The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-06-14
THE PACKERS DAY in COURT.
inquiry by the House Committee Agcutue-The Packers
Represented by Testimony from the Agricultural
Department.
Sober Sense Reigns Again.

inspection report has died down, anC
sober common sense has larger sway
while the Committee on Agriculture i:
slowly clearing the air.
If there was any disposition on the
part of the Committee on Agriculture OF
the House to sit behind closed doors tC
consider the Neill-Reynolds report, toss
ed into Congress by the President late
Monday a week ago, 1T was knocked into
q cooked hat by the packers who were
on hand to deny the allegations in that
report and defy the ALLIGATOR" The
packers through Mr.. Thomas E. Will
son. General Manager for the Nelson
Morris and a lot of other companies
asked that the doors be thrown wide
open. so that all might hear his specific
denial of the statements made in the
official report the President gave to the
country.
1t is stated on good authority that the
Committee on Agriculture had deter
mined to thrash this report out behind
closed doors, excluding even the report
ers, but Mr.. Wilson declared that the
packers demanded wide-open doors and
the fullest publicity of all that went on
as their only safeguard. The hearing
of Wednesday. for nothing was done un-
til Wednesday morning. developed the
fact that the majority of the Commit
tee favored the packerS-at least. they
were favorably inclined toward the
that is scarcely fair statement. The
Committee is favorably inclined toward
the great cattle and beef-producing in
tereStS of the country, and, realizing
that this industry. both for the cattle
men and the farmers is threatened in
the present agitation, thought 1t might
be we'll not to give wide publicity to the
testimony until a good bill could he
framed corrective of the evils encouL-
tered. il the evils were as stated in the
reports submitted.
Chairman Wadsworth was openly ac-
cused of favOring the packers. In reply
he said:
Il have been criticised for my friend
ship for the packers and for the que y
lions which ] asked Mr.. Neill. / want
to say now that I am friendly to every
American industry. This report has
cost the agricultural interests of this
country millions of dollars already; II
has cut off 35 to 40 per cent of the
foreign demand. 1t is claimed to be
based upon facts actually observed. 1t
Is my duty to get at the truth. Mr.. Neill
made statements which / do not think
he could make as facts. particularly
with reference to the hog that was said
to have fallen in filth and was not
cleansed. and with regard to the state
ment that workmen afflicted with tuber-
culosis spat upon the floor These state
ments have gone out to the country.
and they are very serious. and / want
to get at the facts"
Are you summing up the evidence
without waiting to hear all of it?" asked
Mr.. Lamb. of Virginia.
Mr.. Wadsworth denied this, saying he
was only trying to get at the truth.
The Chairman and the Committee.
To7ook at the Chairman of the Com
mittee you feel that any good interest
is safe in his hands. and bad one will
get a black eye. He is the son Of his
father. and everybody knows what a
splendid fighter Gen. James S. Wads-
worth was. The Wadsworths have been
doing things in this country ever since
IT had Constitution and long before.
They fought for the Constitution in
fact, and have been fighting the battles
of the country in both peace and war
ever since. Chairman Wadsworth Is big
and brainy, and SO much of a man that
you feel as though the cause he cham
pioned must have merit. His associates
on the Committee are: Henry G Adams,
Wisconsin; E. Stevens Henry, Connect
cut; Charles r. Davis. Minnesota; Gill
bert n. Haugen, Iowa: Daniel F. Lafean,
Pennsylvania: Charles F. Scott, Kansas;
VIM. w. Cocks, New York; Kittredge
Haskins, Vermont: John Lamb, Vir-
ginia: George w. Cromer. Indiana; Sgd
ney j. Bowie. Alabama: William Lori
mer. Illinois Asbury F. Lever. South
Carolina: Franklin E. Brooks Colorado:
South Trimble. Kentucky; Ezekiel S.
Gambler, Jr., mississippi; Scott Field.
Texas. and William HI. Andrews, New
Mexico.
These men are all good, strong men.
not weakling among them, men who
are largely interested In agriculture,
some OF them in cattle raising; the
Chairman of the Committee himself is
Interested in feeding cattle for sale,
such as yearlings and two-year-olds. and
also In fine stock, and one or two, nota-
bly, Mr.. Lorimer. of Illinois, is said to be
interested in the packing houses. but
this, he says. Is scarcely true in the
sense conveyed by the bald statement
Representing Chicago, he represents her
great moneyed interests. and among
them the greatest packing houses In the
world.
You can't sit in the committee room
10 minutes. however, without learning
that the manner OF working up the pres
ent irritation against the packing
houses Is not agreeable to the majority
Of the members of the Committee. They
feel that II should not have been done
In this sensational and hysterical man.
ner. IT II a matter Of grave concern to
the whole country-yes. to the whole
dealt a dreadful blow needlessly seems
to be the opinion.
The second Report.
Two reports are now before the Com
mittee. The first one was briefly given
The National Tribune readers last week.
The second one was sent to Congress
by the President last Friday. In trans
uniting this report, which bears date
June s, the President says to the Chair
man Of the Committee, Mr.. Wads-
worth:
Il send you herewith the two reports
OF inspection by the Committee appoint
ed by the Department of Agriculture OF
April and 13. This Committee had
already been appointed when / notified
the Secretary that j desired that such
a Commission should be appointed in
order TO make the investigation. Sub
sequent complaints to me and the con-
sideration of complaints already made
showed that the charges were not only
against the packing-hous but also To
a certain extent reflected upon the ac-
ton Of the Government Inspectors, and
i came to the conclusion that IL was
best TO have an investigation by outside
individuals who could not be charged
with being In any way interested In the
matter. Accordingly. before the com
pletion of the investigation by the De-
partment Of Agriculture. / directed Mr.
Neill and Mr.. Reynolds to make an in
vestigation. the first report Of which has
been laid before Congress Much feS-