Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-09
Publicity the Only Cure.

II has been asked since the exposure of
the Packingtown atrocities, why CORD not
the desired reforms. have been gained by
quiet appeals to the packers without calling
the attention OF all the world to the facts
and thus iniuring the industry at home and
abroad? This query was put into concrete
form by the veterinarian In Chicago en-
ployed by of the big packers. who asked
Messrs. NELL and Reynolds to inform the
companies of what they had seen and what
they thought should be done, and so give
them a chance to meet the new require
ments without publicity.
The answer to this question lies in terms
of thorough distrust of the permanent good
Intentions of the packers. 1t was doubtless
possible for the President to secure reforms
in Packngtown by notifying the meat COM
pan.es of his knowledge of the foul condi-
lions and his intention to ask Congress for
more drastic laws II better methods were
not adopted But there would have been
no guarantee of permanence. 1t was an
other case OF when the devil was SICK
1t may be set down as practically certain
that without the exposure of the methods
which offend against the laws of decenoy
and health there could be no legislation, and
that without legislation there could be no
continue. II they were once made. reliable.
The packers. In short, cannot be trusted to
change their ways and policies In jiffy
without the spur of necessity. For all the
horrors that have been brought to view
there Is a fundamental reason, the desire of
the corporations to squeeze the last penny
OF profit out of the industry. The lack of
sanitary arrangements, the failure to clean
floors. walls and utensils. the utilization of
waste that should be. burned, all these are
the result of the policy of making the bust
ness pay the biggest possible dividends.
The packers could well have afforded to
spend a million two of dollars in clean
ing up. and even in making permanent i'm
provements in the way of sanitary equip
ment, provided they were left free from the
irksome restrictions of a thorough inspec-
ton. They might possibly have found ways
and means to make good the Increase of ex-
penses in administration entailed by these
reforms. What the consumer today expects
and demands Is permanence of assurance
that the meat products of all kinds are up
to a high standard of cleanliness and whole
SON eness. That assurance can be given
only through a self-perpetuating system of
supervision by the government.
Publicity was demanded in this case be-
cause only through its means could the
packers be brought into line. The represcn-
tative of the beef packers who tried to per-
suade the Presidents investigators to with
hold their report until abuses were corrected
has himself directly attested to this truth
1t is unfortunate II through the spreading
forth of the facts any losses have been en-
tailed upon innocent cattle raisers or upon
packers whose methods are above reproach
But that evil has been incidental to a great
work OF reform that makes for the public
health in terms which mount infinitely
above the dollars-and-cents sufferings of In
dividuals or corporations.