The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-06-14
THE NATIONAL

UNSUA 4 !, JUNE IL, lSO6s
i "But, ~ Q matter OF fact, you only
| reported the bad conditions you saw,
and nothing that was good, didn't you 2"
Mr.. Wadsworth asked.
Il reported what struck me as being
in need Of corrective legislation" was
DR.. Neill's reply.
Early Action Desired.
Representative Garner Of Texas. az
peared before the Committee, aGd r,a3s
special plea for early action Of the
Committee.
"Since this matter came up" he said.
the people who have contracted to raxs
Our Texas steers have become alarmed
and say they don't know whether or not
they are going to take our cattle, and
the result is we are in state of uncer-
tafnty. l want to suggest that the Com
mittee get through with the matter as
soon as possible. Every day this thing
is continued the stOckman is losing
money"
i Then Representative Haugen Of Iowa,
declared that he believed the packers
II were responsible for the agitation.
i s. H. Cowan, Of Fort Worth. Tex, at
torney for the Texas Cattle Raisers' AS
ISOLATION was next heard He detailed
the extent Of the Texas cattle industry.
Mr.. Cowan said while the raisers had
their differences with the packers and
had not got the best Of them yet, in this
Il question the interests Of the raisers and
packers were identical If there was an
additional expense some one would have
to pay it. and the man who can name
the price Of the thing he sells can put
i the additional expense where he pleases.
The stockmen believe the packers could
put this expense on the stock raiser.
i Asked by Representative Adams, of
J Wisconsin, IL the packers did not fix the
price paid for cattle. Mr.. Cowan said
this was an impossibility under ordinary
conditions. Neither could the cattle
raisers by combination fix the price. The
reason was that when cattle got into
i condition they must be sold
i Representative Haugen, of Iowa, ask
ed Mr.. COwan il he had read the Presi-
dents message which estimated the cost
Of inspection at eight cents a head.
u He had. he said. "but we do not want
to pay it-that's our reason replied
Mr.. Cowan. but rather than do with
out the law we would be glad to levy
the cost on the cattle" he continued.
i Paying the Cost.
i Mr.. Haugen said every member of the
Committee, SO far as he knew, was in
favor of the Government paying the
Il cost. This cost has been estimated from
100000 to $20.00O,O00 annually. and
Congress. he said, at most, would prob
ably not appropriate more than $1,000,
600. In view OF this he believed it
might be better to assess the cost on the
Il packers.
Mr.. Cowan took issue with the posi-
ton OF Representative Crumpacker that
the Federal Government had no right
to interfere with the police powers of
the States by making sanitary regula-
tons. Mr.. Cowan would have the law
i provide that no meat shall be allowed
4 to enter Interstate commerce unless 1t
bears the label Of inspection, and this
I>aI 10 -,
uct is put up in accordance with SAM
i tary regulations prescribed by the Sec
i rotary of Agriculture.
I Several members OF the Committee at
4 once assented that such a provision
n would be good law.
/ Mr.. Cowan made the suggestion as to
fees that an appropriation be made, say.
i Of 100000, with the further provision
/ that IL the amount should prove insult
ficient the Secretary OF Agriculture
should prescribe fee for inspection to
make up the difference. This would
i each year bring pressure on Congress
/ for the appropriation.
| Mrs. Isabel WOrrell Ball, newspaper
i woman Of wide experience In pioneer
| life in the West, was drafted as a wit
i ness to tell what she knew about canned
\ goods and their keeping qualities. She
declared that they would keep indefin-
| itely SO long as Theoretically sealed. She
/ related some incidents Of spoiled canned
| beef which she declared would drive
| anybody off a 160-acre reservation when
i it began to get in its work She declared
i 1t was absurd to talk of canned goods
i deteriorating In the can SO long as the
/ can remained perfectly sealed.
| F. p. Johnson, Secretary OF the Colo
RADIO Horse and Stock Raisers' Associa-
| ton. urged the Committee to expedite
legislation for inspection. He wanted
| something to stop this interminable
| racket" The beef men, he said, were
bearing all the cost. The public did not
| seem able to apply any Of the jungle"
/ stories to mutton.
| "Only the other day in a dinner res
| taurant," he continued, "a waiter sug
| gested to a customer a beefsteak. No.
said the customer, I have been reading
about this beef inquiry-bring me NUT
ton chops
He said the raisers wanted the Gov
| eminent to pay the cost. but If there
| any cost" He said for several years
| the industry had been working hard to
| build up the export demand.
This matter has set us right back
| where we were at the beginning"
/ Bad Effect ON the Trade.
| The price Of beef to the producer. he
| said, had dropped from Is cents to 81 a
hundred pounds during the past few
weeks. Any bill, he said, that did not
suit the President would not relieve the
| public mind.
Mr.. Wilson made this statement in
| summing up:
| 1--WE feel it is going to be difficult
/ matter to create law covering the nee
essary sanitary regulations regarding
| the packing houses that will be consti-
| tutional. We feel that such a law would
be useful as applied to the products
| when they enter into Interstate trade.
| We do not want to raise single ques-