Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-16
ISSUE JOINED
N BOLD FASHION
WadsWorth Tells the President
He's ''very, Very Wrong"
THE LETTERS MADE PUBLIC
Correspondence Regarding Pending
Meat Inspection Liquidation.
REPLY MADE TO CRITICISM
Provision Adopted by the House Conn
mittee on Agriculture
Defended.

the correspondence between President
Roosevelt and himself on the subject OF the
substitute meat inspection amendment to
the agricultural appropriation bill prepared
by the committee. There Is nothing weak
and watery about either of the communi-
cations Both are from the shoulder. and
there Is no mincing Of words Chairman
Wadsworth endeavors to show that the
President based his most severe criticism
on a Misrepresentation of the text Of the
substitute
The President in his letter says that al
most every change in the House commit
tee amendment was for the worse. as COM
pared with the Senate amendment. and In
his judgment SO framed as to minimize the
chance of roofing out the evils in the pack
ing business. In his reply Mr.. Wadsworth
declares the President Is very. very
wrong" in his estimate of the committees
BILL calls attention to provisions In the
bill and closes with an expression Of regret
that the President should feel justified by
innuendo. at least. in impugning the sin
certify and the competency of commit
tee Of the House of Representatives "You
have no warrant for it, says Mr.. Wads-
worth in closing.
The Presidents Letter.
The Presidents letter follows:
white House. Washington. June IA. 1904.
MY Dear Mr.. Wadsworth: / have gone
over your bill very carefully and not only
obtained a report from Mr.. McCabe, as I
told you 1 would. but also obtained re-
port from Mr.. Reynolds on It, l am sorry
to say the more closely l investigate your
proposed substitute the worse l find 1t.
Almost every change is one for the worse;
so that 1t hardly seems necessary for me
to enumerate them. Perhaps the amend
ment as you have now drafted it Is not
fSYIi hod Sk<~7
1t to me in the first instance: but 1t is very,
very bad. There seems to be one point In
which 1t is possible that the amendment
Is even worse than the original amendment.
II. as seems likely. there is no provision
for making plants accessible at all hours to
the inspectors. In any event. 1 am sorry
to have to say that this strikes me as an
amendment which. no matter how uninten-
ffonaily ts framed 50 as to minimize the
chance Of roofing out the evil In the pack
ing business. Doubtless II suits the pack
ers. who object to a thorough-going inspec-
ton, much better than the Senate amend
ment, and have no doubt that not only
the packers. but their allies In business and
those stock growers who are Influenced by
them. would prefer 1t. But am convinced
IT would In the long run be a heavy blow
to the honest stock-raiSer and the honest
packer to adopt these provisions rather
than the far better ones contained In the
Senate amendment: for. as compared with
the Senate amendment this proposed
amendment which you tell me Is that of the
majority of the House committee. would
hamper In the most grossly improper fash
lon the Secretary OF Agriculture in doing
the work which you have appointed him
to do. and will prevent even so much of
this work as can be done at all from be-
ing well and thoroughly done. II the bill
should go through In the form that the
majority Of your committee proposes, It
might be that should sign 1t as working
certain slight Improvement over the pres
emit law; but, IL so. should accompany 1t
by memorandum explicitly stating how
grave the defects were; and 1 cannot even
promise to sign 1t, because the provisions
(about the courts as well as about other
matters) are so bad that. in my opinion. If
they had been deliberately designed to pre-
vent the remedying of the evils complained
or they could not have been worse
1T seems to me that the surest way to
keep our foreign trade from us, and, indeed
our Interstate trade likewise in a thorough
iy unsatisfactory condition and tn ureyent
its resumng the position which 1t formerly
had. Is to enact the law in the shape pro-
posed In the amendments submitted to me
by you. Sincerely yours.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Hon. James w. Wadsworth chairman
committee on agriculture. House of Repre-
sentatives."
Chairman Wadsworth's Reply.
In reply Chairman Wordsworth wrote:
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
WASHINGTON. D. c.. June Is, 1905
MY Dear Mr. President: received your
letter last night. Youare wrong very, very
wrong, in your estimate of the committees
bill. 1t Is as perfect piece Of legislation
to carry into effect your own views on this
question as was ever prepared by a COM
mittee or Congress. Every member OF the
committee is absolutely as honest and sin
cere yourself in his desire to secure the
passage of rigid meat inspection bill
They know the meaning OF the English Ian
guage.
formation is upon which you base your
opinion OF the bill. i call your attention to
the following language In your letter:
There Is no provision for making the
spectors.
IF you will turn to page of the bill
copy inclosed), line 2. you will find the fol-
lowing words:
ton and inspection said inspectors shall
have access at all times to every part of
said establishment
Can the English language be made any
palmer?
Turn also to page 6. line I6, and you
will find this language:
The Secretary of Agriculture shall
cause an examination and inspection of all
cattle. sheep. swine and goats and the
food products thereof. slaughtered and pre-
pared in the establishments hereiDbefore
described for the purposes of Interstate or
foreign commerce TO be made during the
nighttime as well as during the daytime,
when the Strengthening of said. cattle. sheep.
swine and goats, or the preparation of said
food products. Is conducted during the
nighttime
Therefore, In at least one of the two
criticisms you make of the bill you must
admit that you are absolutely wrong.
.'Yeu say:
DOUBTLESS IL suits the packers. who OBJ
ject to a thorough-geing inspection
Il told you on Wednesday night when
submitted the bill to you. that the pack
ers insisted before our committee on having
a rigid inspection law passed Their life
depends upon it, and the committee will
bear me out in the statement that they
placed no obstacle whatever In our way,
but. on the contrary, gave us many vaiu-
able suggestions. based upon their prac-
teal knowledge OF their business
Your other actual criticism OF the amend
ment refers to the court review clause.
The worst that can be said of this clause
Il that It Is perhaps unnecessary-that 1t
IS already covered by existing law ]
have always been taught to honor the
Judiciary OF my country. l have always
been taught to respect the rights OF its
cftizeus and to respect the rights Of prop
erty. and cannot believe that ths mere
rax,of{fff,f, of s,rayiajou rhf~h exto fao.