Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-19
The Meat Inspection Compromise.

BY a process of give and take, the Presi-
dent and the House committee on agricul-
ture have reached an understanding upon
q meat inspection bill which will probably
be enacted into law without further delay.
The net result Is provision that will In
sure a thorough inspection of the meat
packing plants and processes by force OF
men chosen under the civil service laws,
working under the direction of the Secre-
tary of Agriculture and paid by the gov
ernment by means OF a direct appropriation
of $3.O00.OO0 a year. These men are to have
access to all the parts OF the plants at all
hours, whether they are in operation or
not.
The President gained the elimination of
the court review clause, which leaves the
packers precisely where they were before In
the matter of appeals from the decisions
OF the Secretary of Agriculture, and where
all other Industries stand with relation to
the supervisory activities of the govern
ment 1t gives them no advantages over
any other purveyors or corporations whose
operations are subject to regulation.
The committee carried its point as to the
payment of the cost of inspection. This
question was finally resolved into broad
principle of government. Speaker Cannon.
voiclng the sentiment of the House, urged
that 1t was unwise to depart from the es-
tabished method of allotting public funds
by specific appropriations. and took the
ground that the money exacted from the
packers by a tax upon the cattle killed
should not be regarded or disposed of
any differently from other revenues of the
government. Thus the acceptance by the
President of the direct appropriation meth
II aaf ng xfhat bar
this mode will best guarantee the reliability
and permanence of the inspection service.
The President gained the protection OF
the inspection service by the civil service
law and yielded on the question of dating
the labels. He secured the unquestionable
right OF inspectors to have access to all
parts OF the plants at all hours. and sur
rendered his demand that the decisions of
the Secretary of Agriculture be declared
final
The test of this law will come later. More
than the law Will be tested. If this amend
ment is enacted Congress will have as
sumed full responsibility for the effective
ness of the guarantee of meat purity. It
will be incumbent upon Congress then to
justify it's own course by maintaining the
annual appropriations at sufficiently high
point TO provide an efficient service Mean
while, the character OF the service itself,
under the present appropriation of three
millions. depends upon the President and
his Secretary of Agriculture and the civil
service commission Vigorous, intelligent.
honest men are needed for this work--men
who will not flag in their inspection or sue
cumb to the Establishments and temptations
which will inevitably follow. And to insure
the character OF service which the public
has every right to expect, It will be incum-
bent upon the administration officials to
maintain an inspection over the inspectors.
and 10 keep tAe standard OF performance
always high.
The new law will stand as the work
chiefly of President Roosevelt, The accusa-
lions against the packers. since proved so
amply and shockingly. were considered by
him at once to be sufficiently serious to
warrant investigation. His recommended
ton of legislation at this session was In
sistent. and the results fully justify his per-
haps unsual course in participating In the
details of the shaping OF the laws. He was
ably assisted in the enactment by Senator
Beverage, upon whose motion the Senate
added the inspection rider to the appropria-
ton bill BY that means action this year
was ensured.