West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-06-07
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER
The Beef Trust Now Getting IL In the
Neck Good and Hard.
CALLED ON TO PAY FOR INSPECTION
Estimated TO Cost Two Million
Dollars Per Year-lIeretofore Paid
by The Government.
fIom out KeguIar corresponden,.

va pNSi ilhSt HBnt lnat the OIL
authorizing the appointment of an
adequate inspecting force AZ the ex
pense of the packers, has reached
the House where II is temporarily
at least, held up before most people
have had chance TO realize what a
fight there is on. For once the
Beef Trust seems TO be up against
1t. But for clear understanding
of the sudden commotion, it may
be well to glance back TO last Thurs
day Afternoon when IN the last hour
OF discussion over the Agricultural
Department Appropriation b i'll,
Senator Beverage slipped in little
amendment providing for thorough
y distributed force of meat inspec
tors in all of the slaughter houses
doing an interstate business and put.
ting the cost of the inspection on
the packers themselves where it
naturally belonged.
To the surprise of everyone, this
amendment was passed without dis
cussion or division. 1t would mean
an expense of about So, 900, 900 a
year distributed among all the pack
ing houses or, on liberal estimate,
tax of five cents head on all cat =
tie slaughtered. Now the packing
interests are not used TO submitting
qnietly to spending an extra dollar
if 1t can be avoided, let alone two
million of them, and there was some
curiosity as TO why they did not
squeal for they have plenty of
friends in the Senate. Then the
story came out.
Less than year ago one Upton
Sinclair wrote book entitled 1.-The
Jungle. " This may advertise the
book somewhat, but it is essential
to an understanding of the story.
The book was about as disgusting
as could be imagined. 1t pictured
the life in Chicago's Packingtown as
the stockyard quarter is known, and
it told of more filth, corruption and
other unpleasant things in connec-
ton with the meat business than
any decent minded man, could
imagine existed. The story was
denounced as slanderods and a
fabrication. But none of the Gin
terests" came out and sued the
author. In fact he says that he has
dared them to sue him several times.
Then the Department of Agricul-
ture got excited and sent out COM
mission to investigate the stockyards
and report on them. The cons
mission reported, and the President
calmly impounded the report and
has it yet. He took the matter en-
tirelY out of the hands of the Score
tary of Agriculture and told him in
so many words to keep mum. Mean
time other things were happening.
The President appointed a com
mission Of his own, but il was a
personal affair very few people knew
of it. One of the men happened TO
be in government employ. He was
Chas. p. Neill, Commissioner of
Labor. The other was las i.
Reynolds of New York, gentleman
of means in private life in whom the
President has much confidence.
These two men investigated and
reported verbally. Just what they
told the President has not yet been
put on paper But it is understood
they told him that the conditions in
the Chicago packing houses were
rather worse than the Jungle had
pictured them. Then the Beveridee
amendment was framed and the
packing interests were told that il
they antagonized the measure, the
whole report of the commission
would be printed
1t happened that the papers got
hold Of the story and they have
printed enough stuff in the past week
about conditions in the packing
houses to make the official report
smell like a dIsinfec,aut ifit ever is
published. Now that :he story is
practically out anyhow. the packers
are making sort Of a fgh. on the
inspection amendment ia the House
with view, not to getting 10 repeal.
ed; they would not dare % do that.
but TO render the Law as useless a.
possible AS the provision now
stands, the inspecting force is elias
tic. II can be increased as the
needs Of the service demand or
reduced accordingly. II would cost.
as has been said, about s., 600.
600 yearly The packers are max
ing a fight 70 have this expense
borne by the government and they
know quite well that whereas Con.
/ gress now kicks At appropriatng
/ 1000, 900 annually for meat in.
speciion, be would balk proportion.
| ally hard Aver donblinq The gum