The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-06-06
ROOSEVELT As A MUCK
President Calls Attention Of Congress To
isgraceful Situation In Packing
Houses.

WASHINGTON, June /. - Terrible
revelations almost beyond belief are
made in the special report on Chicago
packing house conditions by commits
sioners Neill and Reynolds which was
submitted to congress this morning
by the president. In the message ac.
c%ompanying the report the president
describes the conditions as revolving
and demands immediat drastic leci..
lation in accord ance with the terms of
the Beverage amendment. The mes.
sage says in part:
"When my attention was first di.
rected to this matter an investigation
was made under the bureau of animal
industry Of the department of agricul.
ture. When the preliminary state
ments Of this investigation we're
brought to my attention they showed
such defects in the law and such wholly
unexpected conditions that l deemed
it best to have a further and immediate
investigation by men not connected
with the bureau, and accordingly ap.
pointed Messrs. Reynolds and Neill.
1t was impossible under the existing
law that satisfactory work should be
done by the bureau of animal in.
dustry. am now, however, examin.
ing the way in which the work actually
was done.
"Before l had received the report
of Messrs. Reynolds and Nei!l l had
directed that labels placed upon any
package of meat food products should
state only that the carcass of the ami
NAL 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 recommended | shall feel
compelled to order that inspection
labels and certificates on canned pro.
ducts shall not be used hereafter.
"The report shows that the stock.
yards and packing houses are not
kept even reasonably clean, and that
the method OF handling and preparing
food products is uncleanly and dan.
gerOus to health. Under existing law
the national government has no power
to enforce inspection Of the many
forms OF prepared meat food products
that are daily going from the packing
into interstate commerce. Owing to
an inadequate appropriation the de.
partment of agriculture Is mol even
able to place inspectors in all estab.
lishments desiring that.
"The present law prohibits the ship.
ping of uninspected meat to foreign
countries, but there is no provision
forbidding the shipment of u~uinspected
meats in interstate commerce, and
thus the emu of interstate com.
merce are left open to traffic in dis.
eased or spoiled meats.
III, as has been alleged on SEEM
ingly good authority, further evil
exist, such as the improper use of
chemicals or 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 q the preparation of meat
food products. The evil seems to be
much less in the sale OF dressed car.
casses than Ia the sale of canned and
other prepared products.
lin my Judgment the expenses of the
inspection should be paid by a fee
levied on each animal slaughtered.
II this Is not done, the whole purpose
OF the law can at any time be defeated
through an insufficient appropriation,
and whenever there was no particular
interest in the subject it would not be
only easy, but natural, thus to make
the appropriation insufficient. If it
were not for this consideration
should favor the government paying
for it.
"The alarm expressed in certain
quarters concerning this feature
should be allayed by a realization of
the fact that in no case, under such a
law, will the cost of inspection exceed
Sc per head.
81 call special attention to the fact
tina. this report is preliminary, and
the Investigation is still unfinished.
1t is not yet possible to report on the
alleged abuses in the use of delterious
chemical compounds in connection
with canning and preserving meats,
nor on the alleged doctoring in this
fashion of tainted meats and of pro-
duets returned to the packers as hav.
ing grown unstable from age or from
other reasons. Grave alleg atoms are
made in reference to the abuses OF
this nature
Reservoir bursts.
PRESTON, Idaho, June 2.-Filled to