New-York tribune., 1906-06-09
IMPATIENT AT DELAY.
LEADERS FEAR RESULT.
Wads7corth's attitude ON Beef Re
port Causes Surprise.
TFron The Tribune Bureau !

Washington, June Representative Wads-
worth. of New York. in reply to criticisms of
his method of conducting the examination of
Mr.. Neill yesterday. made statement this
morning in which he said:
This report has cost the AGRICULTURAL interests
of this country millions and millions of dollars,
and II our foreign demand decreases in the next
two weeks as it has in the last TWO weeks the
value of American livestock will decrease any
where from 80 to 80 per cent hundred pounds.
But for the publication of this report the for
eign demand would have gone on as it had in
the past.
Mr. Wadsworth's statement occasioned amaze
ment at the Capitol because OF the remarkable
change in his attitude since the Beveridge
amendment first proposed in the Senate. At
that time Mr.. Wadsworth protested against the
amendment as inadvsable but urged by
prominent Republican Senators. from the cattle
growing states as well as from the East. to ac-
cept the amendment quietly. and not to force
the President to make public the report of
Messrs.s Nein and Reynolds He was assured
that the President most anxious 10 avoid
making this report public, because OF the injury
1t would inevitably work to the whole stock in
dustry, and that he would cheerfuly brave pub
lie criticism and even go so far as to refuse to
comply with a House resolution calling for the
report. providing he could be assured that the
inexcusable conditions existing at Chicago and
possibly other packing centres would be reme-
died by the enactment of the Beverdge amend
ment Mr.. Wadsworth then declared, with the
greatest vehemence. that he cared mot straw"
whether or not the report was made public and
that he was absolutely opposed to the Bever-
idge amendment.
Taking Mr. Wadsworth's own statement as
evidence, the publication of the report for which
Mr.. Wadsworth cared mot a straw" has al
ready cost the meat industry millions and mill
ions of dollars" In the opinion of leading
members of the Senate every day that Mr.
Wadsworth and his committee defer the enact
ment of the Beveridge inspection legislation the
loss to the industry will increase, whereas the
only possible remedy is the enactment of this
legislation. whereby the consumer may be as
sured that the meat products offered him are
prepared under federal supervision and a sys-
tenn of inspection which renders the methods
discovered by Messrs Neill and Reynolds no
longer possible Under these circumstances it is
regarded as inexplicable by members of the
Senate that Mr.. Wadsworth and others should
persist in blocking the remedial legislation advo-
Gated by the President and promptly adopted by
the Senate. and should continue an effort to dis
credit the report of the Presidents inspectors
when the public is convinced of It's accuracy.
There is every indication that the Democrats
are seeking to make political capital by declar-
people from the INSCRIPTIONS methods of the
Beef Trust was recommended by Republican
PRECEDENT promptly adopted by a Republican
S,vlate. altt- was then fought 1i4d perhaps
culated by Republican members of the House.
The President depores the publicity given TO
the Neill and Reynolds report, which, according
to the view of leading Senator's was forced by
the attitude of Mr. Wadsworth and his friends
and he agrees with Republican leaders in the
Senate that the only possible method of put
ting stop TO the damage already done and of
preventing further loss will be the prompt en-
actment of the Beveridge inspection legislation
The Presidents views on this subject are
clearly set forth in the letter he sent to Repre-
sentative Wadsworth to-day. in which he says:
Unfortunately, the misdeeds of those who are
responsible for the abuses we design to cure will
bring discredit and damage not only upon Them
but upon the innocent stockgrowerS, the ranch
men and farmers of the country. The only way
permanently 10 protect and benefit these inno-
cent stockgrowers these farmers and ranch
men. is to secure by law the thorough and ade-
quate inspection for which have asked.