The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-05-09
LAX|TY SHOWN IN
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Starting Evidence Brought to
Light in Diseased Meat
Investigation
WOMAN TESTIFIES
BEFORE COMMITTEE
Mrs. Caroline Crane Declares
Interests of People Have
Been Betrayed by
Department

WASHINGTON. atay Startling
evidence Of tho progressive nutlihca-
ton of the meat Inspection law
Through successive regulations issued
rs the Department; of Agriculture and
the prevalence Of almost criminal
faxtty In the enforcement OF the f;gw.
as modified, was given the House conn
mittee invcstig the department
today BY Mrs. Caroline bartlett Crane.
of Kalamazoo. Mich. Mrs Crane in
slaughter houses in Chicago and
other cities.
This betrayal of the interests OF
millions of people by Department OF
Agriculture officials, Mrs. Crane
charged. WAS the result OF continued
pressure exerted by tho beef packers
and the existence of an unusual de-
gree OF friendship manifested for the
packers by Secretary Wilson. who
said In speech to the American Beef
Packers Association that there had
been no trouble in executing the meat
law and that he had found every
packer "a reasonable man and ..
gentleman"
Mrs. Crane was subpoenaed by the
committee 10 testify iii connection
with the Nelson resolution for an In
Festigatfon Of the Bureau OF Animal
Industry, Of which DR. A. ID. Melvin
Is chairman. because Of failure 10 en-.
force the meat inspection law ana
collision between the beef packers
and Department OF Agriculture Of
ficials.
Have No Other Protection.
Meat inxnecttcr 10 yuarunf.., by
the government to it's people Of its
whoiesomeness." Mrs. Crane argued
II Is the only protection they have.
Every carcass tx a separate problem,
1t must be examined and stamped
separately. The first violation Of the
Inspection law ny the Department OF
Agriculture came 4 less than year
after It's enactment. when regulation
WIS promulgated permitting the
transfer Of meat and meat food prod
-- nets Without being marked from tho
parent house tn branches. This rcgu-
lation was made in IA secret doeu-
meni called service announcement.
There was further authorization
that II thu, government inspection seal
on meat laden ear was broken on
arrival at Its destination ii could be
unioaded. Later this privilege was
extended to wagons transferring prod
This victory by the packers WAS
considered 80 important that the Ma
tional Provisioner their official or
gan. hoasted. That after a conference
OF your committee with department
officials We got this relief
Some idea OF the importance nj.
tached by the lawmakers 10 the, pres
ence of the cur seal may be gained
from the fact that they imposed a
ranEs}fy pf x1a Dlu M r,a s1ks..
in the penitentIary for the unauthoriz-
ed breaking Of 1T. one-third of all
meat products, of three billion pounds,
have been shipped in sealed cars,
Who IL the common carrier 10 reach
for punishment for breaking Of the
seal when Swift IL Company and Ar
mour Company wagons transfer
the meat products TO their branch
establishments? The most dangerous
OF all meats is that made into meat
products. II covers all those kinds OF
meats that are not the best, and IL Is
for home consumption.
Quotes Departmental Order.
Mrs. Crane quoted from an order
issued October 10, 1911. by Dir Mel
j.. Nin. in which he vtelis bis, inspsastn&s
HAT ysaaas SEALS csf cars .saya syevfi
wilfuily broken by packers employees
10 facilitate the placing of house seals
Abh tti6t tAttt ht HtsAde WIKI
the managers Of establishments to
discontinue this practice.
.Contemporaneous with this notice
OF the breaking of car seals" went
on Mrs. Crane. .are many arrests Of
small butchers Tor shipping inn
mature veal. One man was fined
$500 and sentenced to one year In
2 the Atlanta peaitentiary. hut we
hear If ne effort nj prosecutions Cor
the breaking OF car seals. although
the penalty is SO much greater"
Mrs. Crane was interrupted by
Representative Floyd. Democrat. With
the direct question. n she had any
evidence of violations of the law.
No Prosecutions.
Here is an admission that ear seals
have been wilfully broken retorted
Mrs. Crane. There has been no
prosecutions. only mild instruction
10 take the matter np with the man
ayers Of establishments. III this seal
Is to be tempered with there Is no
protection for the people"
Now the law says that inspectors
shall mark unwholesome meat and
that IT shall ba destroyed in his pres
ence. The department regulation II
that 1t shall be marked by a depart
n,ent employee. This Is n notification
OF the law. Skilled laborers do the
marking. DIR. 8. r. Bennett chief
inspector a. Chicago. told me in 1909
that great majority OF these skilled
laborers, acting as inspectors, were
appointed from packing house en-
pioyes, The chance for bribery Is In
creased through such selections.
Il went to the stock yards three
weeks ago with an inspector, and he
told me that the Inspection was made
BY the packers buyers. They don't
separate all lumpy Jaw animals: only
those so bad !, as likely to be con-
demncd. There Ia no Individual ex-
animation. Cattle are rushed along
three or four more abreast. and if
there ~ one bad looking animal 1t Is
sct out"
Representative Nelson, at the open
ing Of the invcstigation. said that he
wanted to discover the connection
between the pork and beef packers,
y tho meat trust, and the 4icn wo have
pHt III positions og trust to enforce tho
nest inspection law."