The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1906-06-08

ON STOCK
YARDS ~ ARI'|
(Bv Associiated Press. !

-
(By Associated Press.)
WASHINGTON, june 4-Presi-
dent Roosevelt today sent aJspecial
smessage to Congress concerning the
conditionS Of the stock yards at
Chicago, accompanying it with the
report of the Investigating commit
tee. The message is as follows:
sT@the Senate and House Of Rep
! tesentatives s.S ] s Ill
81 transmit herewith the report
Of Mr.. James Bronson Reynolds and
Commissioner Charles P. Nell, the
special committee whom 4 appoint
ed toinsestigafe !ihtb The conditions
i'm tletistoclt yards of + Chicago and
report thereon t.. me. This report
is Of a preliminary nature. sub
4ipit TO- you pYibecaufe it shows
thee urgent need Of immediate action
.bx-the. Congress in the-d direction of
providing a drastic and thorough
{ going, inspectipn By the Federal,
Government Of alis stock yards and
packing houses and stheir preaacts,
"a fur as the latter enter INTO intere
state or foreign commerce. The
conditions shown by even this short
inspection to exist in Chicago stock
wards are revolving. 1t is 'impefa-
lively necessary in the interest of
health and of decency that they
should be radically changed. I'm
der the existing law it is wholly inn
possible TO secure satisfactory re-
suits. @ is'8''sl
'When my attention was first di-
rected to this matter an inyestiga-
ton was made under the Bureau of
Animal Industry Of the Department
of Agriculture. When the prclim-
inary statements Of this investiga-
tion we're brought to my attention
I. they showed such defects in the law
and such wholly unexpected condi-
tions that I deemed it best to have
a further immediate investigation
by men not connected with the Bu-
reau, and accordingly appointed
Messrs. REYNOLDS and NELL. 1t
was impossible under the existing
Flaw that satisfactory work should be
done by the Bureau of Animal In
dustry. ] am now, however, exam
lining the way in which the work
actually was done.
"Before / had received the report
of Messrs. Reynolds and NELL i 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 the legislation recon-
mended / shall feel compelled to or
der that inspection labels and eerti-
ficates on canned products shall not
be used hereafter.
teThe report shows that the stock
wards and packing houses are not
kept even reasonably clean, and that
the methods of handling and pre-
pairing food products is uncleanly
and dangerous to health. Under
existing law the National Govern
ment has no power TO enforce in
spection of the many forms of pry-
pared meat food products that are
daily going from the packing houses
into interstate commerce. Owing
to an inadequate appropriation the
Department Of Agriculture is not
even able to placefinspectors in all
establishments desiring them. The
present law prohibits the shipment
of uninspected meat to foreign
countries, but there is no provision
forbidding the shipment Of unin-
spected meats in interstate com
merce, and thus the avenues of in
terstatc commerce are left open to
traffic in diseased or spoiled meats.
If, as has been alleged on seeming
ly good authority further evils exist,
such as the improper use of chem
1icals and dyes, the Government lacks
power to remedy them. A law is
needed which will enable the in
spectors of the General Government
to, Inspect and supervise from the
hoof to the can the preparation Of
the meat food product The evil
seems much less in the sale of dress
ed carcasses than in the sale Of
canned and other prepared products,
and very much less as regards pro-
ducts sent abroad than those used
at home.
sIn my judgment the expense of
the inspection should be paid by a
fee levied on each animal slaughter
ed. If this is not done, the whole
purpose of the law can at any time
be defeated through an insufficient
appropriation; and whenever there