The National tribune., 1906-06-14

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But, as a matter Of fact, you only
reported the bad conditions you saw.
and nothing that was good. didn't you 2"
| Mr.. Wadsworth asked.
| II reported what struck me as being
in need of corrective legislation" was
DR.. Neills reply.
Early Action Desired.
| Representative Garner. of Texas. ap-
peared before the Committee, ahd riaae
a special plea for early action of the
| Committee.
"Since this matter came up" he said.
! 'the people who have contracted to IaSs
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
tainty. / want 10 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"
Then Representative Haugen of Iowa.
declared that he believed the packers
were responsible for the agitation.
! $. III. Cowan, of Fort Worth, Tex, at
| torney for the Texas Cattle Raisers' As
sociation, 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
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
| the additional expense where he pleases.
| The stockmen believe the packers could
put this expense on the stock raiser.
Asked by Representative Adams, of
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
condition they must be sold.
Representative Haugen, of Iowa, ask
! ed MIR. Cowan if he had read the Presi-
| dents message which estimated the cost
Of inspection at eight cents a head.
| 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.
! Paying the Cost.
Mr.. Haugen said every member of the
| Committee, so far as he knew, was in
| favor of the Government paying the
cost. This cost has been estimated from
$S,000.00 to $2O,000,000 annually, and
| Congress, he said, at most, would prob
ably not appropriate more than $4,000,
| 600. In view of this he believed ii
| might be better to assess the cost on the
| 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-
tions. Mr.. Cowan would have the law
provide that no meat shall be allowed
to enter Interstate commerce unless it
bears the label of inspection, and this
label shall not be given unless the prod
uct is put up in accordance with sani-
tary regulations prescribed by the Sec
retary of Agriculture.
Several members of the Committee at
once assented that such a provision
would be good law.
Mr.. Cowan made the suggestion as to
fees that an appropriation be made, say.
of 50. .000.0 with the further provision
that if the amount should prove insult
ficient the Secretary OF Agriculture
should prescribe a fee for inspection to-
make up the difference. This would
each year bring pressure on Congress
for the appropriation.
Mrs. Isabel Worrell Ball, newspaper
woman of wide experience in pioneer
life in the West, was drafted as a wit
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 160-acre reservation when
it began to get in its work. She declared
il was absurd to talk of canned goods
deteriorating in the can 50 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
Il ipGnnptinn He wanted
something to- stop this interminable
racket" The beef men, he said, We're
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, 4 have been reading
about this beef inquiry-bring me NUT
ton chops
He said the raisers wanted the Gov
crnment to pay the cost, but If there
was to be trouble about it. 1--WE will pay
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 rs cents 10 81 |
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 ii 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 law would |
be useful as applied to the products
when they enter into Interstate trade. |
We do not want to raise single ques-