Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-27
ASKS FOR FAIR PLAY
ARMOUR SAYS NEAT PACKERS
HAVE BEEN sLANDERED.

J. Ogden Armour. head OF one of the larg.
est Of the Chicago packing houses accom-
panied by his wife and daughter, Lolita,
VINO has been under the care of Prof. Lor-
enze. In Vienna. has returned to America,
arriving yesterday In New York. With ref-
erence to the recent investigation OF tho
packing houses and suggested legislation
Mr. Armour said:
The packers will welcome any good Inn
proveinent In the law. and any suggestion
for Improvement. The better the laws tho
better they will suit the packers. All tho
talk about dscrediting the packing indus
Try OF this country was unnecessary. and
above all was untrue. The packers have
tried every year to improve their facilities
ana make improvements generally"
MT Armour has made public the follow
ing statement regarding the recent packing
mouse exposures:
"On summing up what has hee, said
ABOUT the packers and what has been done
10 the packing industry, one naturally in
cures. nat has become OF our boosted
American fair play? One OF the largest
American Industries has been attacked.
and attacked without reason, in a way that
has discredited American goods of all kinds
abroad All over Europe there is open agi-
tatlon Tor boycott on American products
me entire export trade OF this country
has been badly damaged To estimate tho
total loss now would be merely guesswork
When American industries are slandered
by persons who pretend to speak as Ameri-
cans II is to be expected that foreign COM
petitors will take advantage Of IT,
sui the American meat industry cannot
be destroyed by socialist aSitators polit-
lcal revoluttonists, stump speeches sensa-
tonal Journalism running amuck IL has
existed for forty years. Its products have
mace their way into every quarter of tho
earth on merit. They speak for them
serves Ihey are good today they We're
yesterday. If they can be improved they
VIII be better tomorrow SANDER NAV re-
tard but cannot stop good merchandise
from hnding a market. The public has
been ignorantly or maliciously misinform-
ed on two of the most important phases OF
the whole question. namely: The charac-
ter of meat inspection as II is and has been
and the attitude of the large packers to-
ward proposed legislation. The inspection
now In force in all the larger packing
houses makes the sale of diseased meat
from such houses impossible. The govern
ment, which Is responsible for the inspec-
uon. mas tailed to state the facts about IL
Inc larger packers believe in govern
ment inspection. They asked for il In the
nrst pace They want 1t continued and
improved II II can be improved
DeheVe all of the large packers are
hearthy IN favor of the purposes which the
pending bin is intended to accomplish
namely: Thorough inspection of all AMI
mails before slaughter; thorough inspection
oi an ANIMALS after slaughter; thorough
inspection OF the sanitary condition OF the
packing houses; thorough inspection of the
products that go to the consumer In other
IMAM IN bulk. L have seen II stated that
these scandalous attacks upon the Ameri-
can meat industry were precipltated by The
opposition of the packers to proposed leg
lslation. That is not true and could not be
My information in the newspaper files Will
bear me out that the flood of SANDER was
well started before a suggestion of legs-
lation was heard. We never heard of the
so-cailed Beveridge amendment until 1t was
introduced. Everything provided for in the
proposed legislation could have been ac-
complshed without any of the damaging
sensa tionaiism We have had IL the co-opera-
ton of the packers had been desired or
accepted when proffered."