Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-06-18
THE MEAT INSPECTION
Leaders in Congress Are Beginning to
 Be Disturbed Over It.

Washington, D. C., June 1S.-Re- ] publican leaders in congress, partic-
 ularly in the house of representa-
 tives, are gravely concerned over the l latest developments in the question
 of meat inspection legislation. The
 attitude assumed by President
 Roosevelt toward the substitute pro- posed by the majority of the house
 agricultural committee for the neat 1 inspection amendment offered by Senator Beveridge, and adopted by
 the senate, has upset some well laid
 and carefully conceived plans. Those
 who drafted the house substitute did
 not imagine the president would an-
 tagonize the bill vigorously. They figured that he would permit it to be considered without indicating definitely his attitude toward it and, | if it should be passed, that he would sign it as a reasonable inspection | law.
 They reckoned without consulta-
 tion with the president. When the
 substitute was submitted to him, he
 not only did not give it his approv- al, but publicly and unequivocally
 announced his disapproval of it. He l added that if such measure were
 passed by the congress, while he
 might, under the circumstances. sign it, he would append to the | measure memorandum which
 would express his opinion that the
 bill was wholly inadequate and un-
 satisfactory
 | Such action on the part of the president was not what the authors | of the substitute were expecting. l They began immediately to calculate what the political effect of such
 memorandum by the president would ] be. The congressional elections are 1 to be held next autumn and repub- ! lican members of the house are look 1 ing forward to them with some con- cern. They have heard from their constituents. They have learned that. in this contest with the pack
 CTS, the president has the people Of | the country at his back. This sen timent was voiced to-day by one or | the most prominent members of the
 house on the republican side:
 Ut is an absolute certainty" said | he, that the meat-inspectlon law | enacted by congress must have on IL l the O. k. of President Roosevelt. If it does not have his approval, as sure
 as fate we shall enter the congress
 sional campaign seriously handi-
 capped. No explanations We possl- | bly can make to the people will sat 1 isfy them that we did the right thing in antagonizing the president
 and in doing that which he found it necessary absolutely to condemn. Why, in the face of such memor- andum as the president says he Will append to the house substitute If 1t should be passed, we wouldn't have
 a leg to stand on in the campaign.
 To add to the difficulty, the demo-
 crats have entrenched themselves in
 strong position on the question.
 Practically to a man they will sup port the presidents position, not be- cause they love him, but because 1t I is the polite thing for. them to do.
 There is no doubt in my mind that
 we are against one of the most seri- ! ous formations, from a purely polit- ical viewpoint, of this session Of
 congress" It is quite certain the senate will
 insist upon the enactment of the
 Beveridge amendment or a measure
 closely akin to it. If the house H.
 nally should accept the substitute
 proposed by it's committee-and 1t
 will not do so without spirited
 fight-a contest surely will result
 between the two branches of con-
 gress. How that contest may even tuate nobody can foretell, but 1t is ! certain to arouse bitter political
 feeling that may result seriously In
 the approaching congressional cam paign.