New-York tribune., 1906-06-11
THE PACKERS INVITATION.

Following the sending Of the Reynolds-Nei
report to Congress by the President but follow
ing at such distance as TO give time for a
hasty cleaning up and a rectihcaton of some
of the worst features. full page advertisement
in display type and signed by the eight pack
ing house companies of Chicago, Omaha and
other Western cities appeared in the Chicago
papers, headed, Come and see for yourselves" !"
The packing companies refer TO 1.-The highly
"colored, sensational and untruthful reports
relative to the Chicago packing industry" and
add: I'VE believe that the best and sllreSt wav
Ito satisfy the general public as to the purity
land wholesomeness of our products and the
cleanliness and sanitary conditions is to invite
you TO make a personal inspection" The pack
ers also say they have always followed this open
door policy, but. 10 make II absolutely clear they
now invite everybody in the United States and
particularly the residents of Chicago and visit
''ors from abroad to make a personal inspec-
tion of their plants which are open every work
ing day.
AS commentary on this broad invitation II
is interesting to find in the same issue of
paper in which we noted the advertisement
The Chicago Iribune''-an account of a visit
of Chicago city inspectors TO the yards. one
paragraph of which is significant. 1t reads:
Everything showed the marks of recent thor
ough cleaning l did not see ANYTHING that
could be termed 'indescribable' | found work
going on on new toilet rooms. Many toilet rooms
are located inside but are well ventilated.
It must be remembered that this report was
made the day after the submission of the
Reynolds-Neill report. Could a report also be
made as to the recent cleaning" it would be
founder so news from Chicago indicates
that the cleaning of which the recentness was
evident to the Chicago inspectors had been
done promptly upon the packers knowledge
that the Reynolds-Neill report would be sent
10 Congress. Hence what the public is now
invited to go 10 the stockyards to see is not
what inspectors previous to this general invi-
tation beheld and indicated In part in their
report. Instead the visitors will see floors on
which scrubbing began only in anticipation of
the report. and plumbing and sanitary regula-
| tions installed with wondrous speed since its
presentation. The stockyards will not be in the
| least the old stockyards and proofs of cleanl-
ness and care now presented Will not in the least
establish the cleanliness of the methods EN-
poyed bei"ca all these feversh activities OF
! reform were entered on.
j But it must be admitted that the packing
houses have always granted to visitors the
privilege Of going through their plants and for
nearly third of a century the stockyarls have
been one of the show places of Chicago. to
This fact may be cited In favor of the packers
who should have due credit II Is true how
ever. that of the many thousands who have
visited the stockyards few until within recent
years have had any other object than the graft
fcat1On of an idle curiosity. and that the lnulti
tude went away with confused sense of hov
ing seen something horrible on q great scale
but with special revulsion other than thar
which naturally resulted from seeing slaughter