Fergus County argus., 1906-06-19
PACKING HOUSE
INVESTIGATION
Mr.. hAGENeARTh DOES NOT REP.
RESENT RANGE STOCK
GROWERS.

FRANK f1dSenDdTll OI IHG A>dllOudi
Live Stock association, represents or
speaks for the range stockSrowers or
the country when he rushes into print
with a sarcastic denunciation of the
president for giving to the public the
details of the recent packing house
Investigations. If it is 10 be credited,
then we must assume that the stock
growing interest stands ready to con
done the filthy conditions under which
the range product is at times prepared
for the market and that they desire
the uninterrupted continuance of such
conditions 1t will not do for Mr..
Hagenbarth or any other apologist Of
the packinghouses to plead that the
charges of misdemeanor made against
these establishments are yellow lit,
erature" emanating from ''muck-rak-
ers.'' for in more than a majority of
instances the terrible arraignments
of The Jungle" have been certified to
in the cold language of an official re-
port, by officials whose honesty and
ability to describe what they saw has
not yet been impeached. Doubtless
the uprooting of the old established
customs in Packingtown and the intro.
duction of better and cOstlier methods
will react on the price of range cattle,
but nothing else could be expected
from an omnipotent trust that has
haan ''nincbino' tho cfnnl. DrOWnrc for
years past on far less tenable ground
than that now occupied by them. But
as compared with the rest of the coun-
try the range stock interest is a pitt
full factor, and when Mr.. Frank Hagen
barth ''of the National Livestock asso-
citation" busters in print about what
the president of the United States
should do in the presence of crisis
have developed he is not only assum-
ing too much for himself but without
doubt misrepresenting a large major
ity that does not care to buy favor
with the packers by upholding them iii
their disreputable practices.
Mr. Hagenbarth claims that by the
publication of the Neill-Reynolds re-
port an irreparable loss has been
worked to the producers of livestock,
and continuing. he refuses to believe
in his sarcastic way-that the preSi-
dents action in promulgating these
details was in any way influenced by
so1 -. Al 60, 81,
missioner Garfield's report exonerated
the packers from imputed delinquen-
cies.' or that it was induced because
Judge Humphreys decision was in a
measure defeat for the government.
But even so. Admitting that two de
feats to get at the beef trust fright
and proper prompted the drastic ac
ton that has in twenty-four hours
brought the erstwhile defiant trust tC
its knees and opened the mouths OF
its apologists all over the country, be
sides giving to the telegraph compan
les the largest business in protests
they have ever enjoyed. Even so
Is Teddy" not human? And do We
not love him because he is so human
What has there been in the history
of the packinghouse inquiries thai
would warrant any extreme act ot
chivalry on the part of the govern
ment after finding a weak spot in the
armor of its enemy? Mr.. Hagenbartf
would probably suggest that the code
demanded that the president sent
word to the packers that it was slow
ly but surely becoming his duty to or
der a real inspection of their works
and that. with this timely warning
he trusted that they would be quite
ready for his inspectors on such and
such date and be able to show a
clean bill of health. That in effect is
what has been going on for years past
and that is the reason why the pack
ers have been able to send out car
load after carload of timed meats la
beled inspected by the government,
and Quality guaranteed" when no in
spection except the inspection of live
cattle in the yards, was ever made b!
the government inspector, and whel
not one of them ever knew what de
lectable compound went into the tins
so labeled.
There has been altogether too mucl
handling of .'vested interests witt
kid gloves. That is exactly what allie,
the Garfield investigation of the bee
trust. In this there was an exchane
of courtesies in which Uncle Sam go
the worst of it. while the beef baron
chuckled over it and said TO them
selves, "Oh. that's too easy. Give Us
something that will make us go some
And now they have It, and the pace
they have been compelled TO strike il
quite an unusual one for them O.
course they will take il out of bot
the range owner and the consumer
but even so. if the results aimed at ar;
gained, the cost will not be excessive
A range stock owner said in the pres
ence of the writer only yesterday, q
will knock five dollars a head off o
the value of my cattle. but am will
ing to pay the cost and call it cheap.
Yellowstone Journal