Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1906-06-08
LEWISTOWN, MONT, June s. 1906
REPORT MADE PUBLIC.

REPORT MADE PUBLIC.
Accompanied by brief message
President Roosevelt has transmitted
to congress The report of Commission,
ers Neill and Reynolds. who We're ap-
pointed to investigate into the condi-
tons existing in the Chicago packing
houses and stOckyards. The president
states that the inquiry is not yet com
pleted, but enough facts have been as
certained to show the necessity of
prompt action by congress to remedy
the abuses and evils foun, to exist
While the conditions are not 50 bad
as Upton Sinclair pictured them in
The Jungle, they are bad enough 20
arouse the American people TO just
indignation at the imposition practiced
upon them in the sale of meat pro-
ducts.
The report shows that little regard
is paid to cleanliness in the stock
yards and packing houses. and that
dangerous methods prevailed in
handling and preparing food products,
deleteriOus chemicals and compounds
being used in the preserving and can
n,ng Of meats.
No doubt the making public of this
report will cost the meat packers sew
eral million of dollars. Had they been
wise in their day and generation they
would have taken immediate steps to
prevent investigation by correcting
abuses which they were aware of and
invited the assistance of the govern
ment in lettering conditions instead
of offering resistance and defying its
authority.
Giving the report publicity will in
Jure the meat trust at home and
abroad. 1t will be hailed with de1ighr
by foreign packers and stockgrowers
1t was through concern for the stock
interests that the president was reluc-
1antto make the report public. but tre
determination of the packers to make
fight against any legislation that
would prove effective In curing the ev-
IFS CollpldlHeu Oh was SuHlclent rea-
son for sending the report to congress-
1t is to be hoped that the live stock
industry of the country will not suffer
by the exposures. The 'howlng der
wishes of the Democratic press, think
ing that the president desired to pro-
tect the packers, clamored for public
lty. Possibly they thought they had
the president in hole. If So they
We're mistaken.
What the president demands is more
rigid inspection laws. Under the pres
ent law the government has no pow
er to enforce inspection of the many
forms of prepared meat products that
are daily going from the packing
houses into interstate commerce. Con
sress also fails to make adequate APP
in connection with the az
rlcultural department to pay the cost
Of inspection in all establishments
where required.
The present law prohibits the ship
ment of uninspected meat to foreign
countries, but there is no provision for
meats in Interstate commerce. and thus
The avenues of interstate commerce are
left open to traffic in diseased or spoil
ed meats. IT, as has been alleged on
exist such as the improper use OF
chemicals and dyes. the government
lacks the power to remedy them. a
law is needed which will enable the
TO inspect and supervise from the hoof
TO the can the preparation of meat food
products. The evil seems to be much
less in the sale OF dressed carcaSSeS
than in the sale of canned and other
prepared products; and vary much less
as regards products sent abroad than
as regards those used at home
The president holds that the expen-
ses of the inspection should be paid by
a fee levied on each animal slaughter
ed. If this be not done, the whole pur-
pose OF the law can at any time be de
feated through an insufficient appro-
priatiOn. and whenever there was no
particular interest in the subject it
would be not only easy but natural
to make the appropriation insufficient.
The president says if it were not for
this consideration he would favor the
government paying for the inspection.
OF course, the packers will insist
that the government bear the cost of
inspection, not so much because of the
expense to them, as they can shift
that on to the stockgrowers or consum-
ers, but because they want to avoid
inspection if possible through the neg
lect or unwilingness of congress to
provide ample appropriation for the
purpose, as the president points out.
Deposits of cement are being found