Amador ledger., 1906-06-22
Washington
Letter.
(From Our Regular Correspondent.
Washington D. G. June 9, 1906

Even with the hot weather closing
in, congress casting about for some
short cut to adjournment, and all the
other things that might take up the
public mind, there is little interest
in anything in Washington just now,
but the meat packing scandals The
matter is being fought so obstinately
in the house committee on agriculture
that there are many hard words being
said about the attitude of representa-
tive Wadsworth, the chairman of the
committee. During all the investiga-
tion that has followed the publication
of president Roosevelt's report. Mr.
Wadsworth has taken the position of
counsel for the defense, and while he
has treated Mr. Wilson the representa-
tive of the packers with marked
courtesy and consideration, he has
acted toward both Mr. NellI and Mr.
Reynolds, the presidents commiss-
toner's, as though they we're culprits
on trial. In fact had he been ad-
mittedly the paid counsel for the
packers, he could hardly have espous-
ed their cause more warmly. The
result has been to increase public
feeling against the meat packers and
there has been threats in the house
that if an unsatisfactory report is
made from the committee that the
house will have no hesitation in vot-
ing against it. This in plain language
means that if there is an attempt
on the part of the committee to make
whitewashing report on the Beve-
ridge amendment, the house Will
throw out the report and adopt the
Beveridge amendment, as it came
from the senate. This would be
against all precedent, for a favorable
report on any measure from the com
mittee having It under consideration
is almost tantamount to favorable
action ny the house.
The meat lobby has been busy try
ing to manufacture public opinion.
They have spent money wherever
they could and as the papers have
persistently taken stand in favor of
the NeiIl-Reynolds official report, the
representatives of the packing houses
this week took whole page in each
of the local papers with an immense
display advertisement stating that
''in view of the sensational and un-
true report' that has been circulated
about the meat business in Chicago,
they wished to offer an invitation to
all the people of the country and
Washingtonians in particular to visit
the packing houses and see conditions
for themselves.
This was great piece of bumcomb
for on the very day that the adver-
tisement appeared, the president gave
out letter that he had sent to
chairman Wadsworth, with some very
pointed extracts from one of his
personal friends in Chicago anent the
cleaning up process that had been
going on ever since the disclosures
had been impending. The president
did not name his correspondent, but
said that he would give the name if
the committee so desired. The writer
in question said that he had been
watching the awakening of Pack
ingtown' and that the haste of the
packers displayed in cleaning up
their places would be humorous if all
the conditions we're not so tragic.
He enumerated some of the things
that has already been done in the
way of putting in new plumbing,
providing washing facilities and
washable uniforms, repavlng, paint
ing, scraping, whitewashing, and the
like. And he said that if committee
from congress did visit the packing
houses, they would find very differ
ent place from that so accurately
described by Messrs NeiII and Rey-
nolds in their report.
In all the matter that has been
printed about the condition of the
packing houses, however, there is one
that seems to have been generally
overlooked. That is the inhuman
treatment to which the live stock is
subjected before it gets on the killing
beds. The packers aud the stockralsers
just before the disclosures of the con-
dition in the yards, had been clamor-
ing for congress to increase the time
during which they could transport
cattle on the trains without food or
water. AS the law stands, cattle must
be fed and wate1ed once in twenty
eight hours, and the cattle sellers
wanted to increase this to thirty-six
hours. The proposition was mon
strously inhuman in its conception.
But starving and famishing is not the
worst that happens. The cattle are
bruised, gored, frequently knocked
down and their limbs broken, and this
is the way in which many of the dead
cattle reach the killing beds where
they are officially "killed" second
time. 1t is quite possible that supple
mentary legislation will be introduced
looking to a cure for this phase of the
evil. And it cannot come too soon.
The rate bill has been recommitted
to conference by the senate, which is
dissatisfied with the outcome of the