Omaha daily bee., 1906-06-09

with having tried TO bribe federal IN.
spe-tor at Kansas City To pass bad meat
The decision OF Justice Phillips, said Mr.
Crumpacker, was to the effect thst the
government had no right 10 inspect the
packing plants, and that its province was
confined TO the inspection OF meat for in
terstate business. Continuing. Mr.. Crum-
packer said that the inspection, to he ef-
fsctive. must be put on q legal basis.
States must do the inspecting OF meats in
preparation for commerce. he said. for the
government can exercise no jurisdiction
over the business unless n is for interstate
commerce. There is no question, he said,
but that the packers could drive every fed
ersl Inspector out OF their plants II they
desired.
IF l were given the time I could convince
every member Of the committee OF this, and
my argument would be based upon court
decisions" said he.
Take the time" was the reply Of sew
eral members Of the committee in unison.
To give him a chance to prepare himself
the committee took recess
At the afternoon session Representative
Crumpackcr Of Indiana, over a barricade Of
law books discussed the legal questions
involved. He said that the question before
congress was whether II had authority TO
control a product Intended for interstate
commerce. He said the intention OF the
packer was of no consequence, even II he
admitted he was manufacturing for inter
state commerce The product cannot be
interferred with by the federal authorities
until It is actually offered for Interstate
transportation.
His deductions are that the federal gov
ernment can have nothing to do with the
manufacture OF commodity, as congress
is limited to commerce and commerce sue
ceeds manufacture" Until a commodity s
enters the channels OF copmerce he said,
congress can exercise no supervision what
over. Several members of the committee
asked why the packers had not objected
TO the inspection in the last fourteen years.
Because said MIR. Crumpacker, the
| law was made for the packers. They de-
sired IL, and perhaps the country desired
it, but they could obey such portions as
| they wished and ignore the rest.
when the states have established q
thorough inspection service of packing
houses and canneries within their boun-
| daries the question will have been solved,
for then lie whole people will be pro-
| tected."
Taking up the BeverIdge amendment Mr
! Sdlu IL Noulu put Out OI Dusi-
ness all of the butchers of Indiana, Iowa,
| Michigan and Wisconsin who sell theft
| product to commission merchants Of Chi
cago. He said this would be true of states
| surrounding any of the great markets OF
the country. He said there were about
1870 inspectors in Chicago and that either
the conditions in the packing houses had
| been woefully, exaggerated or these mer
had been criminally careless in permitting
conditions so horrible to exist without pro
test.
Representative Ellis Of Missouri spok,
| in the interest of the packing and cattle
business He said that government inspec
tion service was the only kind of service
that would satisfy all parties concerned.
Mr.. Ellis criticised the Neill-Reynolds re
port in speaking Of dead hogs on the plat
| form at the stock yards He said the deaC
hogs were not within a quarter of mill
of the packing house.
| The chairman was authorized to tele
graph to Upton Sinclair that the COMMITTEES
has found 1t unnecessary to give him
hearing. The committee also adopted
resolution not to go to Chicago. The gen
eral sentiment of the members is that tn
hearings should be closed as soon as SOM
of the officials of the Department of Agri
culture, including DIR. Melvin, chief of tn
bureau of animal industry, and Solicito
McCabe and representatives Of the stool
growing interests had been heard