | deemed it best to have
further immediate investigation by men
not connected with the bureau. and accord
ingly appointed Mcssrs Reynolds and Neill.
1t was impossible under the existing law
that satisfactory WORK should h& done by
the bureau OF animal industry. | am ROW,
however, examining the way in which the
work actually was done
Closer Inspection Necessary.
Before l had received the report of
MeSSrS. Reynolds and Ncill ! had directed
that labels placed upon any package OF
meat food products should state only that
the carcass of the animal from which the
meat was taken had been inspected at the
time of slaughter If inspection of meat
food products at all stages of preparation
is not secured by the passage of legislation
recommended, | shall feel compelled to or
der that inspection labels and certificates
on canned products shall not be used here
after
Dangerous to Health.
The report shows that the stock yards
and packing houses are not kept even rea-
sonably clean, and that the method of
handling and preparing food products is
uncleanly and dangerous to health. Under
existing law the national government has
no power to enforce inspection of the many
forms of prepared meat food products that
on do IAA
into interstate commerce.. OWING to an in
adequate appropriation the department of
agriculture is not even able to place in
SpectorS in all establishments desiring them
The present laws prohibits the shipment CT
uninspected meat to foreign countries, but
there is no provision forbidding the ship
commerce, and thus the avenues of inter
state commerce are left open to traffic in
diseased or spoiled meats.
Protection Is Needed.
If, as has been alleged seemingly good
authority, further evils exist, such as the
improper use of chemicals and dyes, the gov
eminent lacks power to remedy them y
law is needed which will enable the in
SpectorS of the general government to in
sDect and SUPERVISE from the hoof to the
can the preparation of the meat food prod
uct The evil seems TO be much less i'll the
sale of dressed carcasses than in the sale
of canned and other prepared products
Packers Should Pay.
In my judgment, the expense of the in
spection should be paid by a fee levied on
each animal slaughtered. If this is not
done, the whole purpose of the law can at
any time be defeated through an insult
tcien1 appropriation; and whenever there
YVES no particular public interest in the
subject it would be not only easy but nat
urai thus to make the appropriation insult
ficient. If it were not for this considera-
ton, should favor the government paying
for it.
Inspection Costs Little.
The alarm expressed in certain quarters
concerning this feature should be allayed
by realization of the fact that in no case
under such q law Will the cost of inspection
exceed cents per head.
l call special attention to the fact that
this report is preliminary, and that the in
yestigatiOn is still unfinished. 1t is not
vet possible to report on the alleged abuses
in the use of deleterious chemical COM
pounds IL connection with canning and pre-
Serving meat products, nor on the alleged
doctoring in this fashion of tainted meat
and of products returned to the packers
as having grown unstable or unusable from
age or other reasons. Grave allegations
are made III reference to abuses of this
nature.
Let me repeat that under the present law
there practically is no method of stopping
to exist. Legislation is needed in order to
prevent the possibility Of all abuses in the
future. If no legislation is passed. then
the excellent results accomplished by the
only SO long as the memory of the commit
tees work is fresh and recrudescence Of
the abuses is absolutely certain.
Urges Congress to Act
urge the enactment into law of pro
visions which will enable the department of
agriculture adequately TO inspect the meat
and meat food products entering into inter
state commerce and to supervise the meth
DDS of preparing the same and to prescribe
the sanitary conditions under which the
work shall be performed. ] therefore com,
mend TO your favorable consideration and
urge the enactment of substantially the
provisions known as Senate amendment No.
%. to the act making appropriations for
the department of agriculture for the fiscal
year ending june 80. 1907, as passed by thu
Senate, this amendment being commonly
known as the Beveridge amendment.
(Signedl THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
The White House, June 1. 1906.
Report on Stockyards.
The report of Messrs Reynolds and
Neil says that two and one-half weeks
were spent in the investigation in Chi
cage during which I'VE went through the
principal packing houses in the stock
yards district, together with Il few of the