Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-06-27
WOULD LOCK DOOR
AGAINST THIEVES
COMMISSIONER EMERY SAYS
PRESIDENT is RIGHT.
FAV0RS BEVERlDGE BILL
Senate Measure the Least With Which
Congress, the Public and Packers
Themselves Should Be Satisfied if
They Are Sincere-lmportant
Point About Chemicals.

/ Dairy Food Commissioner J. @.
En- cry was asked for an expression Of
his views ca the relative merits of
the Revsridge amendment to the
agricultural bin. providing for gov
eminent inspection of meatpacking
establishments, and the proposed sub
stitute for that bill that has been
prepared by the house committee on
agriculture. The Beyeridge amend
ment has passed the senate. He said
| that he had very carefully read the
! Beyeridge amendment as published in
the congressional record; that in his
! Judgment that amendment was vigor-
GUS in its provisions and was an ade-
quate measure to secure the purposes
sought by the president that while
possibly some slight amendments to
it might be made without serious in
jury, he approves that bill and be-
lieyes that no less strenuous bill
should be satisfactory to congress, the
American people or the packers them.
selves, if they are sincere in the
claim that they desire the passage of
a stringent law.
His knowledge of the proposed sub
stitute prepared by the house commit
tee on agriculture is derived from the
newspaper reports of that measure.
Basing his judgment on the knowledge
he has thus gained, he sympathizes
with the president, in the main, in
the objections he urges to that sub
stitute. He believes with the pres
ident, that nearly every proposed
change is for the worse if the inter
ests Of the American consuming pub
lie, and not the special interests of
lie, and not the special interests of he
packers, are to be protected. AS one
example, he cites the change pro
posed by the substitute in the use of
chemicals "A spokesman of the
packing house interests" says Mr..
Emery, is reported as saying that it
is too much authority to trust to one
man. the secretary Of agriculture. to
say what chemicals are deleteri0us
! and not to be used Yet. practical.
/ ", the power to use chemical preser-
yatives at their own discretion is
what the packers seek Those who
have not carefully investigated this
matter can scarcely appreciate that
this is one of the crucial POINTS in the
measure. It sounds we'll in the sub
stltute to provide that no deleterious
chemicals. etc, shall be used in the
meats. But who is to decide what is
deleterious, who is to prevent the use
Of such chemicals? The packing house
interests say, and the house commit
| tee seems to concur, that it is unsafe
70 trust this decision to the secre-
tary Of agriculture, but it is safe let
us use this according to our own dis
erection and il any consumer thinks
that we are wrong. let him go into
court and there prove that the sub
stance we used was harmful We will
meet that consumer there with chem
lists, bacteriologists. ETC. that we
employ and who can be relied upon to
testify that the stuff we use is per
/ fectiy wholesome We will send
lawyers to conduct our cases in the
courts that are specialists for US in
| such cases. Then II the consumer or
/ a state dairy and food commission
succeeds in conyicting us in a few
cases. we will pay the comparatively
few fines and stin be money ahead,
because with the guarau- ees given to
dealers that our stuff is ali right. We
nave flooded the market, enG at the
most only a comparatively few sue
cessfHl prosecutions can be made.
TT seems to me that in this as in
lo,her matters, the Beverage amend
ment seeks to lock the door before
the horse is stolen, and that the house
committee substitute, If even It ever
locks the door does not do so until
the horse IS stolen. believe the
president IS right. in the main. in his
contentious"