The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-06-21

ing CALLING to gentlemen who have a
right to feel that they are quite as able.
quite as devoted to the public interests,
and quite as remote from being influ-
enced by improper considerations as
| Theodore Roosevelt
i As might be expected from such q
sturdy old soldier and self-respecting
man as Capt. ]. w. Wadsworth. the
President received the following reply:
Committee on Agriculture, House of
Representatives. u. s.,
| washington ID. c.. June Is, 1906.
my Dear Mr.. President: / received
your letter last night. You are wrong.
the Committees bill. 1t Is as perfect A
piece of legislation to carry into effect
your own views on this question as was
| ever prepared by Committee OF Con-
gress. Every member of the Commit
| tee is absolutely as honest and sincere
as yourself in his desire to secure the
passage of a rigid Meat inspection bill.
They know the meaning of the Engiisn
! language.
| ITO show you how unreliable the in
formation is upon which you base your
opinion of the bill, call your attention
to the following language in your letter.:
"'There is no provision for making
| the plants accessible at all hours to the
| Inspectors
If you will turn to page 4 of the bill
(copy inclOsed), line 2, you will find the
| following words:
land for the purposes of such ex-
amination and inspection said Inspectors
shall have access at all times to every
part of said esta blishment.'
Can the English language be made
any palmer?
Turn also to page s. line Is, and you
| will find this language:
The Secretary of Agriculture shall
cause an examination and inspection of
| all cattle, sheep, swine and goats, and
the food products thereof, slaughtered
and prepared in the establishments
hereinbefore described for the purposes
of Interstate or foreign commerce. to
be made during the nighttime as well as
| during the daytime, when the slaugh-
| tering of said cattle. sheep. swine and
goats or the preparation of said food
products, is conducted during the night
time
Therefore. In at least one of the two
criticisms you make of the bill you must
admit that you are absolutely wrong.
You say:
Doubtless it suits the packers, who
object to thOrOughgoing inspection.
Il told you on Wednesday night, when
submitted the bill to you that the
packers insisted before our Committee
on having rigid inspection law passed.
Their life depends upon 1t, and the
Committee will bear me out in the state
ment that they placed no obstacle whats
| ever in our way but, on the contrary,
gave us many valuable suggestions.
based upon their practical knowledge of
their business
Your other actual criticism OF the
amendment refers to the 'cOurt-revlew'
clause. The worst that can be said Of
| this clause is that 1t is perhaps unnec>
| sary-that 1t Is already covered by ex-
| listing law. l have always been taught
to honor the judiciary Of my country.
have always been taught to respect
the rights Of It's citizens and to respect
the rights Of property and / cannot be-
lieve that the mere repetition Of a pro-
vision which guarantees to the citizen
of the land when he believes his prop
erty rights are threatened can be justly
or properly objected to.
1.-THE rest OF your letter deals with
generalfties and a general condemna-
ton OF the Committees bill. II you or
your advisers will point out specifically
wherein 1t actually fails to accomplish
your purpose. l can assure you 1t will
be promptly remedied.
"You say further along in your let
ter:
"'And cannot even promise to sign
1t, because the provisions are so bad
that. In my opinion. IL they had been
deliberately designed to prevent the
remedying of the evils complained Of,
they could not have been worse
81 regret that you, the President Of
the United States, should feel justified.
by innuendO at least, in impugning the
sincerity and the competency Of Com
mittee Of the House Of Representatives.
You have no warrant for 1t.
Very truly yours,
~. w. Wadsworth."
"To Theodore Roosevelt. President Of
the United States''
Palpably Capt wadsworth had much
the best Of the President In this corre-
spondence. and the President fastened
to set himself right as to a certain por-
ton by laying the blame for misinfor-
nation upon Senator Beveridge. This
will not commend Itself to most people,
inasmuch as they will think that the
President should certainly have read the
bill carefully before he started in to
write such a scorching letter.
He replied to Capt. Wadsworth as
follows:
1.-The White House,
"WashfngtOn, June Is, 1906.
my Dear Mr.. Wadsworth: In the
first place 1 wish promptly to acknowl-
edge the one portion OF your letter In
which you are in the main right. 1 was
in error in the statement, which I ac-
copied from Senator Beveridge, that
there was no provision for making the
plants accessible at all hours to the In
spectors. The provision was put in In
another place; but 1t is not as good as
the original provision. The court pro-
vision Is the one to which most object;
although by no means the only one to
which l object, 1t Is one OF many. As
regards this / wish to repeat that IL de-
liberately designed to prevent the reme-
dying OF the evils complained Of this is
the exact provision which the friends Of
| the packers and the packers themselves
would have provided. 1t Is absurd to
| assert that any such provision Is need
ed. Why have you not put such a pro-
vision In the Post Office law as It at
| fects fraud orders: in the law as 1t af-
| fects fraudulent entries Of hOmesteads
etc., ETC.? Congress cannot take away
the constitutional right Of the packers,
| or Of any one else, to the protection Of
the courts
But such a provision as that under
consideration dnaa not ronroaonf do.