Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-20
.AGR|CULT URAL BILL
Laid Before the Senate, With
House Substitute.
ON THE. MEAT INSPECTION
Sharply Criticised in the Two Essen
tial Points.
THE PAYMENT OF THE COST
And the Date on the Label-Former
Should Not Be saddled on
the Government.
he PAYMENT OF THE COST

Senator Proctor today called up in the
Senate the agricultural appropriation bill
and made the usual motion for agreement
to the request for conference. He then
made statement concerning the House
substitute for the meat inspection provis-
Ion, saying that there were two essential
points OF difference between the two houses.
One of these. he said. was the omission by
the House Of the Senate provision requiring
that the date of inspection be placed on
cans containing meat and the other the
transfer of the cost Of inspection from the
packers to the national treasury. Speaking
OF the latter change he said that it was
radical and in his opinion unwise. and adj
vised that the House amendment on that
point be not accepted.
The packers could. he declared, afford the
expenses as an advertisement. for. looked
at in that light. the government certificate
would be OF immense benefit. Mr. Proctor
also charged that the numerous protests
which have been coming to the Senate on
this subject have common origin in Chi
cago and In support of his statement read
a number of the protests to show the lam
guage to be practically the same wherever
they may be dated.
Mr.. Beveridge's Criticism.
Senator Beveridge agreed with Mr.. Proc
tor as to the unwisdom of the House
changes in the matters OF date Of labels
and cost OF inspection, but expressed graft
f1cation that the provision for night sur
veillance had been retained. The two es-
sential changes he considered as most inn
portant, declaring that If the date Is not to
be used it will be possible to pass of as
fresh meat that which may have been In
spected five years ago. He said that the
date Is stamped on meat shipped abroad
and argued that the same plan should be
pursued with reference to meat consumed
at home.
Why. he asked, should the people pay for
the packers inspection and not the packers
themselves and, agreeing with Mr.. Proctor.
said the government stamp would be worth
$S.0O0.OO0 or s10.0OO.0O0 for advertising
purposes. Looking at the matter in that
light the cost of inspection would not be
burden, because the inspection would be
great benefit. The cost would at the most
be infnitesimal cents per head for cattle
and cents for swine. It would be impos-
sible for packers to increase the price OF
meat or decrease that OF stock on account
of this slight charge; hence the alarm on
this account was groundless The charge
should be paid ont of the profits OF the
packers themselves, and neither by the
government, the stock growers or the con-
sumers. He predicted that the House APP
preparation would be inadequate to meet
all the demands on 1t. while the fee system
provided by the Senate would adjust Itself
to the demands upon It,
He pointed out that national banks pay
for their inspection, as do Oleomargarine
manufacturers and even immigrants COM
ing into the United States. Hence the
proposition is not novel. II, he said. the
plan is to be changed there will be vast
drain on the treasury, and predicted that
$40, 900, 600 a year would soon be required
for meat inspection alone.
He said the packers alone are respon-
sible for the agitation that has been
aroused. but predicted that In the end the
result would be restoration OF confidence
and therefore beneficial. He credited the
Of the To the
President. who had stood hrmly from the
beginning for the most complete fnspee-
ton bill on the statute books of any coun-
try.
Mr.. Lodge for Senate Provision.
Senator Lodge also spoke for the Senate
provision, although he said 1t might be
considered "audacious to do so in view of
the announcement that the House nao
perfected the measure and the President
had accepted it." He pleaded especially
for the dating of labels. because the pub
lie has the right to know what 1t Is buy
ing "If canned meat Is just as good five
years after canning as it is Ave months
afterward, why, 1t can't hurt these tender
creatures the packers. to have the public
know the age of the article, he said: 1t
would be said, of course, that there Is
prejudice, and he would admit that such
is probably the case Moreover, he con-
sidered the prejudice to be justified.
He did not agree that the producers and
the tax for Judging the future by the past.
the packers would find in a tax of few
mills an excuse for an Increase or severai
cents pound on the meat they sell and
similar decrease on the stock they buy.
Nevertheless, he thought the packers should
pay the cost. He charged the Chicago pack
ers with trying to defeat the legislation.
The attack from Europe did not alarm
Mr. Lodge very much, for he said that prac-
tees in foreign countries are no whit better
than our own. He read newspaper ex-
tracts to show that In England rotten eggs
are used in making pastry and fevered cat
tie 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. He brought these matters
in only to show that while English meth
DDS are different from ours. the English are
no better than we are.
They cover up offenses while We ex-
hibit them to the world He believed tns
American people to be honest, ana tnts
was the reason he felt SO keenly the eX-
ceptional conduct of the Chicago packers.
They had undertaken to cover up their OF
lenses and to prevent congressional action
He defended the inspection report OF MessrS.
NeiIl and Reynolds. saying that their
charges had been justified by the orders
given yesterday by the Chicago city govern
ment for greater cleanliness
Conditions Described by Mr.. Neill.
Mr.. Lodge declared that the conditions
described by Neill and Reynolds were true
at the time they were written. and Mr.
Hansbrough read a telegram wnich SAID
the writer had visited one OF the big pack
Ing houses in Chicago and had found the
walls of the killing room covered with
damp kalsomine. showing that an attempt
mad been made recently to clean up.
Discussing the group of men In control
of the packing industry, Mr.. Lodge said
their history has been Of utter defiance of
law and public opinion
He referred to recently published inter-
view with Nelson Morris, In which this
great packer showed contempt for writer's
Of books. and the Massachusetts, senator
said that writing OF book brought about
the present situation. and 1t may occur to
the hackers that "the writing OF books is
NOT so contemptible." The men responsible
for the meat packing and Standard OIL mo-
nopolies. said Mr. Lodge. have done more
10 advance socialism anarchism. unrest
and unwhoIesome conditions in the United
states than all Of the socialists In the.
world. He said the people would resent
having their food tempered with and made
sport of for mere insensate greed Tor money
and that they are rightly insisting that
these hackers be nut on the same basis as