The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-06-19
JUST WHAT
The Packers Wanted De-
clares Roosevelt in
Open Letter on the
Wadsworth Meat In
SpeCtion Bill,
spection Bill.

and himself. The presidents letter
to him Is as follows:
white House, Wash, June 16, 06
''My dear Mr.. Wadsworth:
Il have gone over your bill very
carefully and not only obtained re-
port from Mr. McCabe, as | told you
/ would, but also obtained a report
from Mr.. Reynolds on it. am sorry
to say the more closely | investigate
your proposed substitute the worse |
find it. Almost every change is one
for the worse; so that it hardly seemA
necessary for me to enumerate them.
Perhaps the amendment as you have
drafted it is not quite as bad as it
was when yon submitted it to me in
the first instance; but it is very very
bad. There seems TO be one point in
which it is possible that the amend
ment is even worse than the original
amendment, If, as seems likely, there
is no provision for making plants ac.
cessible at all hours to the inspectors.
In any event | am sorry to have to
say that this strikes me as an amend.
ment which, no matter how uninten
tionally, is framed so as to minimize
the chance of roofing out the evil in
the packing business. Doubtless it
suits the packers, who object to a
thorough-going inspection much better
than the senate amendment, and I
have no doubt that not only the pack
ers, but their allies in business and
those stock growers who are inhu-
enced by them, would prefer it. But |
am convinced it would in the long
run be heavy blow to the honest
stock raiser and honest packer to
adopt these provisions rather than
the far better ones contained in the
senate amendment; for, as compared
with the senate amendment this pro.
posed amendment which you tell me
Is that of majority of the house COM
mittee could hamper in most grossly
improper fashion the secretary of ag-
riculture in doing the work which you
have appointed him to do, and will |
prevent even so much of this work as !
can be done at all from being well |
and thoroughly done. If the bill should |
go through in the form that the ma
jority of your committee proposes, il
might be that I should sign it as
working a certain slight improvement
over the present law; but if SO, |
should accompany it by a memoran-
dunn explicitly stating how grave the
defects were; and cannot even prom
ise to sign it, because the provisions,
(abOut the courts, as well as about
other matters) are so bad that, in nv
opinion, if they had been deliberately
designed to prevent the remedylng of
the evils complained of they couid
not have been worse.
1T seems to me that the surest
way to keep out foreign trade frcm us,
and indeed, our interstate trade like
wise, in thoroughly unsatisfactory
condition, and to prevent its resuming
the position which it formerly had,
posed in the amendment sumbitted to
me by you.
Sincerely yours,
Theodore Roosevelt"
WADSWORTH REPLY.
Chairman Wadsworths reply is as
follows:
Washington, June 1896.
"My dear Mr.. President:-I received
your letter last night. You are wrong.
very very wrong in your estimate of
the committees bill. 1t is as perfect
a piece of legislation to carry into
effect your own views on this subject
as ever prepared by committee of
congress. Every member of the COM
mittee is absolutely as honest and
sincere as yourself in his desire to
secure the passage of a rigid meat
inspection bill. They know the mean
ing of the English language.
ITO show you how unreliable the
information is upon which you base
your opinion of the bill, | call your
attention to the following language in
your letter:
There is no provision for making
the plants accessible at all hours to the
inspectors
IF you will turn to page four OF
the bill (copy inclosed) line two, you
will find the following words:
And for the purposes of such ex-
animation and inspection said an
Epeetors shall have access at all times
to every part of said establishment
Can the Snglish language be made
any palmer? Turn also to page six,
line sixteen, and you will find this
language:
The secretary of agriculture shall
cause an examination and inspection
of all cattle. sheep, swine and goats
and the food products thereof, slaugh-
tered and prepared in the establish
ment hereinbefore described for the
purposes of interstate or foreign com
merce to be made during the night
time, as well as during the day, when
the slaughtering of said cattle, sheep,
aufne or Ooafc nr fha nranoraf ffon -