The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-06-22
WASHINGTON LETTER.

pay two million dollars annually for the
inspection of meat, which they buy later
at rates affording vast profits to the beef
trust, is the proposition made to the House
of Representatives by the Agricultural
Committee. The injustice of such a
measure has not deferred the committee
of the House from forming and presenting
this proposition, which is offered as a
substitute for the Beveridge amendment
that passed the Senate, and which pro-
vides for adequate inspection of meats, at
the cost of the packers.
The President is emphatically opposed
to the measure presented by the House
and, if il is enacted. he may veto it, or,
should he sign it, he will attach a mem
orandum, which will indicate definitely
and Enthusiastically to the country that he
regards the law as inadequate and unsat-
isfactory. Ifthe Government is required
to pay the inspection charges the provis-
ion, in the opinion of the President, will
render the law ineffective. He is opposed
to the bill in its entirety and has pointed
out to Chairman Wadsworth of the COM
mittee that the failure of the committee
to provide for inspection at all hours OF
the day and night is defect that he can
not overlook. The measure as presented
by the majority of the Committee is an
evident effort to favor the packers as far
as possible and to protect their interests
There are men in the House of Represen-
tatives interested in the beef packing
business, notably Speaker Cannon.
These and friends of the beef trust for
for other reasons, are making every effort
to prevent the passage of bill that will
fall hard on the butcheries and the Com
nittee measure is an effort to compromise
at the expense both in money aud health
of the great public that buys the beef
trusts products. Since the matter has
been before Congress and especially since
the publication of the Neill-Reynolds re-
port exposing the unspeakably bad con-
ditions that surround the packing houses
of Chicago and disclosing the fact that
the entire public is menaced by the filthy,
decaying and poisonous products that
issue from them, the Capital has been
infested with the agents of the trust who
are working day and night and spending
money with lavish hand to lobby and
prevent legislation along the lines of the
Beverage amendment. The entire Con-
gress knows that in matters that come
before the House, Speaker Cannon is
practically all-powerful and the effect of
his interests in the packing business is
apparent i'll Chairman Wadsworth's re-
port. A minority report of the committee
presented by Representative Bowie, of
Alabama, objects to the proposition to tax
the people two million dollars annually
for the inspection of meat and says that
inasmuch as the conditions which make
such inspection necessary were created
by the packers and that as the health of
tue People - al STAKE IL "ouiu oe oOuo'J
unjust to saddle that expense on the shoul
ders of an innocent public which is GER
tainly not responsible for the situation.
His report states that there is abundant
precedent for making private industry
bear the expense incident to its own bus
mess and there is no reason or justice in
imposing the burden upon the people.
A final objection to the majority report is
the setting aside of the civil service laws
and making it possible to appoint in.
spectors as the result of political influence
instead of merit which handicaps them al
the start and prevents them being free
agents.