East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1912-05-14
BUREAU WELCOMES
FAIR INVESTIGATION
MELVIN STATES ATTITUDE
OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY MEN
Unfair Charges Made Against Work
Through Ignorance OF Accusers -
Question is Whether Science or
Sentimental Notions Govern.

DR.. Harry Pinkerton, chief of the
Pendleton office of the bureau of an
imal industry. has just received from
DR.. A. D. Melvin, chief of the bureau
at Washington a statement showing
the attitude of the bureau towards
the investigation that is proposed by
congress.
The resolution introduced in con-
gress by Representative Nelson" saws
DR.. Melvin, contains a number of
false ASSUMPTIONS based on ignorance
or misrepresentation of the facts. 1t
appears that the charges are inspired
by professional agitators aided by dis
grunteled and discredited ex-employ-
ees who have been dismissed from the
service. Most of these charges were
made two and half years ago by
Mrs. Caroline Bartlett Crane before
the American Public Health Associ-
alton, and she was unable TO sustain
them to the satisfaction of the ex-
ecutive committee of that association
The charges are also partly based on
statements made by DIR. Albert Lef-
| fingweil in a book on American
Meat published by him in England
in 1910, book abounding in mis-
representations and distorted quota
tions from official publications.
aside from the attack on the in
tegrity of the officials administering
the service, the main question at is
sue is simply whether the inspection
should be based on principles deter
mined by eminent scientists the world
over who have thoroughly studied the
subject, or on the sentimental notions
Of faddists. In 1907 the regulation:
were carefully gone over by a com
mission of distinguished scientific ex,
perts outside of the Department Of
Agriculture, who reported that Il
there be any general error in the reg
ulations this is in favor of the public
rather than in favor of the butcher
and packers The present regulation
conform to the views of that commits
sion except that they are even NOR,
strict in some respects than the com
mission thought necessary.
Perhaps the most striking evi
dence that the meat inspection ha
not deterorated is the fact that con
demnations under the new law hav
been more than fifty per cent create
than under the old law 1t is eviden
| from the statements so far made b
Mrs. Crane before the committee. tina
she does not understand many thing
about the inspection system and tn
| regulations, and anything that sh
does not understand she suspects @
being crooked. She has gone out c
her way to place a sinister construc
ton upon perfectly innocent things
So far she has advanced nothing tha
can not be made perfectly plain b
the Bureau when the time comes
II present its side of the case.
1.-The so-called secret instructions
Bureau employees were issued as
confidential publication only durin
III 1907 and 1908. For three years an
II half these announcements haV
II been furnished not only to the pacl
II ers but to State officials. stockmel
II and the press. The object of issuin
II confidential instructions during til
III period that these announcements wei
guarded as confidential was not
nullify the law and regulations in Ii
= interests of the packers, but rather
e keep the packers from knowing
e the steps that were being taken
II maintain surveillance over their oI
n erations.'