The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-06-08
WASHINGTON LETTER.

conditions which prevail in the great
slaughtering and packing houses OF the
West and possibly Of the East. In fact
all other questions are for the time OBJ
scured by this and there is little doubt
but that other business in Congress will
be put aside for the enactment of legis-
lation that will look toward improving
the situation there. The Government has
long been dilatory in regard to the beef
trust and ever since the. days of the en-
balmed beef scandal during the late war
the subject has from time to time been re.
vived but it was not until the publication
of "The Jungle" novel revealing the
disgrace of "Packingtown" that the Pres
ident and the country at large became
thoroughly aroused and serious move
ment was undertaken to clean house
there. The report secured by the Pres.
ident from his two representatives sent to
Chicago to investigate the slaughtering
and packing industry has not been made
public but it is said to confirm the state
ments of Mr.. Sinclair as to the diseased
and poisoned meats which are sold with
the Government stamp upon them. In
vestigators report that meats are packed
in surroundings abhorrently filthy, and
by employees having tuberculosis and
loathsome diseases; that cattle and hogs
suffering with tuberculosis, lumpy jaw,
ulcer and other diseases are not destroyed
but packed and sent out whenever the
traces of diseases can be removed, or
when this is impossible used as sausage,
potted hams and other delicacies in which
the defects can be concealed and that the
refuse of diseased animals, the lumpy
jaws, ulcerous flesh; tubercular glands.
unborn calves, COW udders and gristle
masquerade as sausage, veal loaf, potted
chicken canned breakfast bacon and the
like, while decayed and putrefying meats
are treated with formaldehyde, painted
and dyed to the color of fresh meas and
doctored with borax and other preserva-
tives. Senator Beveridge's bill which
provides that an adequate number of in
spectors shall be employed to inspect the
meat and that they shall have the power
to destroy meat condemned has passed
the Senate and is likely to pass the lower
House though it will have serious oppo-
sition there as Speaker Cannon comes
from the Beef Trust centre and has de-
clared that he will look after their
"iuterests.'
~
The expenditures that will have been
authorized by Congress when it adjourns
will probably not be greatly in excess of
$3.50, DOC, 900 considerable reduction un-
der those authorized in the corresponding
long session of the Fifty Eighth Congress
That Congress was known as the "billion
dollar Congress" as its appropriations ran
up to that mark for permanent and annual
expenditures. House leaders say that if
appropriations are not materially increas.
ed in the Senate the deficit in the reve-
nues will be reduced to about $40, ooo, 900
by July I. 1907, and probably wiped out
altogether.
~
Secretary Taft has been before the
House Committee on Appropriations Civ.
ing his opinion on Canal matters. Dis
cussing the work he said, "If you will
abolish the Commission and leave it to
the prae;dauf 70 ea1aok bic aoaote oo5
make the appropriations sufficient to pay
such agents it would be exactly what the
situation needs, but we have supposed it
would be difficult to get that through
Congress and so we are working along.
The work of the Canal has in reality
just begun, in fact we are just ready to
begin " Chairman Shonts was also heard
and concerning the time which will be
required to dig the waterway he said,
"that according to the estimates of Engi-
neer Stevens who has given more thought
and study to the matter than any other
person. it would take about seven years"
Mr.. Stevens though, when asked directly
how much time he thought would be
required said 1.-The least amount of time |
could put on it would be sixteen or |
eighteen years for a sea level canal. The |
difference in time required for the lock or
sea level types is due. he said, to the
tremendous difference in the yardage that
has to be taken under the hardest pos
sible conditions, that is the bottom lift. |
During the session of the committee, tes-
timouy was taken concerning the pur-
chase of supplies abroad. 1t appears that
out of purchases to the extent of $Io, ooo,-
900. the amount spent abroad has been |
$I05,ooo. Out of that $4,000 only |
about ten thousand has actually been |
spent in foreign countries the other $I75,.
900 having been expended through |
American houses.