Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1906-06-14
PACKERS START
HOUSE CLEANING
Will Invite Congress to
Come See for
Itself
Special Correspondence.

Special Correspondence.
Washington, June 1O.---As was to be
expected. once the official report on the
Chicago packing houses was made
public the packers have come more
into the open to fight the proposed
! measure of government control. The
big four have as usual come to the
front together and a joint representa-
tive of their interests was before the
house committee this week. contradict
ing fatty the assertions made in the
report of the presidents commission
ers. He said that the packing houses
were clean, and in support of his state
| ment invited the members of the COM
mittee to come to Chicago and see for
themselves. 1t was bold play and
the chances are that If the committee
decides to accept the invitation. and
the chances are that they will, they
! will find things in Packingtown in very
decent order. This is explained by the
! fact that dispatches from Chicago on
the day after the official exposure told
how the packers had gotten busy with
how the agents of several of the l,ia-
gest houses were down town all day
buying sanitary plumbing fixtures to
replace the indescribably filthy sys-
| tenn that was in vogue at the time Of
| the commissioners visit Also Keep
Clean" signs blossomed as If by magic
all over the walls where such n sign
1 49,
all go to show that the conditions un-
der which business was done and the
welfare of the employees were improved
at least SO per cent within "a hours.
There is still abundant room for i'm
provement, but the majority Of the
house committee on agriculture will
be prepared to see things in their best
light II they go.
But the packers are still fighting
/ desperately to head OFF any drastic ac-
ton in the inspection line. They know
that congress will soon forget the ex-
posures and they hope the public will.
Meantime the situation has been
helped nightly by publicity.
Some Official Ovsrhauline.
! 1t is said that there Is a general
shakeup impending in the department
OF agriculture as the result of the Chi
cago exposures. Secretary Wilson IL
about as much cut up over the affair
az an official can be, and the president
Is bitterly angry that one Of his cab
met officers should have been SO bad
ly hoodwinked. The secretary. against
whose personal integrity nothing can
be said. sent a commission from the
department to Chicago last spring,
when the trouble first started. and they
reported that everything was lovely.
II that meant that such inspectors as
the department was able to assign to
, the packing houses were working their
full eight hours and inspecting cattle
on the killing beds as well AZ they
, could do. this report was quite true.
But Il did not touch the dreadfullv un-
sanitary conditions Of the packing
, houses themselves and the unspeaka-
, bly, foul surroundings in which the food
! Of the people was prepared.
The report. to the mind Of the pres
ident, showed either that the officials
there were grossly incompetent Of
. criminally negligent to let such a con.
= ditiQn grow up around them. making
no report Of 1t to the DEPARTMENT. Thu
: result Ii that in all probability thert
will be a thorough reorganization o
!. the whole bureau OF animal industr!
from the head down. and that Their
will be a Wholesale transfer ana man!
changes In the personnel Of the in
speeding corps.
Iona Haul Of cattls,
But while the subject IL under dis
cusslon. It Is probable that attention
!. will be called to another matter. an
: that II the conditions under whic
4 cattle and animals Of all sorts ar
! brought to the slaughter pens Of Chi
cago, Omaha. Kansas City, New Yorl
/. and all the other packing centers.
!. has been urged time and again by tn
humane societies all over the countr
that the conditions under which cattl
10 are hauled to market n not only . dis
- grace to humanity but renders the foo
. unnt for consumption. Cattle a
: hauled - hours without food or wate
= and the cattle men have recentlv bee
trying to ret this time increased to
hours. II II quite possible that supple
mentary legislation may be asked Il
6 compelling the slaushter Of cattle b.
!. fore TRANSPORTATION and giving the IN
spectnrs chance to work under bette
conditions and do their work moi
thoroughly.
y raks Up Consular aseorws.
r. A very important conference whic
y win continue for weeks to come h
e just been convened In the state a
ID partanent. Il y the session Of the cor
y sulay revision board. The board cor
h sists az ave Of the most prominent COZ