The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-06-05

packers pay this cost however, the law
should operate automatically.
Chairman Wadsworth. chairman of
the house committee on agriculture, to
which the bill as it passed the senate
will go, is desperately opposed to the
Beveridge amendment. He is a big
shipper of cattle to the packing houses,
but insists that this fact does not bias
his Judgment He would like to kill
the Beveridge proposal, and Monday
he spent several hours with the presi-
dent, going over the case, and insisting
that the Chicago packers are not
guilty as charged, but that they con-
duct sanitary establishments and use
only high grade meats. The president
stood his ground. Beveridge is stand
ing his. If the house permits any
changes to be made in the bill that will
impair it's efficiency, it will have to an
swer to the country for it. This Is the
first chance the people have ever had
to get through congress a meat inspec-
ton law that will really inspect. If
that bill should fail, the house of rep
resentatives will be wholly responsible.
This is responsibility which it is said
the house will not assume without
great elaboration.
Sweeping Proposition.
The Beveridge bill is the most
sweeping proposition of its kind ever
seen in the American congress. For
several years the country has had a
pretty good export inspection law,
passed in order to protect American ex-
port meat business, but the Beveridge
proposition goes far beyond anything
contained in that law. It's passage and
proper enforcement will insure pure
meats at home and abroad for all time.
It follows the cattle into the slaugh-
ter houses, follows the carcasses from
the slaughter house to the retail butch
err shops, follows the timed meats of
all kinds from the slaughter houses to
the retail stores. An elaborate system
of government tagging is provided for
No carcass of meat can be shipped in
interstate or foreign commerce unless
it bears the government tag certifying
that it is perfectly wholesome. No
canned meats can be offered for sale
unless they carry a printed statement
on the label certifying to government
inspection and approval. Railroads are
heavily penalized who carry goods not
tagged and no vessel carrying meat or
meat products abroad will be given
clearing papers unless some inspector
has first gone over her cargo and de-
clared that all the meats bear the
proper tags. Sanitary conditions are
provided for the packing and slaugh-
ter houses, of which there is to be fire.
quent inspection. No packing house
can engage in business unless it Sc
cures certificate from the secretary
Of agriculture that it has complied
with all the requirements of the law.
or is prepared so to comply. There
will be inspection by night as we'll as
by day, and packers are forbidden to
put meat products in cans by night
unless in case of emergency.
Up to the House.
If there is any way of making the
bill more stringent, Mr.. Beveridge and
the president would like to have some
body point it out. If there is any
way by which a house of representa-
tives, now about to go to the people
for Endorsement, can fail to accept
what the senate has done, somebody
ought to point that out, too. 1t will
be pointed out, all right, if the house
should fail to do its duty.
Once more the senate has been
Caught dL Tic True IuO-
ment. 1t is the true psychological
moment. 1t is still smarting under
public criticism and fearful that it's
past record has shown it as being en-
tirely too conservative and unrespon-
sive to public demands. AS with the
free alcohol bill, it probably would be
impossible to get such a provision as
Beveridges through the senate in
year from now, just as it would have
been impossible to have got it a year
ago.