New-York tribune., 1906-06-14
ATTACK THE PRESIDENT
Campaign of ViHfcation Carried ON
by Packers.
lFrom The Tribune Bureau !

Washington. June ia campaign OF villn-
cation is being carried on by the packing house
interests in the West for the purpose Of defeat
ing the Beveridge amendment. IL sufficient
pressure is brought to bear on Senators ana
Representatives. they believe. the drastic meat
inspection the President demands will not be
made compulsory and great deal Of money
that would otherwise be spent on the inspection
itself will be saved or gained in the form of
products that can be disposed of If the scrutiny
is not too rigid. The President is receiving
many letters every day from different parts OF
the country which show how frantically the
packers are working to achieve their end. The
money they are spending in carrying on thls
fight under cover would be sufficient TO pay the
cost of inspection for many years. This thought
if it has occurred to the packers. has no weight
with them whatever, for they are, as Glass;
men who would-rrefer tor win their point in their
own way. even if it costs ten times the amount
that acknowledgment of defeat and acceptance
of it's conditions would mean.
THE packers have built up gigantic business
in Chicago and have come TO regard themselves
much as did the feudal lords of the Middle
Ages" said member of Congress to-day In
and about their great establishments they are
kings and their thousands of workmen bow 10
them as If they wore the purple. 1t Is not 10
be wondered at therefore, that when they re-
spection bill carrying the provisions Of the Bev-
eridge amendment must be enacted INTO Id"
this session they became bull headed at once
and dehed the President The idea of any power
even that Of the Urited States government
stepping into their slaughter houses and giving
them orders was. to the ArmOurs, the SWlAts
and the Cudahys an unheard of piece or pre-
sumption Now that they have been fairly
beaten and they can see that the whole country
if not the whole world. is behind the President
Won would suppose that the packing house own
ers would have sense enough TO make the pest
of il. and aid instead of oppose, the passage
of the inspection bill. The sooner the Dill Is
passed as the President wants II the sooner
will the people at large resume the use or meat
as a steady diet and the sooner will the shrink
| ing dividends of the packers approach thelt
former normal size
| The following letter to the President from
| one of the largest cattle growers OF the Wes'
shows how the packers are attempting 10 gain
| their ends and defeat the demand of the meat
| consumers:
| This country for the last several days mas
! been Hooded with letters ana lrIeSIt'IIlS 5
/ bankers lawyers, stOCkmen ana any ana al
| cftizens of any influence whatever 10 appear &c
| their Representatives and Senators in Congress
| 10 defeat the Beveridge bill. These letters ano
] kilograms have the regular scare nead sC1Ie
Doents that il will the HeVStOck interests OF
| the West Sl.OO0OOOO and create the impress
| sion that the packers will retaliate on the pro
| ducers and consumers of meat ana rtcouP ~ tielil
| selves for all losses they claim that they ar'
| suffering bv reason Of this inspection bill, anC
| the ranorts OF YOUR committee sent 10 chicago
| for the purpose of investigating the packing
houses.