Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1906-06-14
AGAIN TELLS OF
PACKERS FILTH
ATEs CHARGES AGAINST
BEEF PACKERS.
TRUST SOLONS ARE UNFAIR
NELL TREATED LIKE A cUL
PRlT-oBsEoUlous TO PACK.
ERs' AGENT.

Washington, June $50 persistent
and hostile were the attacks made on
Commissioner of Labor Neill yester-
day by members of the committee on
agriculture because of his charges
against the beef packers that Repre-
sentative Bowie Of Alabama protested
against the man.. in which he was
being treated.
Mr.. Bowie said the beef trusts rep
resentative, Thomas E. Wilson, had
been treated with great courtesy by
the committee We nesday, and that
he objected to Mr.. Neill, the represeR-
tative of the government, being sub
jected to cross-eXamination and be-
ing put in the position of a cuiprit
about to be prosecuted.
Unfair, Says NeiI.
81 think myself" Commissioner
Neill said, that the attitude of certain
members of the committee toward the
witness who yesterday declared we
had reported things we had not seen,
and the attitude of certain members
toward me is strikingly different.
81 do not want to be discourteous to
the committee, but | think the ques-
tions being asked and the way in
compared with the way Mr.. Wilson
was treated yesterday"
what the gentleman says is en-
tirely correct Representative Lamb
of Virginia, Democratic member Of
the committee, said. Il agree with
him and I am personally responsible
here or anywhere else"
Davis Also Protests.
Same here" shouted Representa-
tive Davis of Minnesota, who was sit
ting across the table from where Rep
resentative Lamb was seated ct is
outrageous"
Members Of the committee were be-
ginning to move uneasily about in
their seats when Commissioner Neill
quoted things down by saying:
Some of the questions asked me and
the attempts made to lead me into
making statements which I plainly do
not mean, and the fact that | was pre-
vented from expressing my ideas in
my own words, was lot fair
Beef 2 Cents a Pound?
1t has been predicted that if the
agitation continues much longer and
the foreign demand continues to de-
crease, cattle will soon be down to 2
cents pound on the hoof instead of
from to 6 cents as at present The
representatives who have cattle-rais-
ing constituents are urging the COM
mittee to finish its work and stop the
agitation.
Statements made in the Neill-Rey-
nolds report were made the text of an
mated questioning of the commission
er yesterday, and charges that revolt
ing conditions were almost general in
the big plants were reiterated by Mr..
Neill, who was continually placed on
the defensive by the belligerent atti-
tude Of his examiners.
Drastic Provisions.
The expectation is that the hearing
will be completed to-day, and that the
committee on Monday will report the
completed agricultural appropriation
bill, with practically as drastic provis-
ions as were contained in the bill as
it passed the senate.
The only important differences of
opinion seems to be over the question
whether the government or the pack-
ers shall pay the cost of inspection,
but it seems probable that the out
come will result in the packers footing
the bill.
Representative Adams of Wisconsin
summed up the objections Mr., Wilson
had made to the Beveridge amend
ment, and Mr.. Wilson assented to
each in turn.
Summary of Objections.
The first was the objection to plac-
ing the cost of inspection on the
packers; the second, requiring dates
on labels; third, the sanitary require
ment which leaves discretion to com.
mon carriers to reject shipments if it
regards the packing houses from
which they come as unsanitary;
fourth, the use of adiectives describ-
ing meat unfit for food: fifth, the re-
striction on personalities in such
form than any inspector might put his
own Interpretation on what was in
iurious; and, sixth. the requirement
that the contents Of canned product
shall be set forth on the label.
H.
ss'7t Ezra AZ E,e& Nn,nl E..I