Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-06-08

1EeSIueLL hOOSeNSlL lOudy sent 10 OOA-
gress a message and report on the condi-
tons in the Chicago stock yards.
The report is by the special commits
sioners named by the President to in
vetigate the charges that the conditions
in the stock yards were a danger to
public health. The report says that an
absence of cleanliness was found every
where in the handling of meat being pre-
| pared for the various meat food products.
Congress is asked to pass laws to pro-
| tect the public.
The Presidents Message.
! The Presidents message was as fol-
! lows:
I transmit herewith the report of James
Bronson Reynolds and Commissioners
Charles P. Neill, the special committee
whom I appointed to investigate into the
conditions in the stock yards Of Chicago and
report thereon to me. This report is OF a
| preliminary nature: l submit it to you now
| because it shows the urgent need of lmme-
| date action by the Congress in the dlrec-
| ton Of providing a drastic and thorough
going inspection by the federal government
| of all stock yards and packing houses ana
of their products so far as the latter enter
into interstate or foreign commerce
Conditions Are Revolving.
The conditions shown by even this short
inspection to exist in the Chicago stock
yards are revolving. 1t is imperatlvely
they should be radically changed Under
| the existing law it is wholly impossible to
secure satisfactory results.
| Defects in the Law.
When my attention was first directed to
| this matter an investigation was made I'M
| der the bureau of animal industry of the
i department of agriculture. When the pre-
liminary statements of this investigation
! were brought to my attention they showed
| oh 6ofo hot I fO "a q
| O further immediate investigation by men
not connected with the bureau, and accord
ingly appointed Messrs. Reynolds and Neill.
| 1t was impossible under the existing law
| that satisfactory work should be done by
| the bureau of animal industry. l am now.
however, examining the way in which the
work actually was done.
Closer Inspection Necessary.
Before had received the report of
Messrs. Reynolds and Neill l had directed
that labels placed upon any package OF
meat food products should state only that
the carcass of the animal from which the
| time of slaughter. If inspection of meat
food products at all stages Of preparat ton
is not secured by the passage of legislation
recommended, l shall feel compelled to or
| der that inspection labels and certificates
on canned products shall not be used here
| after.
Dangerous to Health.
The report shows that the stock yards
and packing houses are not kept even rea-
sonably clean, and that the method of
handling and preparing food products is
existing law the national government has
no power to enforce inspection of the many
| forms of prepared meat food products that
| are daily going from the packing houses
| into interstate commerce. Owing to an In
| adequate appropriation the department OF
agriculture is not even able to place IN
spectors in all establishments desiring them.
| The present laws prohibits the shipment OF
uninspected meat to foreign countries, but
there is no provision forbidding the ship
ment of uninspected meats in interstate
commerce, and thus the avenues of inter
state commerce are left open to traffic in
diseased or spoiled meats.
Protection Is Needed.
If, as has been alleged on seemingly good
authority, further evils exist, such as the
improper use of chemicals and dyes, the gov
eminent lacks power to remedy them. a
lew is needed which will enable the i'll
spectors of the general government to in
| spect and supervise from the hoof to the
can the preparation of the meat food prod
uct. The evil seems to be much less, i'll the
I sale of dressed carcasses than i'll the sale
of canned and other prepared products.
Packers Should Pay.
In nv Judgment, the expense of the In
spection should be paid by fee levied on
| each animal slaughtered. If this is not
done the whole purpose Of the law can at
fcient appropriation; and whenever there
was no particular public interest. in the
subject it would be not only easy but nat
urai thus to make the appropriation insult
fcient. If it were not for this considera-
| ton, should favor the government paying
for it.
Inspection Costs Little.
The alarm expressed in certain quarters
| concerning this feature should be allayed
| by realization of the fact that in no case
! under such a law will the cost of inspection
| exceed cents per head.
| call special attention to the fact that
| this report is preliminary, and that the in
vestigation is still unfinished. 1t is not
| vet possible to report on the alleged abuses
! in the use of deeterious chemical com
| pounds i'll connection with canning and pre-
| Serving meat products. nor on the alleged
and of products returned to the packers
| as having grown unstable or unusable from
| age or other reasons. Grave allegations
| are made in reference to abuses of this
| Let me repeat that under the present law
| there practically is no method of stopping
! these abuses if they should be discovered
| to exist Legislation is needed in order to
! prevent the possibility of all abuses in the
t future If no legislation is passed, then
| the excellent results accomplished by the
! work of this special committee will endure
| only so long as the memory of the commit
| tees work is fresh and recrudescence of
| the abuses is absolutely certain.
Urges Congress to Act.
urge the enactment into law Of pro-
| visions which will enable the department of
| agriculture adequately to inspect the meat
! and meat food products entering into inter-
| state commerce and to supervise the meth
/ DDS of preparing the same and to prescribe
| the sanitary conditions under which the
| work shall be performed. l therefore com.
mend to your favorable consideration and
/ urge the enactment of substantially the
| provisions known Senate amendment No.
| 90 to the act making appropria tons for
| the department of agriculture for the fiscal
| year ending Jnne 30 1907, as passed by thc
! Senate this amendment being commonly
| known ms the Reveridge amendment.
| (Signed) THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
/ The White House, June 4, 1906.
Report on Stockyards.
The report of Messrs. Reynolds and
! Neill says that two and one-haf weeks
| were spent in the investigation in Chi
cago, during which I'VE went through the