The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-06-05

Washington, y. c., June L. Peac'
spread ii pinIons over The house today
Minority Leader Williams, of Misaiss
ippi, being willing to call off the forces
OF opposition now that the report O
the conferees has been made on the
statehood bill
This being suspension day a number
of bills both Of local and national in
terest We're passed with little or nc
debate.
The house being officially notified
by the senate Of the death of Senator
German, of Maryland. Talbot, Of Mary
land, presented resolutions Ct condo
lence and after the appointment OF
seventeen members TO attend the
funeral the house as further mark
If respect adjourned till tomorrow.
Previous to adjournment was nnani
nous agreement that The first two
hours tomorrow shall be given over to
bills under a suspension of the rules.
During he passage Of bills under a
suspension of the rule the message OF
the president relating to conditions in
the packing houses was read and rc-
ferred to the committee on agricUl-
ture.
1t was in part as follows, accompan-
led by the report of Neill and Rey-
nolds, who had made an investigation
of the evils said to exist in the beef
packing industry.
The report shows that the stock
yards and packing houses are not kept
even reasonably clean. and that the
method of handling and preparing food
products is uncleanly and dangerous
to health Under existing law the ma
tional government has no power TO en-
force inspect on of the many forms of
prepared meat food products that are
daily going from HE packing houses
into interstate commerce. Owing 10
an inadequate Appropriation the de
partment of agriculture is not even
able TO place inspectors in all estab-
lishments desiring hem The present
law prohibits the shipment Of unin-
spected meat to foreign countries. but
there Is no provision forbidding the
shipment of uninspecied meats in in
terstate commerce, and thus the ave
nues of interstate commerce are left
open to traffic in diseased or spoiled
meats. IT, as has been alleged on
seemingly good authority further evils
exist. such as the improper use of
chemicals and dyes. the government
lacks power TO remedy them. A law
Is needed which will enable the in.
spectors of the general government TO
inspect and supervise from the hoof TO
the can the preparation of the meal
food product. The evil seems to be
much less IN the sale of dressed car
casses Than In the sale of canned and
other prepared products.
In my judgment the expense of the
inspection should be paid by a fee
levied on each animal slaughtered. II
this Is not done. the whole purpose of
the law can at any time be defeated
through an insufficient appropria ion.
The alarm expressed in certain quar-
ters concerning this feature should be
allayed by a realizatI Ion Cf the fact that
in no case under such alaw, will the
cost of inspection exceed 8 cents per
head
call special attention TO the fact
that this report is preliminary. and
that the investigation is siill unfin-
ished.
Let me repeat that uncer ihe pres
eni law there is practically no method
Of stopping these abuses if they should
be discovered to exist Legislation is
needed in order to preveat the pos +
bility of all abrses in the future. II
no legislation is passed, then the ex-
cellent results accomplished by tho
work Of this special committee VII en-
dure cnly so long as the memory Of
the committees work is fresh. and a :
Renaissance Of the abuses Is abs)-
lutcly certain.