Omaha daily bee., 1906-06-21
Speakers Say Packers Should Pay the
Expense Of Inspection,
,CnoN DUE TO THEIR OWN CONDUCT
Indiana Man Says Labels Are VAluNblS as
Advertising Feature.
WARREN DEFENDS PACKER AND srocKmeN
Wyoming senator HOlda that the
People should Pay the Bill
Measure Goes over Untm
To-day.

! propriation bill was today made the subject
| of discussion In the senate. The question
came up on motion by Senator Proctor 10
/ grant the conference requested By the house
and speeches were made by Messrs Proctor
! Beveridge and Lodge against some features
/ Of the house amendment and by Senator
/ Warren in opposition to drastic legislation
Mr.. Lodge took occasion to defend Ameri-
| can morals as quite good as those OF
Europe. The bill went over without ac-
ton. There we're two speeches on the
| Panama canal, one by Senator Morgan In
support Of the sea level plan and the other
by Senator Perkins in opposition.
The senate held It's first night session,
which was devoted TO the consideration
Of the sundry civil appropriation bill.
Meat BIII IL called Up.
Senator Proctor today called up the
agriculture bill and made the usual mo-
| tion for agreement to the request for
| conference. He then made q statement
| concerning the house substitute for tie
meat inspection bill, saying that there
were two essential points OF difference be-
tween the two houses. One of these he
! said was the omission by the house ot
the senate provision ,requiring that the
date of inspection be placed on cans con-
I tanning meat and the other the transfer
packers TO the national treasury. Speaking
of the latter change he said that It was
radical and, in his opinion, unwise and
advised that the house amendment on that
point be not accepted The packers could.
he declared, AFFORD the expense OF an ad-
vertisement, for. looked at In that light,
| the government certificate would be of Inn
menso benefit. Mr.. Proctor also charged
that tine numerous protests which have
E..1 a., 81 -. an
ject have a common origin in Chicago and
in support of his statement read a num-
ber of protests to show the language TO
be practically the same wherever they
may be dated.
BeveridEe Somewhat Pleased.
Senator Beveridge agreed with Mr.. Proctor
as TO the unwisdom OF the house change
in the matter OF date OF labels and cost
of inspection, but expressed qualifications
that the provision for night surveillance
had been retained. The two essential
changes he considered most important
declaring that II the date is not to be used
1t will be possible to pass on az fresh
meat that which may have been inspected
fve years ago He said that the date Is
stamped on meat shipped abroad and
argued that the same plan should be pur-
sued with reference to meat consumed at
home
why" he asked. should the people pay
for the packers inspection and not the
packers themselves7' and. agreeing with
Mr. Proctor, said the government stamp
would be worth $4,000 or t1O.oO0oo0 for
advertising purposes. Looking at the mat
ter in that light the cost OF inspection
would not be a burden, because the in
spection would be a great benent. The cost
would at the most be infnitesimaL 9 cents
per head for cattle and cents for swine.
It would be impossible for packers to in
crease the price OF meat or decrease that
stock on account OF this slight charge
hence the alarm on this account was
groundless The charge should be paid out
of the proits Of the packers themselves
and neither by the government. the stock
growers or the consumers
Y Bill May He Inadequate,
He predicted that the house appropria-
ton would be inadequate 70 meet all the
demands on It. while the small fee system
, provided for by the senate would adjust
, itself to the demands upon II. He pointed
out that national banks pay for their In
spection, as do oleomsrgarine manufactur-
ers. and even immigrants coming into the
United States. Hence the proposition Is
not novel II. he said, the plan is to he
changed, there will be a vast drain on the
treasury and predicted that Sl0,O000oo
year would at once be required for meat
inspection alone. He said the packers alone
are responsible for the agitation that has
J been aroused, but predicted that in the
end the result Mould be a restoration Of
confidence and therefore beneficial. He
: credited the prospective success OF the
measure to the president who had stood
firmly from the beginning for the most
complete inspection bill on the statute
books OF any country.
Lodge for senate PFOVisiOns.
Senator Lodge also spoke for the senate
provision, although he said It might he
considered "audacious to do 30 IN view
I OF the announcement that the house had
, perfected the measure and the president
e had accepted It," He pleaded especially
= for the dating Of labels. because the pub
3 lie has the right to know what Il is buy
Z ing He did not agree that the producers
/ and the consumers would not feel the
= effect OF the tax, for, Judging the future
e by the past the packers would md in
tax OF few mills an excuse for an
increase OF several cents pound on the
meat they sell. and similar decrease on
e the stock they buy. Nevertheless, he
D though the packers should pay the cost,
D He charged the Chicago packers with try
ing to defeat the legislation.
European Attack Not Alarming.
The attack from Europe did not alarm
Mr. Lodge very much, for he said that
practices in foreign countries are no whit
better than our own. He read newspaper
extracts 10 show that in England rotten
% egEs are used in making pastry ana few
: cred cattle are butchered for beef and
also quoted an article from an English
review to show that morals in that country
are not all they should be.
Discussing the group OF men in control
. OF the packing industry AR. Lodge said
: their history had been " utter defiance OF
Z law and public opinion lie referred 20 a
! recently-puhlished interview with Nelson
c Morris, IN which this7sreht- pstksr showed
70 contempt for writers OF books, ana the