The Worthington advance., 1906-06-08

!
Senate, there was tackled to it q
rider in the form Of an amend
ment by Senator Beveridge provid-
ing for a thorough system of in
spection in all departments of the
packing houses. This inspection
was to cover meats for sale in this
country as we'll as abroad. Most
people know of course that meat
for export has to be officially in
spected both before and after it is
killed and is labled with govern
ment tag certifying that it is free
from disease. The government
pays for this inspection and has its
own men stationed in as many Of
the packing houses as it has men to
station. Preference is given to the
export houses for meat cannot be
sold abroad without the guarantee
of this government.
Now the Beveridge Amendment
not only provided for inspectors for
all of the slaughter houses but for
all of the various products that the
packers produces and in addition
provided that the packers should
pay for the inspection. This was
regarded as rather drastic
measure, and rather to the sur
prise of all observers, it went
through without even a division be-
ing called for. Then the story
came out and it has been causing
sensation ever since. 1t seems
that the President some time ago
sent two personal representatives
the Commissioner of Labor, Chas.
P. Neill and Mr.. Jas. B. Reynolds,
who was in no way connected with
the government service, on tour
of inspection of the Chicago packing
houses. This action was due to a
very horrible book that was printed
last winter purporting to give true
picture of life in the packing dis
trict. Some of the pictures of filth,
unsanitary conditions and other
revolving details related in the
book were entirely past belief. Yet
when the two commissioners quietly
went and as quietly returned, they
reported verbally to the President
that the book was not overdrawn
and that the conditions there were
about as bad as they could be
pictured. Hence the Beveridge
Amendment.
The packing interests knew that
this provision was being forced
through, but the President held
the report of his commissioners as
a club over the heads Of the packers
and warned them that if they at
tempted to block the bill in Con-
gress, he would make the report
public. As it happened the papers
got hold of the stor y and the report
had as we'll been made public in
the first place, for there have been
enough disgusting details of the
packing house conditions printed to
turn the whole nation into vege-
tarians if it were not that people
as q rule have as strong stomachs
as they have short memories.
Now the figth on the Beveridge
amendment has been transferred to
the House and there is an effort be-
ing made to nullify the provisions
of the law. The packers do not
dare to come out and fight the in
spection provision openly. But
they are making great fuss over
the amount of money it will cost
them and say they want the govern
ment to make a fiat appropriation
for the inspection. The guile of
this is obvious. The packers never
under any circumstances would pay
the cost of the inspection them
selves. It would amount to about
five cents a head, and they would
promptly charge it to the meat
dealers, probably at the rate of 25
cents a head and the dealers on the
strength of this probably would put
up half a cent or cent pound.
So they would all reap harvest and
the consumer would pay the freight
as usual.