The citizen., 1906-06-08
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Gem
eral Topics from
the Capital.
June ., 1906

aside the provision in the Senate
Amendment TO the Agricultural
Appropriation Bill for an ade-
quate meat inspection service in
ell the big packing houses of the
country big enough to do an
Inter. State business. II will Of
course be remembered that the
so called Beveridge Amendment.
providing for this inpection was
put on the appropriation bill in
the last hours in the Senate and
went through without question.
1t means a very light tax per
head of cattle on the big packing
houses. though il amounts 10 a
total of about $1,000. 600 10 pay
the full force Of inspectors. OF
course the disclosures Of the dis
gusting methods in the Chicago
packing houses and the unSpeak-
able filth aud horror of The whole
business raised a storm of pop
ular indignation. The packing
interests up 10 date have not
dared 10 fight The bill in tue
open But they know that the
popular storms are usually short
lived in proportion 10 their vio-
lence, and it is almost a Ger
tainty that if the packers can
hold eff action on the bill and ge;
"calm and diSpas>iona;e view
of the >ituation." that they Will
be able to carry their point.
What they are lighting for now
is delay.
The meat inspection provision
has thus been held up i0 the
House and all the energies Of the
packers are devoted TO getting tile
reading OF the amendment aIteIel
so that the cost OF the inspection
shall be borne by tile govern
meut and not by tie packing
houses. This is a >tragetic move.
The cost OF the Inspection
amounting 10 abou. i've cents a
head would not be a hardship on
the Meat Trust. and they know
il. But they do no; want the
force of inspectors. La the first
place. it would close up most of
the avenues to law breaking that
they have complacentlv followed
for years, and further, il would
enable the independents outside
OF the trust TO get government
inspection which they can now
do only in a few cases and with
great difficulty. Export meat has
TO bear the government inspectors
stamp in order 10 be sold abroad.
All of this trade is in the hands
OF the trust. aud they do not
want TO be interfered with. Now
they know and every one else
who has had anything to do with
appropriations from Congress
knows, that it is a good deal
easier 10 get an appropriation
cut down than it is TO get il
increased. Congress might APP
propriate g, OOO.00 this year
to pay for a full force of inspect
orS, but next year there would be
a multiplicity of good reasons
why the appropriation was Ell
tirely too large and as the extent
of the meat business is growing
rapidly it would not DE long
before the force of inspectors
would be utterly inadequate and
conditions would be just the same
as they are today.
There is a deal OF real sorrow
expressed over the death the past
week of Representative Robert
Adams, of Pennsylvania, who
committed suicide in his apart
ments at the Metropolitan Club.
BERTHE Adams as he was gen.
orally known was a prominent
figure in society. He was a club
man and while not what is gen
orally known as a high roller,
was supposed to be wealthy. The
last work of his life was to steer
the Diplomatic and Con-
sular Appropriation Bill, which
he did on Thursday. 1t seems
that he had made up his mind
some time before to kill himself
aud had only waited to get the
bill from his committee out of the
way. 1t was thought that it
would be side tracked on Thurs
day in favor of the Pure Food
Bill, and Mr. Adams went to the
Speaker and made a strong per.
sonal plea not to have the bill
postponed. He said that he had
a most important engagement
to keep the next day. And so
apparently be had, for he was
found in his room at the club in
the early morning, shot through
the mouth, and died a few hours
afterwards at the hospital.
The announcement of the Bu-
reau of Corporation that it has
under way searching investi-
cation OF the tobacco business,
appeaIs to a good many people as
a thipn tba% hos baou ,aaJo1 Co.