Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-08
CHICAGO PACKERS
ARE CLEANING UP.
Promptness Shown in Adopting
Reforms.
MANY CHANGES FOR BETTER
Letter of the President to Chairman
Wadsworth.
FRESH REPORT ON CONDITIONS
Examination Made by an Investigat-
Ing Committee Sent by the Depart
ment Of Agriculture.
Letter Of the President to Chairman
Wadsworth.
FRESH REPORT ON CONDITIONS

In response to a request from the House
committee on agriculture, President Roose-
| welt today forwarded to Representative
Wadsworth, the chairman OF that commits
tee, the report made to him by a committee
| OF the Department of Agriculture regarding
conditions. in the Chicago meat packing
houses. Accompanying the report was a
letter from the President, in which he
| points out that there is no conflict in SUBJ
| stance between the Neill-Reynolds report
and that of the Agricultural Department
experts.
The President says his Investigations have
not been completed. but that enough has
been developed, in my judgment, to call for
immediate, thorough-going and radical en-
largment of the powers of the government
in inspecting all meats which enter into in
terstate and foreign commerce..
The Presidents Letter.
Following is the text of the letter OF the
President to Chairman Wadsworth:
THE WHITE HOUSE.
WASHINGTON, June s, 1906.
MY Dear Mr. Wadsworth: In accordance
with your request, / send you herewith the
two reports of inspection by the committee
appointed by the Department OF Agricul-
ture of April and Ii. This committee had
already been appointed when l notified the
Secretary that L desired tnat Sucn a COM
mission should be appointed I'm order to
make tha investigation Subsequent COM
plants to me and the consideration OF conn
plants already made showed that the
charges were not only against the packing
houses. but also. to certain extent. re-
fiected upon the action of the government
inspectors, and came to the conclusion
that 1t was best to have an investigation
by outside individuals who could not be
charged with being in any way interested
in the matter.
| the investigation by the Department or
| Agriculture, / directed Mr.. Neill and Mr.
| Reynolds to make an investigation, the
| first report of which has been laid before
Congress. Muca testimony has been offered
| TO us which has not been considered IN this
report. for Messrs. Neill and Reynolds, In
this report. confine themselves 20 stating,
In more or less summary way. the facts
as to which they had been eyewftnesses.
and what they have said cannot be sue
cessfully controverted. Some OF the ground
traversed by Messrs. Neill and Reynolds
is not touched upon in the report of the
committee OF the Agricultural Department.
As to the ground covered in common by
the reports of the two investigating CONF
mittees, there Is no conflict In substance as
to the important matters. although there
Is a marked difference In emphasis, this
being partially due to the greater length
and detail of the report of the committee
Of the Department of Agriculture. In my
Judgment, the emphasis of the report OF
Messrs. Nel and Reynolds is abundantly
justified by the facts.
Improvement in Conditions.
ITO show the immediate and extraordi-
nary change for the better which the mere
fact of their investigation is already bring
ing about in the condition of the packing
houses In Chicago, 1t is only necessary to
instance the following portions of letter
received from a most competent and trust
worthy witness in Chicago, whose name !
will give the committee il 1t SO desires:
'"CHdCAGo, Friday June 1.
'"on Monday I began a tour of all the
great packing houses-going first to Lib
bys then Swifts.
.druesday all the morning discussed
changes that ought to be made and caught
a glimpse of the awakening at ArmouTs 3.
In the afternoon visited the plant with the
superintendent.
:. wednesday I rested and contemplated
the Awakening of Packingtown." 1t Is
miraculous Thursday did Nelson Morris.
with the superintendent. Nelson
Morris has done much to make things bet
ter. BY the time the next inspecting party
arrives they will have still more new lava
tories, toilet rooms, dressing rooms, &C.
Cuspidors everywhere, and signs prohibits
ing splitting In most the awakening SEEM
ed to come by force from without. There
was the slightest indication that the still
small voice was at work also.
AT Armours. at my suggestion, I
made no pretense of making an investiga-
tion but frankly announced my desire to
see things for myself and to get fresh
impression of conditions. as 1 had not seen
the plants since before the strike. On every
hand there was indication of almost
humorous haste to clean up, repave and
even to plan for future changes-brand
new toilet rooms. new dressing rooms, new
towels etc. etc. Swift's and Armour's
were both so cleaned UP that 1 was COM
PEELED to cheer them on their way, by ex-
pressing my pleasure at the changes. The
sausage girls were moved upstairs, where
they could get sun and light; they to have
dressing rooms, etc. i asked for showers
and lockers for the casing workers at
Armour's. and got promise that they
would put them In. The canning and stuff
fing room. chip beef and beef extract at
Armour's seemed really quite good. In all
of these rooms the girls work. At Libby's
the girls are to be put into a blue calico
uniform, which they will buy at one-half
price. They are putting In toilet rooms
which they say are temporary, and that
when the building is remodeled they will
have these put In better place The
haste toward reform would have been
amusing II it were not so nearly tragic.
They tried to win my help the
ground that loss of foreign trade would
mean hardship for the workers in my
neighborhood. and I must say I do share
this fear. but cannot see the wisdom OF
my coming out publicly ana saying that
saw Indications of awakening, for
want the changes to be radical and perma-
nent even though we all have to suffer for
the present.
Investigation Not Yet Through.
..I wish to repeat that my Investigations
are not yet through. l am not prepared
to make a final. statement either to so
much of the complaints as concern the
Industry or ~ to certain of the graver
tions Of meat products. as well as certain
other matters. But enough has been de-
veioped. in my Judgment to call for im-
mediate, thoroughgoing and radical en-
iargement Of the powers Of the governmqnei
in inspecting III meats which snfsr into M