Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-02
BEEF TRUSTS FIGHT
Will Accept Beveridge Bill "if
Properly Amended"
NELL REPORT SUBMITTED
What Shifting the Cost Would Ac-
complish.
WOULD NULLIFY WHOLE LAW
Mr.. Crumpacker Declares That He is
Not Helping the Packers
Yin Their Fight.

The President today received the report
of Charles P. NeiIl and James B. REYNOLDS
who represented him in the investigation
Of the Chicago packing houses. This re-
port, as stated in The Star yesterday, will
be sent to Congress Monday with a mes
sage from the President recommending
leglslation he thinks will cure the evils
complained of. Messrs. Neill and Rey-
noids spent some time with the Presi-
dent this afternoon. They were accom-
panied by George P. McCabe, solicitor of
the Department Of Agriculture and one of
the members Of the committee of that
department which some time ago investi-
gated conditions in the packing concerns
The report submitted today Is merely
brief Of the information In possession of
the President and his commissioners It
contains about 5000 words and is some
what general in Its character, specific de-
tails being lacking. although held in re-
serve in case they are needed.
The two commissioners remained with
the President some time, and prior to their
conference the President was with the
Attorney General some time, whether on
TINS subject Is not known.
Amendment is Likely.
1t is regarded almost as a certainty by
those following the course of the beef fight
that the Beveridge amendment will be ma
terially modified before it gets out of the
House. The sole object of the packing in
terests, It Is believed Is to get the cost or
the inspection put on the government.
against the advice Of the Secretary of Agri-
culture and every one else who has had
anything to do with unearthing the scan
dalous facts Of the case.
The packing interests have not been able
to come out and fight the measure In the
0r,ar rI1axr L.
be fatal, and they do not much care
whether the report of Messrs. Neill and
Reynolds Is made public or not Almost
all the harm to the meat industry that
could be done by publication has, In their
opinion already been done, Hfd report
more or less with not have much material
erect The packers are determined that
the law shall be killed for all practical pur-
poses, and they know that the easiest way
to do this Is to force the government to
pay the cost of meat inspection.
The packers do not care about the ex-
pense. 1t is well understood that they
would not bear this anyhow. They would
take it either out of the cattle raisers by
forcing prices down out of the meat
dealers by forcing prices up. Either Or
both ways would suit them perfectly and
the inspection law would be a good excuse
for the move.
Advantage the Packers Seek
But shouldering the cost of the inspec-
tion upon the government would result in
vastly more than merely saving the cost OF
inspection to the packers. The government
now pays about 100000 year for meat
inspection for the export trade, because
meat cannot be sold abroad without the
official seal of this government upon it,
The domestic inspection would run the
cost up to $2,OOO,OO0 or over. This would
amount to an assessment of about 8 cents
a head on all cattle killed. Now, Congress
always kicks vigorously over the cost of
meat inspection, and while 1t might appro-
pirate for a full force OF inspectors this
year, owing to the row that has been made
over the meat exposures, 1t would be ex-
pected to nnd multiplicity OF good rea-
ton, and as the meat business is expanding
annually 1t would leave the force OF In
spectors wholly inadequate In few years
And this Is just what the packers want
The advantages to the packers of the in
adequate force are two fold. So long as
there is shortage of inspectors, they are
assigned first to the big export houses,
where their services are imperative. The
meat trust manages to gobble the bulk Of
them and the smaller houses and the In
dependents can get inspectors only with
difficulty, If at all. Then with a shortage
of inspectors there are always innumerable
avenues open in all parts Of the packing
houses Tor the violation Of the law just
such as the public Is now complaining
about.
The general conclusion is, therefore, that
a shortage of inspectors is what the meat
trust wants and the simplest and easiest
way to get it is to put the cost Of the
inspection the government.
Mr.. Crumpacker's Views.
Representative CrumpaclSer of Indiana is
not worrying because of the insinuation
that his bill to provide for the government
inspection of meats offered for interstate
and foreign commerce is in reality the
packers BILL He met this insinuation
by the statement that If the Beveridge
bill adopted by the Senate were modified so
as to eliminate the payment of fees by the
packers, the latter would approve that
measure.
my reason for this statement" said Mr.
Crumpacker to a Star man today. rs that
the Beveridge bill would act so as to drive
out of business all the small Independent
packers, and would put the entire beef
trade in the hands of the beef trust
Solicitude for Independents.
TT stands to reason that the small SELL
ers of beef and other meats thpeughout
the country could not afford to pay the
fees for inspection specified in the Bever-
idge measure The result would be that
they would have to close up their places
OF business and hand over their trade to
the trust.
The insinuation that my measure is the
packers bill is put forward by some one
who wants to discredit 1t. There Is not a
single packing house in my district 1
have seen no packers about the measure
1t was my independent idea and stands
for the statement that 1t will meet the
demands of the situation. / don't care
what the packers want. / care for what
they ought to have"
The Wadsworth Substitute.
The Wadsworth substitute for the Bev-
eridge beef inspection ameAdment to the
agricultural appropriation bill has been
completed and printed for the information
Of the House committee on agriculture.
Until the substitute has been submitted to
the committee at It's session Wednesday. 1t
will not be made public.
The substitute is said to follow the lines
Of the Beveridge amendment. with the
vital exception that 1t places the cost Of
inspection upon the government. 1t also
provides court of review OF the adminis-