Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-06-16
Presidents Letter to Chairman Wadsworth
is Made Public.
HOUSE MEASURE ENTIRELY INADEQUATE
Executive Says 1t Will Suit Packers Who
Do Not Want Reforms
IT'S DEFECTS ARE aAw AND GRAVE
Inspection Provided Will Not Command
Confidence Abroad
SPIRITED REPLY BY MR., wADswOR1H
Chairman says. President Has No
Right TO ImpuEn sincerity and
COmpetency of the
Committee.

! WASHINGTON, June 10 49, Chairman
! Wadsworth OF the house committee on aSri-
culture tonight made public the corre-
spondence between President Roosevelt and
himself regarding the meat inspection bill
prepared by the committee.
The president in his letter says that al
most every change In the house amend
ment was for Worse as compared with the
senate amendment and in his judgment
so framed TO minimize the chance OF
roofing out the evils in the packing busi-
/ ness In his reply Mr.. Wadsworth de-
clares the president Is very very wrong"
in his estimate Of tho committees bill, calls
attention to provisions In the bill and con-
cludes with an expression Of. regret that
the president should feel justified by in
nuendo at least in impugning the sincerity
and competency of committee OF the
house OF Representatives you have no
warrant for it, says Mr.. wadsworth in
closing.
Conference at white House.
As the result OF conference at the
White House this afternoon change has
taken place which may solve the difnculty
in which the house committee on agricul-
ture found itself after the president had
| indicated that the substitute for the Bev-
ertdge amendment was unsatisfactory The
participants I'm the conference besides the
president were James b. Reynolds, who
assisted in making the packing house in
dury for the president Solicitor McCabe
Department of Agriculture, and Represen-
tative Adams OF Wisconsin. who signed the
majority report on the meat inspection
substitute.
After discussing the house substitute
thoroughly with Representative Adams the
| nrpaidQnt cd ftta uhot he
written into the law. Mr.. Adams said he
would be perfectly willing to accept the
suggestions and would work to that end in
the committee. The president told him
that he objected particularly to the court
review paragraph
The president said to Mr.. Adams that he
was not trying for any particular form OF
words in the proposed law. hut he was after
a substance. that would be effective and
adequate. t.4-..5sssls t..e ~.
Letter from PresIdent.
The correspondence between tie president
and Mr. Wadsworth in part, follows:
THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON.
June IA, 1sOs-My Dear Mr.. Wadsworth:s : /
nave gone over your bill very carefully and
not only 1btaiped TAI 6o,a report from Mr. Nc
tanned report from Mr.. Reynolds on a.
] am sorry TO say the more closely invssti-
gate your proposed substitute, the worHe I
: find it, Almost every change Is one for the
4 worse; so that II hardly seems necessary
!. for me to enumerate them. Perhaps the
not quite as bad as II when you sub
nitted 1t to me in the first instance, but II
is very, very bad. There seems TO be one
point in which It Is possible that the amend
r ment is even worse than the original
amendment, IL, as seems likely, there L.
. no provision for making plants accessible
I at all hours to the inspectors. In any event
Z | am sorry to have to say that this strikes
!. | me as an amendment which, no matter how
unintentionslly. II is framed so as to mini
$ mize the chance OF roofing out the evil IN
d the packing business. Doubtless it suits the
! packers who object TO a thoroughgoing
inspection. much better than the senate
amendment, and ! have no doubt that not
4 and those stock growers who are Influenced
' by them, would prefer It. But am con-
: blow TO the honest stock raiser and the
honest packer TO adopt these provisions
rather than the far better ones Contained
in the senate amendment, for, as compared
with the senate amendment, this proposed
amendment which you tell me is that OF
q the majority OF the house committee. would
. hamper In the most grossly improper fash
d ion the secretary OF agriculture In doing
l. the work which you have appointed him 10
; do. and will prevent ever so much OF this
. work as can be done at all from being well
s and thoroughly done. II the bill should GO
II through In the form that the jority of
a your committee proposes It might be that
should sign II as working a certain slight
Is so, l should accompany It by a memoran.
" dun explicitly stating how grave the de-
seeI' WE'RE bscansa ana eann0S sDen promise !.
lie courts well as about other matters) are
so bad that, in my opinion II they had beer
deliberately designed 10 prevent the RENE
/, dying Of the evils complained OF they could
not have been worse
1t seems TO me that the surest way I,
:, keep out foreign trade from rs, and. indeed
- our interstate trade likewise. In q thor
oughly unsatisfactory, condition and to pre-
formerly had. ID TO enact the law in thu
shape proposed IN the amendments sub
r'''ed 10 me THfEoDoRE ~ fSS fSesS FoosgSVEIT sgSSrE
es Hon. James Wadsworth, Chairman Com
8: mittee on Agriculture, House OF Repro
= sentatives.
- Reply from MIR. WadswOrth.
n Committee on Agriculture House OF Rep
resentatives, Washington. June rs, 1906
My Dear Mr. President; I received you
ng letter last night. You are wrong, very
~ mittees bill II is perfect a piece y
d. legislation TO carry into effect your owi
views this question as was ever pre-
pared by a COMMITTEES OF congress Ever,
= member OF the COMMITTEES u absOluteI,
i honest and sincere as yourself IN his de
.r inspection bill. They all know the mean
ing OF the English language.
nation ie upon which you base your opin
ion Of the bill, ] call your attention Z
'Taere Is no provision for maEinE IN
plants accessible at all hours 10 the in
NJ s2ectors." B
=. this language:
''The secretary OF agriculture shall caus
rn an eXsmina ton and inspection Of all cat
ce tie. sheep. swine and goats and the foo
. products thereof, slaughtered and prspa re
the establishments hereinbefore DE-
% scrlbed for the purposes OF interstate an
,rz foreign commerce 10 be made during th
nighttime, we'll during the de rain.
when the slaughtering OF said cattle sheer
swine or goats or the preparation OF sal
food products is conducted during th
of nighttime" Therefore, In at least one
a. the two criticisms you make OF the bll
I'm you must admit that you are sbsolutel
se wrong.
he The resi- OF your letter deals with ger
IsO eralities and a general Condemnation 4
~ the committees bill " you OF your ad
he ysers will pOint out specih ally Wherei
lat it actually falls TO accomplish your puI
he pose. / can assure you 81 viii be promptl